TWO best friends are proud to be driving one of the oldest golf clubs in the country through its 150th anniversary.

Phil Cain and Hugh Hamilton Jnr are Seaton Carew Golf Club’s captain and vice-captain, respectively speaking, for 2024 – 35 years on from holding the junior captaincy together.

Not only is it a special birthday for the tenth oldest course in England, founded in 1874, as part of its celebrations Seaton Carew will also co-host the English Amateur Championship between July 28 and August 4. 

And it means everything for Cain and Hamilton, two long-serving members for more than 40 years, to be in the highest public-facing positions together, having been junior captain and vice-captain together in 1989.

Cain, 53, who officially teed off his captaincy with ladies captain, Diane Wilson, at the Captain’s Drive-in on New Year’s Day, said: “We didn’t aspire to be captain when we were younger, it was always about being the best golfer for Hugh and I.

"But as you get older, it dawns on you about the history of the club and its significance in the golfing world. To be captain in its 150th year is one of my proudest moments.

“What has made it extra special is to do it with my best friend, someone I was junior captain with all those years ago, and during a year when one of the biggest amateur competitions is coming to town. It will be fantastic.

“This is one of the first 50 clubs incorporated in the world and to be captain in the 150th year is a complete honour – representing this incredible place is in our blood.”

The duo only joined the committee five years ago, with Cain initially volunteering as the greens chairman who oversaw the appointment of course manager Tom Coulson.  

Cain, whose father Brian was captain in 2001 and brother Nick a former greenkeeper, first joined Seaton Carew on Christmas Day 1978, when he was given the membership as a present at the family home, just a long par five away from the first tee.

Hamilton, who was born in Limerick, Ireland, joined five years later having moved back to Hartlepool with parents Hughie and Yvonne Hamilton – and the friendship blossomed from there on the greens and on the local Dodds Field, where they used to practise through goalposts.

The Northern Echo: The pair as junior captains at Seaton CarewThe pair as junior captains at Seaton Carew (Image: Rephrase Media)

Hamilton, who turns 54 in March, said: “My late dad, Hughie was a footballer with Hartlepool and he got me into golf while playing on holiday in Scotland. Of all the people to sign my proposer at the time was Pools’ record goalscorer Kenny Johnson.

“What a period that was. Phil and I were fortunate that all the lads were of a similar age and were very competitive, we wanted to beat each other and as juniors we had the likes of England international Alex Robertson and Barcelona Open winner David Whelan to look up to.

“Phil and I went on to have 80 caps between us for Durham County. We were both club champions (Hugh eight times and Phil twice) and Durham junior double champions.

“It’s fantastic to be in this position now as captain and vice-captain together. The other caveat to all of this is that neither of us ever even had these positions on our radar - all we wanted to do was win the Club Championship. Now we find ourselves as administrators.”

It is clear how proud the pair are to hold such prestigious titles as they chat around the captain’s table inside the clubhouse – particularly at a time when the English Amateur Championship’s visit is on the horizon this summer.

Cain said: “We have both previously played in the English Amateur. I lost at Formby to Paul Page who beat Tiger Woods in the US Amateur Championship. Hugh played at Alwoodley, we can’t wait to welcome it to Seaton.  

“As a golf course, Seaton Carew is right up there with the finest links courses in the world. The land is raw, the dunes are only young, so the rawness is very rare, and under Tom Coulson’s stewardship I think we can continue to improve the course.

“The membership has just invested £750,000 in a new irrigation system, so I only see this course getting better. There’s a lot to play with and we are just the custodians - members come and go, this needs to be here for another 150 years.”

And Hamilton added: “When we first joined we didn’t know the scale of how big or good Seaton Carew Golf Club was. Like most good links courses, this was at the end of a village.

“We joined, there were businessmen and you had to be seen and not heard from in those days as a junior. Those days taught us well, how to behave and speak to people properly.

“Now, suddenly, we find ourselves as captains having just swung a few clubs together initially on a nearby football field to now hosting the English Amateur Championship. It means everything to us both.”