Title
Chris Reynolds Oral History Recording
Subject
Chris Reynolds
Description
An oral history interview with Chris Reynolds
Creator
Michael Romyn
Publisher
Kent's Sporting Memories
Date
Interview recorded on 28 November, 2019
Contributor
Chris Reynolds; Michael Romyn
Rights
Kent's Sporting Memories
Format
MP3 (57:48) Also available in WAV
Language
English
Type
Sound Recording
Identifier
Chris Reynolds
Transcription
Kent’s Sporting Memories Oral History Summary
Interviewee: Chris Reynolds
Interviewer: Michael Romyn
Date: 28 November, 2019
Location: Littlestone Golf Club, Kent
0:00 Name, place and date of birth (Chris Reynolds; Ashford, Kent; November 1948); Chris describes the various places he’s lived – Ashford, until he was twenty-five, Croydon and Bromley for thirty-five years, and now Littlestone; he describes his childhood in Ashford, where he attended Ashford Grammar School (now Norton Knatchbull); his family’s interest in golf, and their long-association with Ashford Golf Club, where his mother, father and grandparents were all captains, and where he served as captain in 1974, at the age of twenty-five.
2:00 Chris describes his first encounter with golf, when, as a baby, his parents wheeled him around the course in a pram; his first memories of golf – caddying for his father at the age of eight or nine; Chris talks about his parents love of, and proficiency in, golf; Chris recalls spending his school holidays playing at the club and the lessons he received from Ashford professional, Bill West, at the age of fourteen; by 1968, Chris’ handicap was in the low single figures.
5:55 The lack of young people playing golf in the 1950s and early 1960s; how his father helped encourage more young people to play golf at Ashford; his father’s career in accountancy; the absence of golf at school, aside from the rare interhouse challenge; how Chris prioritized golf at the expense of other interests and sports; following the professional game as a fan and having golfing ‘heroes’ to look up to, both amateur and professional; the role of the club pro at Ashford in the 1960s.
11:30 The social environment at Ashford Golf Club in the early days; Chris’ competitive streak, his determination to improve his handicap, and his involvement in various competitions at Ashford and further afield; being selected to represent Kent at golf; thoughts of playing golf professionally – ‘I thought about doing it for a living…but I just didn’t see it as a way of life for me, as a living for me’ – and his decision to train as an accountant instead on leaving school at 16; securing his first job at his father’s firm, earning £5 per week; leaving his father’s firm in 1972 to work for a large firm in London, where he stayed for thirty years; joining West Kent Golf Club while living and working in London, and his approach to golf at this stage of his life; getting married, starting a family, and where golf fit in with this.
20:30 Chris describes his strengths in golf – ‘accuracy and consistency’; Chris’ golfing successes, including winning the England Golf Senior Championship in 2009 at Moor Park; Chris recalls the final day of his 2009 championship win – ‘It’s a terrific feeling indeed’; finishing runner-up in the same tournament in 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012, and how this run of success led to Chris being included in the England Seniors team; playing for England Seniors for eight consecutive years, during which time the team won three home international tournaments; playing (and winning) in European team championships; the high level of golf played in these tournaments and the improvements Chris made over these years, eventually reducing his handicap to two.
26:25 Chris speaks about the importance of confidence in golf, and how much the mental aspect factors into golfing success – ‘I’ve got very good friends who are very competent players but who don’t win as often as they ought to because they’re too nice, they don’t like to crush people, they like to have a nice game’; the role coaching has played in Chris’ golfing career, and the impact professional golfer George Will had on his swing
31:20 Moving to Littlestone and becoming captain at Littlestone Golf Club in 2007; Chris became a member of Littlestone in 1989; before this he was a member from 1969 until 1973 – a fifty-year affiliation with the club in total; Chris describes Littlestone as ‘one of my preferred courses to play in the world’ and explains his favourite aspects of the course: ‘it’s just an eminently playable course all year round.’
34:00 The social side at Littlestone and the reason he moved to Littlestone – ‘I used to drive sixty miles to come and play here, now I have to walk four hundred yards’; how Littlestone has historically been a course played by parliamentarians - ‘we had the Prime Minister at one stage was the Captain of the club and the Leader of the Opposition was the President at the same time’; how Littlestone is often used as winter course by visitors, and a course frequented by Londoners – ‘it has often been described as a hidden gem’.
36:40 Chris describes his time captaining the club in 2007 as an ‘honour’, and explains the duties involved; how, in 2011, Littlestone divorced business and management duties from the captain’s role; the business and operational side of the club; Chris talks about the many tournaments and trophies he has won at the club, and his continued involvement in the Kent Senior side; Chris’ approach to golf post-retirement and how age has effected his game.
44:35 The big changes in golf that Chris has witnessed, including marked improvements in the quality of golf courses, huge developments in equipment, and a greater focus on fitness; how Littlestone has changed over the years – ‘generally it’s the same sort of course as when I first started playing it’; how, in Chris’ view, Littlestone has been ‘a mixed environment, a very friendly environment’, as opposed to other, less inclusive clubs (particularly in relation to the inclusion of women); how Littlestone continues to thrive in a difficult business environment, especially in terms of attracting new members; the ebbs and flows in the popularity of golf, and how contemporary ‘family life’ precludes many people from taking part in golf.
54:20 The makeup of the membership at Littlestone, and how a fairly high proportion of the membership don’t live locally – ‘they won’t subscribe as fully to the involvement in the club as those that live locally’.
55:25 Chris states that playing for England as a Senior and winning international tournaments were the highlights of his career; he describes the most memorable shot he has played in his career - ‘unfortunately none of the people I was playing with were watching!’; the five hole in ones Chris has made, including a string of three in three months.
Interviewee: Chris Reynolds
Interviewer: Michael Romyn
Date: 28 November, 2019
Location: Littlestone Golf Club, Kent
0:00 Name, place and date of birth (Chris Reynolds; Ashford, Kent; November 1948); Chris describes the various places he’s lived – Ashford, until he was twenty-five, Croydon and Bromley for thirty-five years, and now Littlestone; he describes his childhood in Ashford, where he attended Ashford Grammar School (now Norton Knatchbull); his family’s interest in golf, and their long-association with Ashford Golf Club, where his mother, father and grandparents were all captains, and where he served as captain in 1974, at the age of twenty-five.
2:00 Chris describes his first encounter with golf, when, as a baby, his parents wheeled him around the course in a pram; his first memories of golf – caddying for his father at the age of eight or nine; Chris talks about his parents love of, and proficiency in, golf; Chris recalls spending his school holidays playing at the club and the lessons he received from Ashford professional, Bill West, at the age of fourteen; by 1968, Chris’ handicap was in the low single figures.
5:55 The lack of young people playing golf in the 1950s and early 1960s; how his father helped encourage more young people to play golf at Ashford; his father’s career in accountancy; the absence of golf at school, aside from the rare interhouse challenge; how Chris prioritized golf at the expense of other interests and sports; following the professional game as a fan and having golfing ‘heroes’ to look up to, both amateur and professional; the role of the club pro at Ashford in the 1960s.
11:30 The social environment at Ashford Golf Club in the early days; Chris’ competitive streak, his determination to improve his handicap, and his involvement in various competitions at Ashford and further afield; being selected to represent Kent at golf; thoughts of playing golf professionally – ‘I thought about doing it for a living…but I just didn’t see it as a way of life for me, as a living for me’ – and his decision to train as an accountant instead on leaving school at 16; securing his first job at his father’s firm, earning £5 per week; leaving his father’s firm in 1972 to work for a large firm in London, where he stayed for thirty years; joining West Kent Golf Club while living and working in London, and his approach to golf at this stage of his life; getting married, starting a family, and where golf fit in with this.
20:30 Chris describes his strengths in golf – ‘accuracy and consistency’; Chris’ golfing successes, including winning the England Golf Senior Championship in 2009 at Moor Park; Chris recalls the final day of his 2009 championship win – ‘It’s a terrific feeling indeed’; finishing runner-up in the same tournament in 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012, and how this run of success led to Chris being included in the England Seniors team; playing for England Seniors for eight consecutive years, during which time the team won three home international tournaments; playing (and winning) in European team championships; the high level of golf played in these tournaments and the improvements Chris made over these years, eventually reducing his handicap to two.
26:25 Chris speaks about the importance of confidence in golf, and how much the mental aspect factors into golfing success – ‘I’ve got very good friends who are very competent players but who don’t win as often as they ought to because they’re too nice, they don’t like to crush people, they like to have a nice game’; the role coaching has played in Chris’ golfing career, and the impact professional golfer George Will had on his swing
31:20 Moving to Littlestone and becoming captain at Littlestone Golf Club in 2007; Chris became a member of Littlestone in 1989; before this he was a member from 1969 until 1973 – a fifty-year affiliation with the club in total; Chris describes Littlestone as ‘one of my preferred courses to play in the world’ and explains his favourite aspects of the course: ‘it’s just an eminently playable course all year round.’
34:00 The social side at Littlestone and the reason he moved to Littlestone – ‘I used to drive sixty miles to come and play here, now I have to walk four hundred yards’; how Littlestone has historically been a course played by parliamentarians - ‘we had the Prime Minister at one stage was the Captain of the club and the Leader of the Opposition was the President at the same time’; how Littlestone is often used as winter course by visitors, and a course frequented by Londoners – ‘it has often been described as a hidden gem’.
36:40 Chris describes his time captaining the club in 2007 as an ‘honour’, and explains the duties involved; how, in 2011, Littlestone divorced business and management duties from the captain’s role; the business and operational side of the club; Chris talks about the many tournaments and trophies he has won at the club, and his continued involvement in the Kent Senior side; Chris’ approach to golf post-retirement and how age has effected his game.
44:35 The big changes in golf that Chris has witnessed, including marked improvements in the quality of golf courses, huge developments in equipment, and a greater focus on fitness; how Littlestone has changed over the years – ‘generally it’s the same sort of course as when I first started playing it’; how, in Chris’ view, Littlestone has been ‘a mixed environment, a very friendly environment’, as opposed to other, less inclusive clubs (particularly in relation to the inclusion of women); how Littlestone continues to thrive in a difficult business environment, especially in terms of attracting new members; the ebbs and flows in the popularity of golf, and how contemporary ‘family life’ precludes many people from taking part in golf.
54:20 The makeup of the membership at Littlestone, and how a fairly high proportion of the membership don’t live locally – ‘they won’t subscribe as fully to the involvement in the club as those that live locally’.
55:25 Chris states that playing for England as a Senior and winning international tournaments were the highlights of his career; he describes the most memorable shot he has played in his career - ‘unfortunately none of the people I was playing with were watching!’; the five hole in ones Chris has made, including a string of three in three months.