HE HAS won nearly £400,000 during 11 years on the European Senior Tour. Now Kevin Spurgeon's biggest ambition is to go on holiday without his clubs.

The Ferndown touring professional, affectionately nicknamed Spurge, is due to take a step back from the circuit next year to focus on domestic commitments.

That is not to say that the 60-year-old has not had a blast during nearly 150 tour outings. But in Spurgeon's eyes, the simple pleasure of taking just a suitcase to the airport is not to be underestimated.

"Travelling around the world has been absolutely fantastic. Going to places like Japan, China and Australia has been awesome," said Spurgeon.

"People expect you to be having a whale of a time but the schedule is always airport, hotel, golf course. I haven't seen anywhere!

"It'll be nice to go on holiday with just a suitcase and no clubs as I haven't done that for 11 years!"

A former club pro at Dudsbury and the Isle of Purbeck, Spurgeon is next month due to round off his European Senior Tour stint at the scene of his solitary triumph, Constance Belle Mare Plage, where he won the inaugural Mauritius Open in 2009.

The experienced campaigner has asked for an invite to compete on the idyllic Indian Ocean island in the MCB Tour Championship from December 11-13. But should he not get his wish, a place in the pro-am and a few days in the sun should prove ample consolation.

"They have looked after me ever since I won there so it's not a bad place to finish my time on tour," said Spurgeon.

"When people ask me what my favourite golf course is, I always say the Legend Golf Course in Mauritius. It might not be the best in the world for many people but it is in my eyes."

Asked about his favourite shots on tour, Spurgeon is in no doubt.

"I've always said I've got three," he said.

"My third one would be when I had a hole-in-one on the third at Woburn in my first year on tour and I won 160 bottles of wine, based on the yardage of the hole.

"My second-favourite was the following year at the Vale of Glamorgan on the par-three third when I holed a four-iron for 220 bottles of wine.

"Both times I gave a bottle to every other player in the field and it didn't take me long to get through the rest!

"My favourite shot has got to be the chip to the last green in Mauritius. At that point it felt like my hands didn't belong to me but once I hit the ball to eight feet away, I knew I had won it."

Spurgeon added: "If you had said to me 11 years ago that I was going to play on the tour until now, I'd have laughed in your face.

"I could play but I actually got better when I was playing tournaments against players who are bigger than I'll ever be.

"Tom Watson, Tom Lehman, Sam Torrance, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle – I've played alongside all of them. For a club pro, that's absolutely huge."

So what now for Spurgeon, given his imminent move away from tour golf?

He said: "I will be assisting with golf lessons at Ferndown and, hopefully, passing on some of the knowledge I have gained.

"Ferndown has been my base for the past 11 years and it has been an honour and a privilege. The new course manager Murray Long and his team have transformed the place in the past 12 months.

"We have a great team in the golf shop led by head professional Scott Godfrey, golf and retail manager James Wilson and PGA trainee Danielle Bradly.

"The golf course is the best I've ever played, even bearing in mind all the years I was on tour!"

Any players seeking lessons with Spurgeon should phone 07966 176853.