Hugh started to play golf at the age of 15 when he decided it was more fun to hit practice balls back to his brother rather than pick them up. He was third in the South African Open in 1965 and also had a particularly good year in 1969 when he won the first of his two Rhodesian Dunlop Masters titles. The South African did win those two titles but he is still better known as a bridesmaid, having accumulated no less than 14 second place finishes during his career, including one when he finished tied for second at the 1995 London Masters.