Truants Charity Golf Day – 2015
FORE! Firstly we should thank you all for your support and tell you that a fantastic £50,100 was raised for our Truants Charities – Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy, Teenage Cancer Trust and ChildLine/NSPCC, a big increase on last year’s £42,000, taking the total raised to date by the Truants Golf Days for these essential Children’s Charities to £142,350. It is worth noting that due to the generosity of many not a penny was spent on any awards, prizes, photos, movie or any of the auction or raffle items, silent or otherwise, thus maximising the proceeds to the Charities.
A very bold move by our Golf Truant in Chief, who shall remain anonymous (apart from his polo neck golf shirt, shorts & full length socks!) at his own request, (but we all know who he is!!), to take over the whole of the wonderful place that is the Royal Mid Surrey Golf Club was fully justified when 39 teams comprising of 156 golfers (to use the term loosely in some cases) signed up in support!
The weather provided an absolutely perfect backdrop to a terrific day of golf, drinking and, as the evening progressed, general mayhem, enhanced by our MC Dave Shack, comedian & sporting mimic, Aaron James who certainly got the evening off with suitable sporting hilarity & the legend that is Auctioneer extraordinaire, Tom Baigrie. We hope you will all agree that it was as good a day of golf as you get. To rekindle those fond memories and even despair at your swing, check out the photos and the award winning movie*.
We have many people to thank as below, but first we especially thank the terrific team at RMS led by Moira Stafford-Neck and Lee Third who handled the serious scale of the event effortlessly and graciously, Chairman Bob Armitage and Captain Robin Booker for their tremendous support and Marcin, Margaret, Claudia and all the RMS catering and bar staff for a magnificent effort at taking care of us all, our appetites and our thirsts, until the early hours. Also a sincere thanks to Ed Stewart-Lockhart & Javan Alexander from Phantom who built and manned the TROOPER tent ensuring that you all made it round the back nine fully refreshed!
For the record then… The TROOPER Awards 2015 went to the following – (see past winners here)
Winning Team – Team Greenish; with 105 points! Host: Freddy Greenish (who were runners up last year – So handicap revisions coming up in 2016
Runners Up – Bennie’s Bandits (101 points) – Host: Alan Bennie
3rd – Meat and Veg (100 points)
Individual Winner – Kelvin Daly (Team: Viu Verun Wimbledon) – 52 points
Runner Up – Rory Hamilton-Brown (Team: Greenish) – 51 points
3rd – Jamie Bennie – 49 points
Lady Winner– Ital Strong – 46 points
Runner Up – Adele Tosti – 35 points
3rd – Marcella Anselmetti – 34 points
Longest Drive – JH Taylor course – Jay Burridge
Longest Drive – Pam Barton course – Luke Edgecumbe
Nearest the Pin – JH Taylor course – David Telfer (Hole in One!)
Nearest the Pin – Pam Barton course – Paul Kaye
The Calloway Closest Putt – Mark Allen
If the rest of you, how can I put this? “losers” wish to be depressed, check out your score here!! and thanks to VPar again for so kindly providing the know-how, technology and kit to enable us to score without pencils and have a ready record of our crimes on/against the course!!
Special thanks also go to Rachel Luckhurst for taking all the photos and Ryan Titley and Dan De Pasquale for the many hours spent filming and editing the movie. And to Tom Baigrie for procuring as much cash from the assembled throng as possible with his auction, a major factor in the financial success of our venture, and to Sue Page at Calloway for providing the caps and balls in your welcome packs and a range of the prizes.
The Truants would also like to extend their thanks to the following sponsors/donors/helpers: : Aaron James, Adam Tyrer, Alan Bennie, Alison Hole, Analida Graham, Anna Bainbridge, Barry Drinkwater, Bill Taylor, Bob Baker, Bumpkin Group, Carol Tindley, Charles Graham, Charlotte Higgs, Chris Aldersley, Chris Grech, Dairy Crest plc, Dan De Pasqualle, Dave Shack, Edward Stewart-Lockhart, Emily Hole, Eric Newham, Harvey Nichols, Helen Curl, Hicham Rerhrhaye, Ian Warbrick, Joe McGeough, Joey Barton, Johnny Grave, Jumeirah Hotel, Kevin Witheford, Lee Third, Matthew Paget, Marcin Poznanski, Mark Allen, Mark Fuller, Mark Mossiman, Mark Trow, Min Patel, Neil Warbrick, Nigel Hopkinson, Paul Tindley, Pemberton Greenish, Phantom Management, Professional Cricketers Association, Robin Moore, Sara Bennie, Sophie’s Steakhouse, Thompson Hotels. Miles Commercial, Robinsons Brewery and Sealpac UK Limited.
Finally thanks to Rod, Shacky and Ed and the great premium British Beer that is TROOPER for providing the Awards and the magnificent TROOPER Tent. It is fair to say that TROOPER provided much of the (snake?) oil to make the parts work so smoothly as the evening wore on!!
*The movie won Best Golf Video 2015 in the Putt D’Orr Film Festival in the Sanctum Cinema Room
We will return on FRIDAY JULY 1st 2016. We are already taking applications and demand is high (hint, hint!) after the great success of this vintage year. So, As Freddie Laker once said: Book Early!