End of Season Tournament & Dinner 2024

END OF SEASON

tournament & dinner

Lt Col (Retd) Keith Seddon and Brig Kieran Sheldon

09 October 2024 Whittington Heath Golf Club

Following the success of the inaugural event at the BT Tower in 2023, we knew it would be challenging to match that experience, especially as it was always intended to be a one-off.

With the kind permission of Whittington Heath Golf Club, we decided to extend the dinner to include a golf tournament.

The chosen format was a Florida Scramble (Strokeplay), played in teams of four.

40 players had registered within 24 hours of the event, with a further five attending for dinner only. Unfortunately, only 38 players teed off, resulting in 8 teams of four and 2 teams of three. The clubhouse buzzed with anticipation for the live team draw, Captains, and tee times, especially as an automated programme had been designed specifically to select not only teams but also tee times and Team Captains.

Players were divided into four “pots”: Pot 1 comprised nine players with the lowest WHS index, Pot 2 included the next ten, Pot 3 contained the following nine, and Pot 4 had the highest ten. The automatic picking programme selected one player from each pot, creating balanced teams.

Most teams ended up with a combined handicap of 4 or 5, setting up a competitive day. Additionally, the format required each team member to take a minimum of four drives, ensuring that no single player could dominate the round.

This put pressure on Team Captains to inject strategic play into their team’s approach.

The day was enjoyed by all, with a narrow margin of only seven shots separating 1st and 10th places. All teams fought hard, but the eventual winners were Team 9, who secured victory with an impressive back-9 score of 29, just edging out Team 3 on countback.

Despite some heavy downpours, the weather was more cooperative than

forecast, with showers moving quickly across the course. Special mention goes to Loreen Siaga, new to golf, who will undoubtedly be upgrading her “handbag umbrella” to one with better rain protection soon!

Team Results 1st

Team 9

Stu Hawkins Vinny Peters 57 Kieran Sheldon Kyle Cooper

2nd Team 3

Craig Butler Steve Davis 57 Karen Fidell Glen Watt

3rd Team 7

Dean Geoghegan Adam Herbert 58 Matt Priston Gina Smith

4th Team 6

Neil Williams Chris Vaughan 58 Dewi Williams John Palmer

5th Team 4

6th

Team 1

Matt Bruce-Smith 59 Chris Hammond Chris Bartley Gregg Mulligan (H&K) Zoe Burrell-Knipe 59 Gaz Gurung Craig Morton

7th Team 2

Alex O’Brien Bob Gamble 60 Stuart Evans (L3Harris) Chris Kelly

8th Team 8

Claire Ham Ben Ware 62 David Thomas Guy Wilkinson

9th Team 5

Zain Sharif Loreen Siaga 62 Chetan Gurung Ian Mahan

10

th

Keith Seddon Team 10 64 Jit Thapa Al McKenna

Countback calculated on back 9, back 6, back 3

Individual Results Nearest the pin (7th) - Jit Thapa Nearest the pin (11th) - Chet Gurung Nearest the pin in 2 (3rd) - Neil Williams Nearest the line (18th) - Al McKenna (actually landed on the line)

spoke passionately about their players, making it clear that both recipients were highly deserving of these accolades.

The presentation dinner followed, with 42 attendees enjoying a superb meal.

Women’s Player’s Player ATpr Laura McLean

Full colours were presented to Glen Watt and half colours to Laura McLean.

The final presentation was made to Lt Col (Retd) Keith Seddon, who is stepping down as Tournament Director after more than 45 years of involvement in Army Golf. Fittingly, his first-ever round of golf was played at Whittington Heath Golf Club on a Sunday morning, still in his Mess Kit after a Sergeants' Mess Ball.

The first awards of the evening went to the winners of the Corps League Divisions 1 and 2, with RAPTC winning Division 2 and Infantry taking Division 1.

RAPTC will now be promoted to Division 1 for the 2025 season.

WO2 Ian Mahan receiving Div 1 trophy on behalf of Infantry

SSgt John Palmer receiving Div 2 trophy on behalf of RAPTC

Over the years, Keith has held nearly every position in Regimental, Infantry, and Army Golf. His dedication to promoting the sport has been invaluable, and he has now been nominated for a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Sports Awards, to be held in November.

SSgt Gaz Gurung with Men's Player of the Year trophy

ATpr Laura McLean with Women's Players' Player trophy

Next, the Players of the Year were recognised, with citations read by their respective Captains. While the Women’s team chose not to present a Player of the Year trophy, they did present their "Players' Player" award. Both Captains

Men’s Player of the Year SSgt Gaz Gurung