4 minute read
A golf day out
Words by Chris Arvidson, IRHACE Council member
I think we were all waiting with bated breath to see what the weather gods had in store for us on the Sunday we’d planned for the golf, as it had been raining quite heavily the Friday before. So, to see just a light wisp of cloud on the morning of the tournament was fantastic! Temperatures weren’t expected to go above 18ºC for the day so no one was going to bake, and sunscreen requirements would be kept to a minimum.
We had 21 teams of four planned and with some shortfalls, and Milan from SimPro turning up from Auckland and Paul Crawford from Greymouth, we eventually made 20. All parts of the trade were represented from refrigeration and heat pumps, to consultants and contractors. I think everyone was excited to be there on the day, and the positive feedback I’ve received indicates everyone had a great time.
A shotgun start was held, with teams all starting at the same time off all the tees. A couple of the par-5s had two teams start, one after the other.
I think the most nervous person on the course for the day was me! And maybe that came across with the prize giving at the end of the day. It’s a first for me, but probably not the last, and given my predecessor Evan has fifteen years doing this, I don’t think I did too badly.
We switched things up this year with the awards and opted to provide a First Net Placing for teams containing IRHACE Members, and a First Net Placing for teams without IRHACE Members. On reading out the firstplace winners, we had a tie between Carlett Electrical and Gavin Lowe Airconditioning! So, a putt-out was conducted, Cartlett Electrical getting one over on the GL Air team by about 4 inches and winning the barbecues kindly sponsored by Central Heating NZ. Second place went to GL Air, and third to McAlpine Hussmann.
First Place Net for the team without IRHACE members was a far simpler proposition and went to Filters Direct team 2, with prizes sponsored by Eurotec. Second and third placegetters were HPAC team 1 and Patton Refrigeration, who coincidentally took out the Best Team award as well due to their flamboyant Flintstone outfits.
Second-place getters received bluetooth speaker sets from Panasonic, and third-place getters got vouchers from Refspecs and Patton Refrigeration. A little ironic that Patton’s prizes came from their competition…
Longest Drive went to Andrew Whitehead from Team Smooth-Air and Closest to the Pin went to Baptiste Hilly from HPAC, but he was playing for Carlett Electrical on the day – I’m positive (he told me so) that there was some ribbing at the office in the morning…
The most contentious award for the day was the Dick of the Day award. A number of stories were noted, and more were found out after. I wish I’d known about Piersons Romeo who was hitting on the golf cart girl (my daughter); I might have given it to him… But other stories were provided with David Brown Contractors providing the majority of them. It went to their young fellow Logan in the end for teeing off at the ladies tees and being caught in the act! But maybe it should have gone to Tim for tampering with the scores while we were out having a putt-off, or to their team 2 for playing Stableford rather than Ambrose… I wonder…
I’m sure everyone went home full having had breakfast, lunch AND dinner. And a number opened a few cans on the way around, too! A big thank you to Tegel for providing the chicken for the barbecue, the Kaiapoi Golf Club Restaurant (Tasteful Affairs) for putting on the meals, and to the Kelly brothers John and Allan for the barbecue cooking again.
We must acknowledge all the sponsors who made this possible. Without them, we wouldn’t have had the prizes, the drinks, the coffee cart or the meals. If you can, please make sure you support them.
And from me, a huge thanks to all the people who helped organise the event – particularly to Andre Van Dyke, Rodger Wyatt and Martin Lightfoot. None of this would have happened without them and all the work they conducted behind the scenes. To Charlie, Lisa and Emma, thanks for your help on the day with the carts and refreshments. The biggest thanks must go to all those who turned up and made this all worthwhile. Hopefully next year I’ll have conquered some nerves, and the prize will go a little smoother. See you then!
Complete results list below.
Note Beattie Aircon combined with Cali Comfort.
