Chauvin Arnoux Group

CA Golf Tournament 2010

On 19th & 20th September 2010 the inaugural Chauvin Arnoux UK Golf tournament was held at Aldwark Manor Hotel and Golf resort near York. Planned to be a two day affair, the first day was for the individual’s competition and a team event for the second.

Suitably bolstered with sandwiches and soup before the start, all augured well, as Rob Barker, CA UK, strode purposely up to the first tee to commence proceedings and officially open the tournament. Watched eagerly by peers and fellow competitors alike, that first drive would have cleared the County boundary let alone the course; and it should have done but sadly the ball failed to clear the Tee box…… as it disappeared in a puff of dust – much to Rob’s chagrin.

The more experienced had seen this trick before and a few knowing chortles were accompanied with the sportsmanlike “oh dear, never mind”. The less experienced believed Rob to be genuinely super-human before their incredulity was replaced by much mirth. The hysterical baying laughter from one individual at the back of the Group, we put down to pre-match nerves; though accusatory stares and the odd raised eyebrow about ball tampering were made in that general direction- you know who you were. To anyone listening later in the bar, Rob had recovered his composure sufficiently and was reassuring anyone who cared to listen that it was pin-high, if not a hole in one.

It then fell to the first four- ball to get us under way and the nervous silence that descended upon the rest of the Group, as the lower handicapped players got under way, was noticeably palpable. It was not a task for the faint hearted to have to follow such opening shots. Those splendid shots would not have disgraced the yet to be played Ryder cup and set the bar for the remaining players. Sadly some of the follow up players, with a few notable exceptions, not only lowered that bar but contemptuously threw it to one side, in their endeavours to get the ball moving forwards.              

Step forward Nigel Shell, CA UK, with a divot hole deep enough to lose a buggy in. Several Civil construction companies are trying to emulate earth movement on that scale but as yet, to no avail. Fortunately the remaining players now knew that they would have to stoop very low to try to lower the bar and much hilarity and good feeling returned. The old adage “there is always one worse” was never truer.

The good mix of experienced and novice players helped to keep the mood light hearted yet competitive. That old British tradition of “we are all in this together” provided a blitz spirit and helped carry the day. There were some very remarkable scores achieved and then there were some not so. It was with this balance of players in mind that suitable light refreshments were made available at the end of the fourth/beginning of the fourteenth. It was a measure of how keen the earlier players were that those in the later teams actually found still nearly full complement of bar stocks as they finished the fourth.

The weather held off and didn’t dampen the spirits too much and in fact it would have taken a torrent to dampen the enthusiasm of “Team Fun Bus”. This specially selected cadre of individuals had willingly sacrificed themselves to bring up the rear and carry in any stragglers. A task they completed so well, that none were left on the fairway. As was ungraciously pointed out, no-one could have fallen that far behind to require the assistance of the fun bus was just mean spirited. These remarks may have been borne out of frustration that “Team Fun Bus” having found the aforementioned bar stocks to be nearly full, promptly remedied that situation. Suffice to say, any keen player, having earlier in the round forfeited any refreshment at the fourth and looking forward to a chilled drink at the fourteenth, were to be out of luck, whilst the Fun Bus was just about audible on the 8th and quite literally, merrily ignorant.

The better players made light work of the treacherous 14th – a hole so devious that it could only have been imagined by Beelzebub himself. The River Ure providing the right boundary and a road down the left, a fairway barely 40 yards wide and a wall of trees protecting an elevated green ensured that any who had indulged earlier, now lived to regret it. Neither slice nor hook would be tolerated here, though double vision may have helped to widen that fairway, many a sporting challenge came a cropper here – There is no truth to the rumours that the Fun Bus team found this exceptionally wide fairway to be easy, nor that they danced and sang as their buggy disappeared into the river.

By the end of the first day there were many weary bodies that finally fell over the welcoming doorway of the club bar. Even the club official, alarmed at some taking 5 ½ hours to complete the round, was mightily gladdened to realise all were eventually safely off his course. Though we do believe this was more for concern for the greens, than for the well being of the players.

Over dinner, the serious affairs took over. Step forward Mr R. McCullagh of Inlec UK, who, having won the day had dispensed with the CA UK “ringer”  team CA’s teacher and golf professional Anthony Dickinson- specially selected to provide stiff competition for the more serious players. This genuinely impressive result brought much praise from the floor.

On a lighter note, the fact that Fun Bus member Patrick Winter came in 3rd just proved that there was as much room for the novice as the serious player on these days. Hannah Walker controversially won both the best and worst dressed female prizes for efforts in the fashion stakes, with an outfit that was certainly eye-catching to say the least.

After the awards the important business of telling tall-tales in the bar over a drink or two, took over. Some told taller tales than most and some told some ludicrously long tales aswell because was that the sun seen slipping up over the horizon before some had finished telling their tales of golfing derring-do?  Or perhaps it was just the view from atop the Sunshine Mountain, who knows?

The Second day broke to scenes of despair and broken dreams. Having apparently given their all on the first day’s competition, quite a few conceded they were “golfed out” and just couldn’t possibly pick up a club, let alone even wield one. With numbers seriously depleted only the bravest dare venture forth. Fortunately two teams of hardened individuals did manage to turn out. Unfortunately the second team, not quite hewn from such heroic stock as the first, promptly beat retreated back to the comfort of the Hotel having managed to only play the first four holes.

Those stalwarts in that first team of Mr R McCullagh, Mr R Jones and Mr E Jones, will go down in the annals of CA folklore and will be revered in hushed tones at future events in years to come.

Aldwark Manor was a fantastic venue with wonderful staff that provided for a truly memorable event. Not a man uttered dismay about the proceedings – the fact that the faculty of speech had yet to return to most was in no way a sign of such united agreement.

Some would say it was character building.