Nice weather for ducks!

Friday 14^th July saw the annual Smiths Hire Golf Event take place around Herons Reach Golf Course at the Village Hotel, Blackpool. Of course, months of planning on the part of the Smiths Marketing and Sales teams couldn’t control one aspect – the great British summer! As it turned out on the day the rain began and finished just as the early starters left the first tee and as the final team returned to the clubhouse from the 18^th. That said – the rain did little to dampen spirits and the smiles continued all the way through the night.

Arriving from 9am to a breakfast of tea/coffee and bacon butties (some conflict on the name of these; roll, sandwich, barm, the list goes on!) ensured the players had the tools to combat the 18 holes of golf that lay ahead of them. As registration started, employees from different companies had the chance to meet each other, put names to faces and discuss team tactics to try and win the overall prizes at the end of the day.

Over 80 players from the North West of England played completed the course in sometimes torrential downpours, some players carding considerably better rounds than others! As the Smiths team sped around the course on golf buggies to snap away at the action, all that could be seen was the iconic blue and white umbrellas given to the players at the start of the day. The photographs show just how bad the weather got at points of the day, with very brief rest bite and false hope of some sun!

After the golf had finished it was a return to the Victory Bar for some well-earned rest and a couple of beers before the evening meal and prize giving ceremony. Golf, of course, was the main theme of the evening, with a starter aptly named ‘The First Tee’ consisting of a chicken liver pate with apple and cider chutney served with a toasted brioche. Starter was closely followed with ‘The Longest Drive’, a sumptuous pan fried lamb rump, dauphinoise potatoes and green beans skilfully wrapped in bacon, with the meal culminating in a dessert of chocolate torte sprinkled with toasted peanuts. Our thanks must go out to the staff at The Village for such a wonderful service and meal.

All that remained was the awarding of the prizes to the best players throughout the day. Team prizes for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd places were presented, alongside longest drives on holes 6 and 18, and closest to the pin on holes 4 and 12. Unfortunately for the players nobody won the £10,000 cash prize for a hole in one on the 8^th – better luck next time!

Once again a huge thank you must go to the staff at The Village and Herons Reach Golf Course for their assistance throughout the day, as well as the team at Smiths Hire for their hard work and dedication in the organisation of the team.