On the morning of Friday 13th July, fuelled with adrenaline and excitement to leave the office and London smog behind for the day, some 50 participants, including members of the Chamber and non-members as well as H.E. the Ambassador of Spain, Mr. Carlos Bastarreche, joined us for our very first Copa del Rey de Golf tournament. Set in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside, Studley Wood Golf Course proved to be the perfect venue for our guests, some of whom flew over from Spain specially to be there.
The day began with a welcoming breakfast of bacon butties during which participants eagerly greeted one another and started to gather into their teams. The majority of the teams were made up of four players, most of which represented certain companies, whilst the rest were formed of individual players; a perfect opportunity to network in a relaxed and friendly setting.
After breakfast, we received a warm welcome from golf club owner, Ken, who explained to us the rules and 18 hole golf system as well as reminding players of the all-important prizes up for grabs and how to win them. The teams then dispersed in various directions, some zooming off in their buggies, ready for a shot gun start. 18 holes spread over undulating countryside certainly kept the players busy and ensured a long run of golf.
The Copa del Rey de Golf was open to players of all levels. As our teams went off to practise golf, a smaller group went to take part in the golf clinic. An intimate team of six learnt all the basics from how to drive and use the irons on the driving range, to how to putt and chip on the greens. There was much concentration and laughter as some of our participants discovered a new talent.
The day was broken up by a midday treat of tapas, paella and ice-cold beer, generously provided by Chamber members Paella Fella and Mahou, which certainly helped to reenergise and hydrate players on a particularly hot and sunny day. The food was very much enjoyed by all and the halfway house provided a great meeting point for teams to catch up and compare their scores so far.
Upon returning to the club house, guests enjoyed a delicious buffet lunch with Raventós Codorníu wine out on the sunny terrace with views of the green whilst cheerily exchanging stories about their day.
Friday the 13th may be unlucky for some, but it certainly wasn’t for our lucky winners. With the opportunity of taking home some fantastic prizes, players upped their game and a fair few strong competitive streaks were revealed. Some of the prizes up for grabs included a mini break for two to Portugal and £10,000 for a hole in one, kindly provided by London Property Partners. Sadly no one managed to get a hole in one, however our winning team came from Barclays who won a trophy, Cordoníu Raventos wine and day passes to come back to Studley Wood Golf Club. The 2nd and 3rd placed teams also won prizes courtesy of Cordoníu Raventos and Studley Wood Golf Club. Other prizes also went to players for: longest drive, nearest to the pin, longest putt, longest walk and clinic winner, sponsored by DLF Group Mobility Services , Iberia and Iberia Express.
It was with great pleasure that all proceeds from the Copa del Rey de Golf went to two wonderful charities: Cris Cancer and Centro Social de Mayores. Cris Cancer facilitates and develops research to help beat cancer and Centro Social de Mayores is an organisation that welcomes and unites retired Spanish citizens living in the UK. Both charities are making a real difference to people’s lives.
A charity raffle was organised with a wide selection of fantastic prizes ranging from restaurant vouchers, to a whole Iberian sliced ham, to return flights to Madrid. This would not have been possible without the kind sponsorship of Mahou-San Miguel, Moonz, Ibérica, Raventos Codorníu, 5 Jotas, Zela, London Property Partners and Studley Wood Golf Club for providing the prizes.
We would also like to express a special thanks to DLF Group and Paella Fella, Chamber members, for sponsoring the tournament and to Ken and Anna from Studley Wood Golf Club for their hospitality and tremendous organisation.
Lastly, we would like to thank all of our guests for attending and for such a memorable day. We hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did and had the opportunity to meet and connect with both fellow members of the Spanish Chamber and other companies represented, not to mention practising your swings! We certainly all enjoyed some fresh air, exercise and great company.
Please click here to see photos of the event.
