Now in its third consecutive year, the 25th of April saw the return of the hugely successful PLASA charity golf day. Since its inaugural competition in 2012, the popularity of this event has snowballed, drawing in suppliers and manufacturers from all over the UK to the Drift Golf Club in the leafy suburbs of Surrey where giants of the theatre and events industry do battle to become PLASA golf champions.
With more teams competing than ever before, this year’s competition raised a phenomenal £7,500.00 for Behind the Scenes – a charity which provides support to entertainment technology industry professionals when they fall upon hard times.
Teams were entered from Autograph, Sennheiser, Shure, d&b Audiotechnik, PSCO, Blitz, Sound By Design, Delta Sound, ATG, White Light, Martin Audio, Meyer Sound, Entec, CSE Cables, PLASA, Philips, Crewsaders, Creative Technology, and Stage Technologies.
With a record turnout, it was a tough ask for reigning champions Delta Sound to defend their winners trophy from last year’s tournament. Additionally, it wouldn’t have been the PLASA golf day if the weather hadn’t also entered a team which consisted of wind, heavy rain and fog. Not to be fazed, the teams began the day with a game of Texas Scramble to warm up the joints and perfect their swing. This year also saw a ‘pitch and put’ competition which raised a further £500 to the grand total. As the rain began to pour and the obligatory team photos were taken, the golfers tee’d-off, going a full 18 holes – with the help of some light refreshments (chocolate and lager) to keep them going.
This year’s event featured some new rules – the main being that teams could be penalised by referees Amanda Adler of PLASA and Malcolm Burlow of Highlight who patrolled the course with hawk-like precision looking for any cheating or rule-bending. Firstly, the team from Sennheiser were penalised as the ‘Tightest Team’ for turning down refreshments (beer and chocolate again) until being notified that it was in fact free – sparking something of a free-for-all. Secondly, the team from Philips were also booked for ‘playing out of a water feature’ after their ball rolled into the rough which by 2pm mimicked a small lake. And finally, Lee Dennison of Sound By Design was also fouled for playing too quickly, and also for committing a fashion faux pas by tucking his trousers into his socks. Note: repeat offender.
After a fierce competition, the teams squelched into the clubhouse where the all important awards ceremony got underway. With plenty of top quality swag on offer, it was down to event organiser Lee Dennison firstly to deliver the award for last place which went pro-audio giants, Shure. Team captain Tuomo and his men may have finished in last place but also picked up the award for Best Team Spirit as their golfing experience consisted of just a few hours, the day prior to the competition!
The battle for 2nd place was hotly contested as last year’s champions Delta Sound finished on equal points with Manchester based newcomers Sennheiser who certainly stamped their authority on the tournament. With both teams finishing in joint third position, it was on to the winners. It appeared that once again, the audio companies were about to make a clean sweep, but 2014, it seems, marks a new era for this popular competition as White Light Team 2 were awarded first place making them the first ever lighting team to have been crowned PLASA golf day champions. Congratulations to Team Captain Richard Wilson, Stuart Crane, Matt Botten and Dominic Oliff for a fine game, beating both the weather and continual taunts from the noisier end of the industry.
And finally, it wouldn’t be the PLASA golf day without the (not-so) coveted award for Arse of the Day. Previously held (and retained) by White Light team captain Bryan Raven – this year’s award was very much a joint effort. Having managed to get the golf buggy stuck in the mud, Autograph’s Duncan Bell thought that ‘flooring’ the accelerator would be the best option to relieve the situation, right at the same time that team mate Scott Arnold attempted to push the buggy out. As such, Scott returned to the clubhouse practically wearing the 9th hole, thoroughly caked in mud from head to toe. A true double-act, Scott and Duncan have prised the award away from Bryan to become PLASA golf ‘Arses of the Day 2014’.
“What a fantastic representation of our industry here today raising money for a wonderful cause” commented Lee Dennison. “Some old faces but plenty of new ones and we had to turn some teams away as well. Well done to White Light and thank you to all the sponsors and supporters. See you all in September.”
Despite the English weather, this edition of the PLASA golf day was the most successful yet, raising a record amount of money for a wonderful charity that represents us and our industry. Plans are already underway for the next competition in September so get practicing and we’ll see you on the green.