The first of what we hope will be many a Commonwealth Golf Day took place on Thursday 25th May 2017 and, by all reports, was a great event for everyone. This 43-player tournament was organised by the British & Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce in Finland in cooperation with The Royal Commonwealth Society Nordic-Baltic Hub at Tapiola Golf, a new 18-hole inland links course located only 15 minutes from Helsinki City centre. The weather was perfect for a day of golf, with the sun shining and a gentle breeze from the sea
We were joined by Commonwealth Ambassadors to Finland, H.E. Ashok Kumar Sharma (India), H.E. Mrs. Carmen Smidt (South Africa), and Ambassador at large HRH Princess Erica Ohene-Bekoe, from the Royal Houses of Banmu & Okomang-Adonteng Kingdom of Akropong-Akuapim, Ghana.
The event comprised a mix of Commonwealth personalities, individual competitors, sponsors and sponsors’ guests, business executives and owner-managers, media and others. Novice golfers took lessons from PGA Professionals, gaining their green card. Along with tournament participants, they enjoyed an evening buffet dinner, outstanding networking opportunities and various activities, including presentation of new models from the main tournament sponsor, Jaguar
After playing 18 holes, everyone returned to the well-designed Club House for sauna, optional Shiatsu massage, dinner and prize raffle courtesy of our sponsors, Jaguar, Hard Rock Cafe and Haikko Manor & Spa. More than 80 guests enjoyed a great atmosphere during the dinner and the performance led by Italian guitarist and singer Claudio Sasso
The Commonwealth Trophy, donated by Commonwealth Access Partners, was presented by our principal guest of honour, Mr. Michael Lake CBE, Director of The Royal Commonwealth Society. In addition to the Commonwealth Trophy, awarded to Olli Pohjanvirta, trophies were awarded to: Best Individual Female player Janina Grönholm, Best Scratch Score Joakim Söndergaard, Special Competitions: Longest Drive (Australia) Ville Alanen, Closest to pin with two shots (Trinidad and Tobago) Nils-Johan Grönholm, "Closest to Pin (Malta) Joakim Söndergaard, and "Hard Rock Star" Helka Pirinen.
The Best Four Female Players were:
1. Janina Grönholm
2. Lea Saukkonen
3. Susanne Nyberg
4. Kaarina Wasenius
The Best Four Male Players were:
1. Olli Pohjanvirta
2. Ilkka Malka
3. Olli Koskimies
4. Eino Rissanen
We would like to thank, once again, our sponsors Jaguar, Hard Rock Cafe Helsinki and Haikko Manor & Spa, where the B3CF will organise a Garden Party 2017 on 31st August. Special thanks to Rick Collins for providing us with cigars from the Dominican Republic.
Remember to keep your eyes on the ball and check out our website for more details of the 2nd Commonwealth Golf Day tournament.
Click any picture to see the whole gallery and video for the event.
Many thanks for inviting me to the inspiring event at Tapiola Golf! The program was great with a fantastic golf weather, lots of good food, good music and nice people. Could not have been better!
- Konni Furstenborg, Honorary Consul, Honorary Consulate of the Principality of Monaco, Helsinki
