Thirty Years, One Fridge, and a Night We Will Not Forget
Some birthdays call for cake. Ours called for a shotgun start, a “Springbok and All Blacks” showdown, and a fridge with a trophy hiding inside it. On Tuesday, we turned 30, and we cannot think of a better way to have marked it than the Chris ‘Fridge’ McAlpine Trophy at De Zalze Golf Club.
Golf at De Zalze Golf Club
This was the first time the Chris ‘Fridge’ McAlpine Trophy, a much loved New Zealand tradition, made its way onto South African soil. A touring group of New Zealand golfers took on a line-up of South African golf club directors and friends of ours, all in good spirit and with plenty on the line.
Eighteen holes of Beerball Stableford later, the two sides were separated by just two points. Close enough that both teams will still be talking about a few of those putts for a long time to come.
We owe a big thank you to our hole sponsors, Sun International, Village & Life, Savour Coffee and George Brewery, for keeping everyone fuelled and in good spirits from the first tee to the last. The second the final putt dropped, both teams headed straight to Vredenheim Wine Farm in their team shirts and caps, no showers, no delays, just straight into the evening.
Celebrations at Vredenheim Wine Farm
Grant Edkins, Scott’s brother, took the microphone for the night and made the most of having Scott out of the room, working in plenty of jokes at his expense along the way. Lica Blomerus stepped up to deliver the main address, and she did the moment proud.
She thanked our sponsors, venues and travel partners, brought the whole Ascot Tours team to their feet for a well deserved round of applause, and gave a heartfelt welcome to the New Zealand contingent and the three agencies who brought them across, Smith Tour Company, Elite Golf Experiences and PaR NZ Golfing Holidays.
Lica also took the room back thirty years, sharing the story of how Scott started this company on his own with nothing more than a mini-van. We did not simply join South Africa’s golf travel industry, she reminded everyone, because we started it and there are another thirty years still to come.
Mike Steyn then had the room in stitches, handing out the good, the bad and the ugly shooters, a good natured run-through of the day’s best and worst golfing moments. Grant handed over to Tony, who told the story behind the Chris ‘Fridge’ McAlpine Trophy before the scores were finally read out, 28 points to one team and 26 to the other. But golf was only half the contest.
The real verdict sat waiting inside the fridge, where a single surviving beer would decide the winner. The door swung open, and there it was, a lone Steinlager. New Zealand had won! The Kiwi contingent charged the front of the room, broke into their national anthem, and followed it straight up with an impromptu haka that had the whole crowd on its feet.
Giving Back and Winding Down
Once the noise settled, Graeme Smith stepped up to run a charity auction in aid of Golfing For Change, with four excellent lots on offer, including a Jeroboam signed by Ernie Els and signed jerseys from both the All Blacks and the Springboks. Local band 50 Shades of Grey then took over the dance floor and kept everyone moving until the night finally ended.
A Night We Will Cherish
Scott Edkins was missed by all of us on the night, and we know he will have plenty of stories to catch up on. The whole Ascot Tours team will be looking back on this evening for a long time, and it would not have been the same without every single person who showed up, told a story, handed out a shooter, sang an anthem or danced until the lights came on. Thank you for making it so special.
As our New Zealand travelers continue their journey through the Garden Route and on to Sun City, we wish them every bit of the good time still ahead. Here is to the next thirty years, and to whichever way the fridge goes next time.