Golf Society holds award banquet

The IGST, Taiwan’s largest group of amateur expatriate golfers, ended 2007 with over 90 members from 17 different countries, half of whom attended the AGM banquet to congratulate the winners and wrap up another year.

The IGST, while mostly made up of expatriates living in and around Taipei, also welcomes locals and an emphasis on social golf means there is no discrimination based on ability. Anyone regardless of nationality, age, gender or ability who wants to play golf can join.

But even hackers enjoy a little friendly competition, which is precisely what the IGST aims to provide — an opportunity to play and socialize with a group of golfers, where the main purpose is to enjoy the game and company but also provide an element of competition to add excitement. All in all, the IGST held 22 tournaments during the year, five of which were the society’s major tournaments, for which trophies were awarded at the banquet. While having fun is important, fairness is, too. And to make sure that all players feel they have a chance, a fair handicapping system has been put in place.

The society uses the United States Golf Association’s (USGA) handicap system for all its tournaments to ensure the playing field remains level for players with handicaps ranging from close to zero all the way to the maximum 36.

The constantly changing nature of Taiwan’s expatriate community means IGST membership is constantly changing, but members come from all walks of life and industry and are all united in a common love (or more often obsession) with golf. Bringing together such a diverse and dynamic group of people for a bit of friendly competition in the game they love always results in enduring friendships and hopefully an improvement in skill and ability in the world’s most exacting of sports.

Since golf is very much an individual pursuit, most IGST tournaments are individual, handicapped-based. Some are one-off events but most are spread over several rounds.

The IGST Championship, for instance, is a two-day, two-round tournament, while the IGST Match Play uses a knock-out format whereby each match is played over 18 holes to determine the winner who advances to the next round. But the society also has one team-based tournament, the Curry Cup, which divides the membership into four teams, which go head-to-head once a month throughout the year.

The team with the highest points at the end of the 9-month season wins the trophy. At the banquet, trophies were also given away for the most improved golfer (one for men and one for women), while a number of lucky draw prizes ranging from restaurant and hotel vouchers to air tickets were handed out. While not everyone went home with a trophy or prize, everyone left in good spirits, looking forward to another year in pursuit of the always elusive golfing excellence in the best of company.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email