On a sun-kissed, November day in the beautiful Algarve, over 70 golfers participated in the special 10 th anniversary edition of the SICG annual Phoenix Trophy competition. The Club has gone from strength to strength since being formed in 2012 with just 28 golfers, to its current position of more than 180 members.

A ‘shotgun’ start at 9 am at Silves signalled the beginning of competition for the Phoenix Trophy - originally introduced to commemorate the club’s foundation. For the 10 th anniversary event, players competed for not only the team trophy but also various individual ‘spot’ prizes, which were presented afterwards at the barbecue lunch. The Silves course was in
typically great condition as players graced the fairways and greens underneath a cloudless Algarve sky. The standard of golf was also first class, as several teams took full advantage of the early winter sunshine, to return very impressive scores.

Julian Lyons, one of the founder members, spoke at the post-competition barbecue, and reflected on how the club has grown to become “the welcoming, international club that it is today”. Club Captain, Brendan O’Connell, also stressed how the current strength of SICG is illustrated by the range of not only golfers of all levels, but also “the fantastic combination of nationalities, which combine to make SICG such a richly diverse and welcoming club”. Brendan also praised the Pestana group for tremendous support “in helping to ensure that the club’s 10 th anniversary would be truly a memorable occasion”.

Captain Brendan’s personal drive and determination to deliver this special event was evident both on and off the course, due the event’s organisation, superbly established and coordinated by Captain Brendan. The Pestana Silves clubhouse was bedecked in national flags representing the countries of SICG’s membership, and including, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, France, Croatia, Norway, Wales, Jersey, USA, Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, England, and Scotland. The wonderful atmosphere in the clubhouse, before and after golf, reflected SICG’s typical spirit of great camaraderie and friendship.

The presentation ceremony featured a barbecue in the sun, as delicious food, and refreshments were served by the Pestana staff. Addressing the gathering, Pestana Manager, Stefano Silvestre, proudly praised the quality of “wonderful Pestana Silves staff, who provided excellent service for members on this special occasion with customary professionalism”. Other speakers echoed Stefano’s sentiments, and generally emphasised that Silves staff were a credit to Pestana, not only for their excellent service on the occasion of the SICG’s 10 th anniversary, but for the service provided all year round at Pestana Silves, both in the clubhouse and on the golf course.

The SICG Phoenix Trophy, 10 th anniversary edition was a truly special occasion, and SICG now confidently looks to the future with the aim of enhancing even further SICG’s status as one of the Algarve’s leading golf clubs.

Competition results as follows:
Winning Team - Thomas Hornfeldt, Aulis Karjalainen, Karin Sunden, Jukka Kolho; Nearest the Pin in 2 strokes (Ladies) - Jane Williams Barth; Nearest the Pin in 2 strokes (Men) – George Hagland; Nearest the Pin (Men) – Michael Boyle; Nearest the Pin (Ladies) – Arja Edvardsson; Nearest the Line (Ladies) – Anna Gylling; Nearest the Line (Men) - Tony Seal.