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This year’s Trinity Forum not only gathered together a powerful elite of the world’s leading airports, travel retailers and brand owners in Bangkok – it also played host to the most vibrant and varied set of social events in the conference’s history.
The Vimanmek Mansion visit organised by King Power International Group attracted over 70 delegates on Friday and was one of the undoubted highlights, while around 40 more attended a tour of Bangkok including the Grand Palace on Saturday. Those of us who played golf as an alternative had a terrific day too, courtesy of King Power Chairman Vichai Raksriaksorn at his private course, the VR Sports Club (which also regularly hosts international polo tournaments at a dedicated facility).
As to the standard of play, well, let’s just say the conditions (water on every hole) caught more than a few of us out, though the lateness of the preceding evening may have played a marginal role too.
Peter Marshall of Marshall Arts powered home to victory, with a stableford score that edged him ahead of Abu Dhabi Airports Company’s Dan Cappell, who was second. Pictured above and below are both men receiving magnificent trophies from King Power Deputy Chairman Aimon Raksriaksorn (wife of Khun Vichai).
There were rumours later in the day that Peter’s odds of winning the Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup later in the year had tumbled, and that the 2010 Dubai winner Gurbax Singh had cancelled several business appointments this week to get in some early practice once news reached him of the result. But these rumours were later found to be without substance – the market still makes Marshall a solid 5,000-1.
Midway through the round, there were fears that a number of players would fail to complete the nine-hole course. My group lost 27 balls in the water, and that was a pretty healthy result by comparison to the four-ball just behind.
Playing partner Howie Baggott, of our event partner ACI, lost an estimated 14 balls in the water, contributing to a score well in excess of 100 (scorecard pictured below). Not a bad result for a novice golfer over 18 holes with par at 72, though not quite such a good score on a par-3 course.
Still, it could have been worse. Although we saw many erratic and positively dangerous swinging, we understand the beautiful Raksriaksorn family home sitting alongside the fourth fairway sustained no damage from the hooks and slices off the tee, though there were a few close calls.
As an event to round off a wonderful week in Bangkok, courtest of our excellent hosts King Power, last Saturday at the VR Club will stay long in the memory.