The Saudi Aramco Retiree Golf Group held their second event this year at The Resort at Longboat Key Resort in Sarasota, Florida October 7-11, 2019. The gathering was hosted and organized by local residents Dennis and Beatriz Niemeyer and by the golf group's organizer Mike Haas. A full week of fun filled activities included 3 rounds of golf at Longboat Key Club, and a mix of local fine dining at the Chart House, the Beach House, the Columbia restaurant, and a lovely evening dinner cruise on Sarasota Bay. Daytime activities for the non-golfers included tennis, Ringling Museum, shopping excursions and relaxing on the pristine Gulf of Mexico beaches.
There were 24 golfers each day that included Top Row L to R, Mel Knotts, Jon Grosch, Garth Jahraus, Chuck Baldwin, Brad Coy, Mike Haas, Mike Ferguson, Tahir Bukhari, Jimmy Phillips, Tom McGhee, Jon Cavanaugh, Harmohan Gill, David Vellozzi, Dennis Niemeyer, Beatriz Niemeyer, Ilene Vandenbroek and Adrian Vandenbroek. The Bottom Row L to R, Don Marshall, Tim McGhee, Mike Auflick, Troy Thompson, Don Nims and Rick Sutton. Not included Robin Macdonald, and Mike Gonzales, Bob Karcher and Mark Loughead, guests.
Adrian Vandenbroek is shown plucking his ball from the cup after accomplishing a rare hole-in-one on the Harbourside Blue Heron Golf Course Hole No. 3 that resulted in a huge celebration at the club house.
Robin Macdonald (far right) was crowned the top golfer for the event. Troy Thompson (second from left), current Saudi Aramco employee who traveled from Saudi Arabia to Florida to join his retiree friends, was second place overall. Also shown, Mike Gonzales, guest on left and Mike Haas, second from right.
The Marina Jack II dinner cruise was one of the special events planned during the week. Part of the group waves Bon Voyage as the boat prepares to sail from the harbor.
Non-golfers are always welcome to join these events that included long time retirees Bob and Chris Neff that live in the Sarasota area. L to R includes Don Nims, Chris Neff, Mel Knotts and Bob Neff.
This second Saudi Aramco Retiree Golf event was a great opportunity to spend time with our retiree friends that traveled long distances to play golf and visit. The next event is scheduled April 19-23, 2020 at The Woodlands, North of Houston that will be hosted by Mel and Marti Knotts. If you are interested in attending, please contact Mike Haas at mdhaas@attglobal.net or mdhaas51@yahoo.com. Space is limited so sign up early with more details to follow.
Other 2020 events in the planning stages include Ireland in the summer and Biloxi, Mississippi in October along with Calgary and Dallas in 2021. We hope to see you on the links.