THE NAVAL ENGINEER

34
‘The Engineers’ –
Frustrating
RN Golfers
since 1994
Royal Navy Engineers – Open Golf Championship
By ex-CMEM “Bungy” Williams
En-gi-neer:
a) A person trained and skilled in the design, construction, and
use of engines or machines, or in any of various branches of
engineering.
b) A person who operates or is in charge of an engine.
c) A member of an army, NAVY, or air force specially trained in
engineering work.
d) A skilful manager.
En-gi-neer-ing:
a) The art or science of making practical application of the
knowledge of pure sciences, as physics or chemistry.
b) The action, work, or profession of an engineer.
c) Skilful or artful contrivance; manoeuvring.
The modern game of golf has
travelled a long way since the
days of hickory shafted clubs and
hand stuffed feather & leather
balls. Pure science & engineering
has played a huge part in the
development of the games latest
equipment and courses. Balls
have become a work of scientific
wonder; one-, two- three- and
four-piece balls using many
combinations of resins, rubbers,
plastics and polymers, finished
with up to 500 precisely placed
dimples to create lift, promoting
Mark ‘Bungy’ Williams Joined RN as a JMEM2 in 1978 at age 16,
and served over 30 years, in seven classes of ship (12 different
platforms), including drafts as Chief Shipwright in HMS Glasgow
2000/2002 and HMS Ocean 2005/2006. He has been RN
Engineers Open Golf Championship Secretary in 2004, 2005 and
2008 and was RN Engineers Open Golf Champion in 2003
Since leaving the RN in 2009 he has worked as an NVQ
assessor for Babcock International in HMS Sultan as part of
the Accreditation Team, administering the Apprenticeships and
Advanced Apprenticeships offered to ET MEs, AETs & LET MEs
through their RN career course training.
desired flight patterns, partnered
with clubs designed to the very
highest of engineering standards
these go a long way to make
the game what it is today. A
coefficient-of-restitution (COR) of
0.83 has been set as an upper
limit for the newest family of thin
faced titanium drivers, with a COR
of around 0.78 combining to set
the initial velocity standards for
the 42.67mm Ø spherical object
all golfers endeavour to putt
into a hole precisely measuring
107.949999mm Ø.
Is it this link to science and
engineering that draws RN
engineers to the game of golf
and in particular the ‘Royal
Navy Engineers Open Golf
Championship’? Do golfing
engineers sit around discussing
the latest Merlin helicopter, the
marvels of Type 45 or the wonders
of the 21 st Century weapons and
sensors? Answer: they certainly do
not! ‘The Engineers’, as this golfing
icon has affectionately become
known, provides a many-faceted
arena where golfers of all standards
from Air, Marine and Weapon
Engineering disciplines gather to
test their skills and maybe, with
the required elements of good play
and luck, walk away with the title
of ‘Engineers Open Champion’.
For many who have now come
to realise their best golf is long
behind them, ‘The Engineers’ purely
serves to provide a platform where
old friendships can be revitalised
over a friendly practice round
and the mandatory libation(s) on
completion.
Founded in 1994 the first ‘Royal
Navy Engineers Open Golf
Championship’ was played at the
newly opened China Fleet Golf
and Country Club (CFGCC) in
Plymouth. CFGCC, built using
funds raised from the sale of the
Royal Navy China Fleet Club,
Hong Kong, opened in 1991 and
proved to be the perfect venue for
Photos courtesy of
PO(Logs) SC Darren Oswald