2008

The 18th Annual  heads for the sunset (or the remnants of Hurricane Ike, as it were) and the WACOFF’s are now largely back to the real world (except for Coon, who left the real world 20 years ago and Joe Mantey, who was never in it) from which we make our annual escape.    It was a fine weekend despite the lousy weather, but we suffered our first ever rain out of a competitive round.  Oh, the humanity!   The Committee severely chastised Guerriero for the decision on Sunday to call the match, making it known that his manhood had obviously failed him,  and it was more than suggested that the Patton like qualities that got Guerriero this gig in the first place had deserted him at the moment of truth.  Truth be told, the WACOFF’s didn’t want to get wet Sunday, and by God why should they?   Untold number of marriages were given a true shot at redemption due to early returns on Sunday……a silver lining if there ever was one.

The Scramble Championship was fiercely contested, with three or four teams in a position to win as late as 16.  Paul Nielsen dragged his mustard clad Team Snead to victory,  capably aided by Glenn Coughenour, (playing his home course!) Joe LaBarge and Marshal Hyman.   A run to the finish that took them past Paul Coughenour ’s Team Player, who booted their day long lead with a bogey on the very tough uphill par 4 16th .   Kudos also to Messrs Brown, Mann and Voshel of Team Bobby Jones, who as a threesome ran with the big dogs and finished just a stroke out.    It is duly noted here that the Nielsen team, having led off the Championship, was virtually untouched by the rain which set in around 1pm or so, leaving the back of the field to struggle through up to 9 holes of shit.   However, before some disappointed WACOFF’s use this random weather event as an excuse for their team’s less than glorious finish, it should be noted that Team Player was at the back of the pack and managed to stay in it until the end.    Its all about karma.

The work of the Golf Committee this year was challenging in that there were several players who were either new (welcome, Kevin Thomson) or had not attended in 10 years (the rest of the Jackson crowd, Jim Guerriero, Bill Worth and Gary Skinner, and, by the way, welcome back).  This uncertainty and lack of history combined with last minute drop outs and no-shows and consequent re-shuffling of the pairings deck led to concerns about the overall fairness of the resulting teams etc.  The results however once again vindicated the insightfulness and wisdom of the Golf Committee, with all competitions resulting in competitive excitement and no runaway winners (or losers).  Another tip of the Voshel Gangol cap to Paul C for his fine work.   The King lives and reigns.

The weekend was otherwise enjoyable, with a great Thursday game at a tough (and liquorless) Lockenheath course up the road, a grueling Friday challenge at Wolverine, with some pretty scary scores from some reputedly good golfers.   The Spider Lake retreat proved as welcoming and comfortable as we remembered,  its full glory and potential unfortunately beaten down by Ike.  The boyz played well together indoors though (despite the pall cast by the ugly Michigan performance against ND) and struck out to other more educational and exciting venues such as the casino and the Holiday Inn to assuage their disappointment at not going tubing.    

 Thanks and hugs to:

Ron H and his SUB committee (Stimson and D Hardesty) for very snazzy shirts, cool divot tools and for his arrangement of the massage therapy, mistaken by some passersby as a beached whale rescue attempt, to David H for booze, cameras, photo archives (please bring up to date, thank you) and not getting anyone too pissed off at you this year, to Stimson for the Thursday game (we were very happy that Chicago decided to get up a bit early and attend, we know how hard it must be but only because you whined about it so much, poor boyz), the very impressive and ever growing archives, remembrance of Deke, and for your many and unheralded contributions to the karma of it all, to Glenn C for the beer (get your money back Glenn,we really tried to drink it but it wouldn’t come out), the aborted pari-mutuel,  and for his able and exemplary fill in for brother Paul on the Scramble Championship presentation Saturday night, to Jim C for hauling his boat up against all weather odds, help on the pari-mutuel, and for guiding Mantey through the intricacies of skins mathematics, to Mantey for the longest skins game calculation in the annals of the sport, over 24 hours and it still was wrong, but that is why we love you Joe.  The job is yours until you get it right.  to Marshal H for prizes and benediction, and for a competitive tour de force as the winner both Friday (with Jerry Snyder in CD) and in the Scramble.  Sorry the weather cost you  the triple crown.   to Joe LaBarge, for sharing his best stuff with us.

 Thanks mostly though to all the boyz for your participation, dedication, enthusiasm and willingness to show up and pay whatever you are told to pay.    It makes it all worthwhile in the end.

 Next year comes too slowly, but plans are underway and we will likely be returning to Yarrow, probably the weekend after Labor Day, September  4-6, 2009.  Compliments, donations, random and gushing expressions of gratitude and praise, and other similar type communications are always welcomed by the Committee. Suggestions and questions, constructive or otherwise, are best kept to yourself.

See you at the 19th Annual.

YrObtSvts.

THE COMMITTEE