2006

The Committee apologizes for the delay in the post-event wrap up but The Committee has required more than the usual 24 hour recovery period this year.  Perhaps it was the Speyburn single malt, perhaps it was the lack of any meaningful sleep for two days, perhaps it was post traumatic stress disorder arising from the horror of witnessing Guerriero's golf game dissolving into pure shit.  No matter, The Committee is fit once again.  The Sixteenth Invitational was outstanding in all respects, despite the premature taste of autumn in the form of wind, rain and cold.  Those of you who thought to bring something other than shorts and golf shirts managed to survive well enough.  St. Ives and Tullymore provided a suitable challenge to the boyz, notwithstanding certain players' inability to differentiate between white and blue on Sunday. 

The Scramble Championship was as exciting as they come.  Congratulations to Team Dopey, captained by the inimitable C. Brown, and staffed by Holefca, LaBarge and Hardesty, who emerged from a 3 way tie at 17 to take home the cherished chalice with a par on 18, thus banishing Bretz and his underachieving Team Doc (Pavle, R Hardesty and the aforementioned living nightmare of golf) to yet another disappointment, despite his best chance to win in several years.  Team Grumpy (Paul Coughenour, Jerry Snyder, Dell and Baran) faltered on the back nine and could not hold on to the big lead they had at the turn, despite needing only a par on 18 to tie.  Such is life, but The Committee is always pleased to add a new captain's name to the winners list.   

The weekend was punctuated by some wonderful moments, some of which The Committee feels compelled to catalogue here.  WACOFF is nourished each year by the appearance of new blood and new faces, whose presence always serves to remind the rest of us why we keep coming back.  Messrs Ken Kohler (Shootout Winner!!!) and Keith Schatko were a welcome and first rate addition to our motley group.  Many happy returns to both of them.

Speaking of the Shootout, it was a gas!  Between Jim Coughenour gaming the rules to ruthlessly advance against the field, Dennis Holefca desperately seeking a golf cart to avoid the tortuous walk from tee to green, Larry Mann barking at the assemblage from his imperious vantage point above the green, and Chuck Brown managing the action with the efficiency of a Japanese auto plant, all the elements for a great competition were packed into sixty minutes of pure golf.  Congratulations to Ken and  Dr. M Keys on a great Shootout win, despite every tee shot by Kohler being in the shit.

The emotional peak of the weekend came Friday evening with the premier of the soon to be released WACOFF music video, produced by the Hardesty Brothers and Lynne DeLeuw.  As the video played, the mood in the room went from initial cynicism, to laughter, to enjoyment to wild enthusiasm.  The resulting standing ovation was the first in WACOFF history as far as The Committee can recall. Well done Ron, David and Lynne.  Copies will be available for a modest fee.

Thanks and a tip of The Committee's cap to the Ron and David H and John Stimson for the great work on the shirts, hats and fobs, both real and imperfect.  Thanks also to David H for assembling the Committee bar and the Archive, Dennis H for menu consultation, Marshal H on performance prizes, Joe Mantey for skins, Glenn and Jim C for paramutuel, Chuck B for Shootout, Dan Bretz for the Thursday Game, and as always to the doctor of divot, the poobah of putting, the Sultan of Swing, P. Coughenour for all things golf.  Special thanks to John Stimson for providing insight, commentary and the feel of a televised golf event via his wandering presence on each course over the weekend.  Bravo to all for your contributions.

Plans for next year are well underway. The Committee thanks all of you for your myriad suggestions, comments, opinions and observations, and will try to remember to consider them going forward.  If you are disappointed in the outcome, it can only be because you lack imagination.

YrObtSvts
THE COMMITTEE