2011 Tournament Highlights

Bellaire, MI--The 2011 James E. Vos Memorial Invitational tournament ended Saturday with the sun finally peeking out of the 3-days of cloud cover, and smiles all around, despite the lopsided ending. A full report will be forthcoming in 2012 including the tournament committee's awarding of the 2011 Stroke Saver trophy, honoring the winning team's MVP. A few highlights are included below.

-"The Gathering" occurred at its normal pre-tournament Wednesday night time of 9pm. Teams were selected and the day's pairings announced. This little pre-tournament time with everyone together again, has become a delightful tradition.
-Rookies Jim Baker and Jeff Stuk were welcome additions and fit in immediately. The tournament committee has already promised invitations in 2012 and sincerely hopes they will attend the 25th anniversary event.

-The Recovery Shots team of Jon Vos, Donovan VanZee, Jack Vos, John Mulder, Chris Grek, and Mark Rice defeated the Fairway Finders team of Dan VanderWal, Kyle VanderWal, Rodg Rice, Jim Warners, Jeff Stuk and Jim Baker in unexpected dominating fashion. The JEV tourney traditionally has always come down to the wire with either team having a chance to win it in singles play on the last day. Not the case this year. The Recovery Shots won going away, winning 13 out of 18 possible points.

-For the first time ever in JEV Memorial tournament play, four players shot sub-80 rounds in the same group during the same round. Kyle VanderWal, Dan VanderWal, Jon Vos, and Mark Rice all had rounds below 80. Playing in the 7:40am group in the tournament's opening round, Jon Vos shot 79; Mark Rice, 77; Dan VanderWal, 78; and Kyle VanderWal shot 76. The foursome had an amazing seven birdies and one eagle and would have shot 5-under 67 in a best ball.

-Last year's rookie MVP, Kyle VanderWal, cooled in his sophomore year but still posted his team's best individual record, going 3-2.

-The Grek legend grows. In their ninth meeting, Chris "VanderWal Slayer" Grek unbelievably drew Dan VanderWal's name again in singles, shooting his tournament best 80 and beating VanderWal 3&1. Chris has never lost to Dan in the tournament's singles competition.

-Clouds, light rain, and cool temperatures dominated the event held at Shanty Creek Resort and played on the resort's Legend and Cedar River courses. Despite the weather, the tournament continued on, undaunted.

-Next year's event venue and dates have not yet been announced but it is rumored the tournament will return to the friendly confines of Garland Resort for its 25th anniversary event. Garland was the sight of the tournament's only hole-in-one by none other than its founder and tournament namesake, James E. Vos.

2011 Tournament Headlines

Here's what's buzzing around the press tent as the JEV Memorial Tourney approaches.

1. Will Kyle overcome the sophmore jinx to become the first solo repeat winner of the Stroke Saver MVP Trophy?

2. Will the new tee policy and tee assessments quiet the debate of switching tees, or will it rage on like before?

3. Will the weather cooperate or will the heavens open up as in 1999?

4. Will John Mulder bring his magic creme? And just what does Don VanZee use that stuff for?

5. Will Dynomite VanZee make his magic feel good brew this year?

6. A new hip, bad knees, torn meniscus? Will old guys Rice Jr., VanderWal, and VanZee hold up in tournament conditions?

7. Dan VanderWal playing blue tees, claiming he can't swing hard for fear of dislocating his hip. Dan VanderWal not swing hard? This is a joke, right?

8. How will rookies Stuk and Baker do? Will they vie for the MVP trophy or will rookie nerves get the better of them?

9. Will we actually see Mulder in a photo, or will he be the one always behind the camera?

10. Will the VanderWal Slayer show up again?

2011 Tournament Handicaps Posted

Bellaire, MI--The James E. Vos Memorial Invitational Tournament Committee today announced the starting handicap indexes and tee box determinations for its field of twelve. Leading the field with an index of +7 from the blue tees is last year's rookie sensation, Kyle VanderWal. Kyle went 83, 80, 82, 80 averaging 81 and going 5-1 in tournament play becoming the tournament's MVP and Stroke Saver Trophy winner. It remains to be seen if the sophomore jinx becomes a reality for Kyle. Kyle's dad, Dan VanderWal entered the 2010 tournament with an astounding +7 from the black tees (Kyle's +7 is from blue tees), but nagging hip problems kept Dan from playing his normal game and sending his 2011 index up 4 to +11.

Perhaps the 2010 sleeper award goes to Mark Rice who quietly shot 82, 84, 84, 80 for an 83 average and sending his 2011 handicap falling five strokes from +13 to +8, second only to Kyle's +7. This precipitous change seems to be the norm for Rice who is historically inconsistent, preferring to roller coaster + or - 4 or 5 strokes every few years. Pity the team who draws him for 2011.

A stroke behind Rice are the ultra-consistent duo of Jon Vos and Donovan VanZee. As has been reported before, Vos has never been out of single digits and heads into 2011 at +9. Vos was in danger of an off year, beginning 2010 with very uncharacteristic rounds of 88 and 85 on the A-ga-ming Sundance course. He rebounded nicely shooting the lowest round of the week--a 75--at Belvedere and finished with a more typical 83 on the Sundance course in Saturday singles. Like Vos, VanZee is solid as a rock. Since 2005 his index has never been above +11, achieving a low of +7 in 2006 after spectacular golf at Treetops in 2005 where he posted two sub-80 rounds.

Interestingly, almost everyone's indexes went down heading into 2011. This is possibly explained by the fact that the tournament spent two consecutive years at the same course (A-ga-ming) and played no less than six rounds on Sundance, allowing players to really get to know the course.

Movers and shakers from last year include Bob Warners and Jack Vos. Warners continues to astound everyone with his retooled swing and has sent his index plummeting from +21 in 2008 to +15 after 2010 and that from blue tees (he previously played from white tees). Sadly, Bob Warners will not be in the 2011 field. Jack Vos too, seems to have found his comfort zone, moving up tees and shooting strong scores of 89, 86, 94, and 86 to send his index falling from +17 to +13 heading into 2011. In two years Jack has fallen from +20 to +13. Way to go Jack.

Indexes are below. Tees indicate tee played in 2010 tournament to achieve current handicap index. Jim Baker and Jeff Stuk's handicaps are estimate as are the tees from which they will play.

Name, Tee, Index

Jim Baker, white, 14

Chris Grek, white, 13

John Mulder, white, 14

Mark Rice, blue, 8

Rodger Rice, white, 21

Jeff Stuk, white, 17

Dan VanderWal, black, 11

Kyle VanderWal, blue, 7

Donovan VanZee, blue, 9

Jack Vos, gold, 13

Jon Vos, blue, 9

Jim Warners, blue 13

In related news, the tournament committee announced today the tournament play stroke differentials between tee boxes at both Cedar River and The Legend:

Cedar River

Black-Blue: 461 yards, +/- 4 strokes

Blue-White: 565 yards, +/- 5 strokes

The Legend

Black-Blue: 495 yards, +/- 5 strokes

Blue-White: 468 yards, +/-4 strokes

New Tee Box Policy

Bellaire, MI--After months of deliberation, dialogue with players, and discussion, the tournament committee announced today new requirements and guidelines regarding the selection of tees to be played by participants in the 2011 James E. Vos Memorial Invitational.

Participants will be asked and expected to declare each evening the tees the expect to play the next day. It will be strongly encouraged for participants to declare at Wednesday evening's opening ceremonies the tees they expect to play for the duration of the tournament. Players will be encouraged to play from the same set of tees the entire week. Exceptions will be made in cases where health or other extenuating circumstances make it very difficult for a player to play the next day from previously declared tees. A case in point will be Dan VanderWal who, after March hip surgery, will be playing his first rounds of the year on a still healing new hip. He has already declared he will play from the white tees--giving his still tender hip a rest. How his hip responds and how far he will hit the ball is still largely unknown.

With the new requirements comes a change in policy regarding strokes given or taken away by moving tees. Previous methodology allocated 200 yard to be equal to approximately 1 stroke. A change from blue tees to white tees of 400 yards, for example, would be a handicap change of +/- two strokes.

While a player may, in fact, take one stroke to hit a ball 200 yards, the tournament committee also recognizes 400 yards constitutes a par 4 hole on most golf courses. The new policy roughly translates into one stroke for every 100 yards and four strokes for 400 yards. The specific stroke allocation between tees for the Shanty Creek courses will be announced when handicaps are announced. That announcement is expected later today.

The selection of tees and the corresponding stroke allocations have been the subject of spirited debate for years among the tournaments participants. Intended to encourage participants to play from the tees from which they get the most enjoyment, and to give some golfers who's game is "between tees" the opportunity to move during the week depending on each courses length, the previous system allowed players to switch anytime before a round, requiring they either give up or receive additional strokes, depending on whether they move up or move back a set of tees.

Despite its intent, it received criticism for making it too easy for players to move up or back, and it created the opportunity for players to more easily switch during a tournament--sometimes right before a match--depending on the course length and on which tees gave them the greatest stroke advantage during a match. In some cases, a player could move up tees, gain 400-500 yards and only give up 2 strokes in their handicap.

The new system is on a trial basis and the committee welcomes comment and dialogue by participants of the 2011 tournament. As always, the goal is for the spirit of the game and the values the tournament's namesake embraced to remain: friendship, honor, and love of the game.

Wednesday, June 8 Travel Plans Set

Bellaire, MI--Golf and travel plans for Wednesday, June 8 are set.
By my count nine of the twelve participants in this year's tournament will be headed north for tournament pre-play. Sadly, three of our members will be suffering downstate until after work on Wednesday before venturing to Shanty Creek Resort. Here are the current Wednesday plans as received by the tournament committee. Seven participants in the 2011 James E. Vos Memorial Invitational will be readying their skills Wednesday, all day at Lochenheath Golf Club in Williamsburg, MI, playing thirty-six holes.


Dan VanderWal
Kyle VanderWal
Chris Grek
John Mulder
Jon Vos
Rodg Rice
Mark Rice


Two other participants will join them for the afternoon round at Lochenheath:


Don VanZee
Jim Baker


Lochenheath is a wonderful "rising from the ashes" story of golf in Michigan. Designed by Steve Smyers and opened in 2001, the course caught the tail end of Michigan's golf boom. Striving to become a high end private course and located on the shores of Grand Traverse Bay and in the shadow of Grand Traverse Resort, the course received rave reviews when it opened but never found its niche, or enough equity members to achieve its private club status. The bank seized the property in 2007 and closed the course in 2009. That's when a handful of homeowners surrounding the course stepped up and stepped in and worked, quite literally with their bare hands to not the let course go under. The lovingly, painstakingly spent countless hours pulling weeds, mowing, convincing the electric company to allow them to keep the sprinklers on, and finding equity partners.


The course is back, and under new management. They've hired Mike Husby to serve as general manager. Mike is well-known in Michigan golf circles. He most recently served in the same capacity at Candlestone Golf Club in Belding, MI, overseeing a complete overhaul of that well-known but tired property, redoing all the bunkers, adding needed length and tee boxes, and improving the greens.


I asked Mike if he would answer a few questions for me for this report but I have not heard anything as of this writing.


For the complete reclamation story on Lochenheath, go to http://www.mgolf.net/features/Reclaim.html


For more information on Lochenheath and to see more photos, visit http://www.lochenheath.com/index.html