22 & Counting; Friends Return; Tanis Brings Four

Byron Center, MI--The James E. Vos Memorial Invitational executive committee today announced all but two of the available twenty-four spots has been reserved. This year's tournament will max out at twenty-four participants. Twenty-two participants have reserved their places in the 2014 tournament so far.

Robert Warners

Among the elite who have guaranteed a spot in the field is Robert Warners. Warners, the younger and better looking sibling to James, returns after a one-year absence. Both Bob and Jim have are long-time fixtures in the tournament and have contributed significant tournament improvements. Bob's ideas have led to improved handicapping methods, a creative and workable solution to handicapping two-man scramble teams, and the creation of an executive committee for which yours truly is especially grateful. Brother Jim serves on the executive committee.

The 2014 field will also boast the most-ever direct line descendants in tournament history. Previous tournaments have boasted two and even three family members. The Warners, Van Zee's, Rice's, and Vandenberge's have consistently brought two family members. The Tanis', Vos', Vandenberge's, Anema's, and Spoelhof's have even brought three family members from time to time. This year, the Tanis family will bring its own foursome--a feat matched only one other time by the Vos family in the mid-1990's.

Iron man, Dave Tanis

Led by iron man and tournament tall timber, Dave Tanis, the tournament also welcomes back son Jeffrey, grandson Owen...

Jeff (far left) and Owen (far right) Tanis

and proudly welcomes second grandson, Dirk, who will be a 2014 tournament rookie. Both Jeff and Owen last played in the 25th anniversary 2012 tournament. Jeff and Dave are also long-time tournament participants and dear friends of the tournament founders.

Filling out the tournament's current roster of twenty-two are:

Christopher Grek
Dave Tanis
Rodger Rice
Don VanZee
Jim Baker
John Mulder
Dan Rosema
Robert Warners
Jeffrey Tanis
Owen Tanis
Dirk Tanis
Mark Ochsankehl
Kyle Vander Wal
Dan Vander Wal
Jeff Stuk
Jim Warners
Ken Terpstra
Jon Vos
Jack Vos
Sam Vos
Cam Van Koevering
Mark Rice

The tournament committee is looking to fill its final two spots. It will do so on a first come first serve basis. If you are interested in participating in the 2014 tournament and have not sent in your deposit, please do so immediately. The tournament will cap at twenty-four.

The Ace Scorecard Found

The Ace Scorecard

Byron Center, MI--In yet another startling discovery, the James E. Vos Memorial Invitational executive committee today announced it has found and preserved the scorecard from the only recorded hole-in-one in the tournament's 27 year history.

The highly prized card was thought to be forever lost with the passing of Jim Vos, Sr. who recorded the ace. Hopes grew, however, when a box of tournament archives was found last week in a dusty corner of executive committee member, Mark Rice's, basement.

Rice says, "The card was obviously one of the first things we looked for when the archive files were discovered. It took us a few days because we had the year the ace was recorded wrong. We thought it had been recorded in 1994 and that's where we started looking. The ace was actually recorded in 1997 and found among those files."

True to participant's memory the ace was recorded on the 16th hole of the Garland Reflections course, the afternoon of Thursday, June 12, 1997. Joining Sr. Vos for the historical moment were Dan Vander Wal, Rodger Rice, and Sr.'s son, Jack. The participants were engaged in a 2-man stroke-play event with Dan and Rodg taking on Team Vos. The match was tightly contested at first, staying even through six holes until a net birdie by Jack matched against a double-bogey by Vander Wal/Rice put Team Vos up by three strokes.

Team Vander Wal/Rice tried to inch back into the match, gaining a stroke a the par 4 13th, but everything broke loose on 16. Down by just two strokes with three holes to play, Team Vander Wal/Rice were far from out of it, until lightening struck.

To suggest no one would have expected what happened next is not a stretch. As the scorecard reads, Sr. Vos had just gone bogey-triple-quad-triple the last four holes. This new-found fact makes the ace all the more dramatic. Who records an ace after a stretch like that? Ah, but the Sr. Magic has never been held captive by the past. Always upbeat, always confident the next one will go in, he did just that. Calmly, as only he can waggle, a quick practice stroke, and off it soared.

Reflections #16

Son Jack's account takes over from here:

"Came in a little left to right, rolled 8-10 feet, we all watched, net 0 on card."

Amen. And what a net zero it was.

The tournament executive committee has placed the card in a fully preserved, dirt-free, vacuum-sealed container while they discuss its future plans. A first priority will be to have the remaining three participants sign the card for the history books.

JEV Tourney - The Lost Files

Byron Center, MI--In a surprise announcement the James E. Vos Memorial Invitational executive committee today announced a startling new discovery--they had found the tournament's lost files.

For years a sizable gap existed in the tournament's historical records. No one knew where the historical files from the 1993-1998 tournaments were or whether or not they even existed. Any historical facts--including the tournament's sole hole-in-one--were pieced together by the aging memories of its participants.

No longer.

On Saturday, March 1, while rummaging through old boxes in a darkened corner of the basement, executive committee member and tournament co-founder, Mark Rice, stumbled upon an old copier paper box. Thinking it was old files, he quickly opened it to ready it for the recycle pile. He's glad he did. Inside were all the files from the missing years--the Lost Files.

The discovery is significant on several levels. One, it was during this period the Ryder Cup format began and solidified. It was also during this time what became the traditional "Grand Haven vs. The World" grudge matches were birthed.

And, what is perhaps most exciting is the very real possibility the Ace might be found. The tournament's only hole-in-one ever recorded occurred during this time period. It is historically thought to have occurred during the 1994 tournament. Only time will tell if this most special scorecard is in the box.

Stay tuned as the files are "unearthed" the stories will unfold.

Nostalgia Sunday - The James E. Vos Memorial Invitational 2004

Byron Center, MI--The James E. Vos Memorial Invitational executive committee is pleased to look back ten years at the 2004 playing of the James E. Vos Memorial Invitational (not called that at the time).

Hole #6: the signature hole on the Jones Masterpiece.

The 2004 tournament was played at Treetops Resort, and staged over four different courses: the Jones Masterpiece course, the Smith Tradition, Smith Signature, and Fazio Premier. It featured one of the smallest fields in the history of the tournament. Only fourteen participants joined the event in 2004, split into two teams of seven. They were:

Team Grand Haven
Thom Anema
Don Van Zee
Jim Warners
Brian Van Hall
Jack Vos
Bob Warners
Dick Anema

Team Grand Rapids
Jon Vos
Mark Rice
Steve Elenbaas
Joel Nieuwenhuis
Rodg Rice
Dave Veldink
Doug Gulker

The event was played Wednesday through Saturday, June 2-5. Cost of the event was $482 and included three nights lodging, unlimited golf, taxes, gratuities, use of practice area, but no meals.

The 2004 tournament and event featured several oddities. Fourteen golfers left a gap in the ideal number for pairings and forced the executive committee to adjust the pairings in odd ways. On two of the days a singles match went out first before any of the twosomes. And, due to another golfer's departure later in the week, the Saturday morning singles match featured Mark Rice paired against Thom Anema in one singles match, and simultaneously against Jim Warners in another--perhaps fittingly, both matches ended up dead even after 18 holes.

The other oddity was the committee's decision to prepare all evening meals on site and eat together. Dave Veldink, longtime Gordon Food Service veteran, willingly agreed to buy all the food in advance. Grills were brought in and meals were cooked and enjoyed outside the Treetops condos. While this made for great camaraderie, it was also a ton of work for Dave and a few others. That experiment ended after two years.

Despite the complications, the tournament was tightly contested as usual and featured one of the great team comebacks in history. While not as significant as the record-setting comeback of 2010, it was memorable nonetheless. After winning only 1 1/2 points the first day, Team Grand Haven found themselves down 6-9 and in a sizable hole going into the singles matches.

The incomparable, tough as nails, Uncle Dick.

Led by their MVP Dick Anema, Team Grand Haven rolled over the Fazio Premier course and their opponents winning four matches outright and tying three others, never actually losing any match, and coming back from a 6-9 deficit to win 11 1/2 to 10 1/2.

In what is hardly a footnote, septuagenarian Dick Anema led Team Grand Haven, going 3 1/2-1 1/2, and nosing out his son, Thom (who went 3-2), to claim the 2004 Stroke Save Trophy. In all the Anema's played a role in half their team's wins that weekend. Dick Anema holds the record for being the oldest Stroke Saver Trophy winner--something James E. Vos, Sr. would be very proud of, and rightly so.

Also memorable, Jon Vos blitzed the Treetops courses that weekend shooting:

77 - Jones
79 - Jones
80 - Rick Smith Signature
82 - Fazio Premier

for an average score of 80, sending his handicap plummeting 5 strokes from 11 to 6. No one else--not even Don Van Zee--was even close. Despite the low scores, Jon's record that weekend was 2-3 showing once again it's important to play well AND be paired well.

The tournament would return to Treetops in 2005 which would mark the last time the tournament was held there.