2018 Tournament Invitations - CLOSED

Byron Center, MI--The James E. Vos Memorial Invitational executive committee today announced applications are no longer being accepted for 2018 tournament. From Anema to Warners, twenty-four participants have accepted the tournament's invitation. Registrations are now closed.

The 2018 tournament will once again feature its eclectic mix of well-loved regulars, old friends returning, our Tall Timbers, and has been the norm, rookies.

The executive committee welcomes back tournament co-founders Jack Vos and Thom Anema. The Vos and Anema families have been linked to the tournament's history since the beginning in 1988.

Thom Anema - 2015 MVP

Tournament co-founder, Jack Vos

Both Thom and Jack are tournament MVPs. Thom is a 2x winner (2000 & 2015). Jack shared the honor with Dirk VanZee in 2007. Jack has never missed a tournament. Thom, who lives in Colorado, attends as often as he is able, and now returns for his fourth consecutive year.

Families have always played a huge part in the tournament. The tournament's rich history includes such long-standing family names as Anema, Vos, Warners, Tanis, Van Zee, VanderWal, Vandenberge, Rice, Mulder/Rosema, and so many more. Fathers, sons and brothers have been represented since the tournament's inaugural year when Jack Vos played alongside his dad, James E. Vos, Sr.--the tournament's namesake. In 1989 Thom Anema was joined by his brother, John. In 1990 Thom's dad joined. And on it goes.

This year is no different. No less than seven families will represent. The executive committee, as always, is grateful for the small armies that are the Tanis and Vos tribes, both of whom bring their own foursomes to the 2018 event.

Tall Timber, Dave Tanis

Led by Tall Timber, Dave Tanis, the Tanis tribe once again includes son Jeff, and grandsons, Owen and Dirk. Welcome back!

Sam Unleashes!

Joining the Vos foursome are co-founder Jack, son Sam, brother Jon, and tournament rookie, Max Vos, Jon's son. WELCOME MAX!

Just short of a foursome are the Anema's. Joining Thom are his brother John, and his dad, the ageless Dick Anema. Dick Anema is the oldest of the tournament's Tall Timbers at 88 years old. He, along with Dave Tanis (78) and Rodg Rice (80) are the tournament's real stars. Relentless, tough as nails and, most of all, gentlemen through and through. We all aspire to become men like them.

Rounding out the families are the great friends of the tournament: the Warners, Vroon's, and Elenbaas'. Brothers Bob and Jim Warners have been been permanent fixtures on the tournament for years. Jim serves on the tournament executive committee and Bob was the 2015 tournament MVP.

Bob Warners, 2015 MVP

The executive committee is thrilled Tony Vroon is returning for the fourth consecutive year and he will once again bring his son, Anthony "A-Dog" Vroon. Longtime friend, Steve Elenbaas also returns and this year we get an Elenbaas two-fer. For the first time ever, Steve brings his son and tournament rookie, Ben. WELCOME BEN!

Steve Elenbaas

Last, but certainly not least, this year's singles include:

-The incomparable Dan VanderWal--the tournament's ONLY 3x MVP (2002, 2009, 2013) and fresh off two hip surgeries within the last seven years.

Gimpy VW

-The hard-hitting, competitive, yet always gracious, Jim Baker.
-Tenacious, tough as nails, yet also always gracious Ken Terpstra.
-The man with the big heart, John Topliff.

And, finally...

with hearts full of thankfulness to our Creator, the tournament welcomes back with cheers, high-fives, and a loud "WOOT!", our own dear, Dr. John Mulder. Most of you know Doc John is one year removed from lung transplant surgery. One year ago we were praying for a body that wouldn't reject its new lung, let alone a return to this tournament. Doc John is the 2014 MVP, our tournament's official photographer, our tournament physician, but most of all...our friend. Welcome back, my friend. We missed you.

Doc John

Dandy Shanty

Byron Center, MI--The James E. Vos Memorial Invitational tournament committee today announced the 31st playing of its annual event will be held June 6-9 at Shanty Creek Resort. This is only the third time the Bellaire, MI resort has hosted the tournament. Shanty Creek first hosted the tournament in 2001 and again in 2010.

The 2001 tournament is historic on many levels. It was one of the tournament's worst weather years--just terrible. Sadly, it was one of tournament co-founder, James E. Vos, Sr.'s last recorded rounds. And, sadly, it was the last year of the Spoelhof family. More on that in another post.

A preliminary course rotation has already been established for 2018 tournament. Plans call for the teams to face off Thursday morning, June 7 at 8:00am on the Cedar River course, followed by afternoon play on at 2:00pm also on the Cedar River course. Friday's (June 8) rotation includes The Legend in the morning (7:00am) followed by the traditional 2-man scramble round on the Summit course (2:50pm). Saturday morning (June 9) finale singles matches will be played on the Schuss Mountain course (8:00am).

The tournament committee is anticipating another strong turn out for the 2018 event. The field has been opened to 28 golfers. Invitations will be extended in the coming weeks with participants expected to accept in February/March with a $100 deposit, payable to the resort. Watch this website and your email for future notification and instructions to reserve your spot.

2018 James E. Vos Tournament Dates Announced

Byron Center, MI--The James E. Vos Memorial Invitational Committee today announced the dates for the 2018 tournament will be held according to its traditional Wednesday night through Saturday noon schedule. The tournament will be held beginning Wednesday evening, June 6 through Saturday morning, June 9, 2018.

The tournament has been selling out the last 4-5 years. Spots will be held for 28 participants. If you are interested in joining the 2018 tournament, please hold these dates in reserve on your calendars.

Finally, if you have suggestions for where the 2018 tournament should be held, please contact one of the tournament's executive committee members:

Thom Anema

Mark Rice

Jack Vos

Jim Warners

Final 2017 Tournament Details

Lewiston, MI--Looking forward to the 30th annual James E. Vos Memorial Invitational. Here are some final trip details for this year's participants.

1. Package price is $385. Your $100 deposit should have already been accepted by the resort so your remaining balance would be $285.

2. Package includes three nights lodging in the single villas (2 double beds) at Garland, five rounds of golf, three breakfasts, bag storage, taxes, and full use of the practice area.

3. Tee times, competitive format, and courses are as follows:

Ryder Cup-style competition. Each competitive match is worth one (1) point. Team with the most points at the end declared the tournament winner.

Thursday, June 8
Morning - Swampfire
7:30am-8:30am - 2-man best ball (match play)

Afternoon - Monarch
1:30pm-2:30pm - 2-man best ball (stroke play)

Friday, June 9
Morning - Swampfire
7:30am-8:30am - 2-man best ball (match play)

Afternoon - Reflections
1:40pm-2:40pm - 2-man scramble (stroke play)

Saturday, June 10
Morning - Monarch
7:00am-8:00am - Singles (match play)

4. Team Pairings, Matches, and Team Names

Teams have already been selected and sent to you. In addition, all the matches for the tournament have also already been created. This is being done to save time and create efficiency when we have a group this large. However, we have had a very last minute cancellation of two players (Jon and Max Vos). We are scrambling to fill those spots and it appears we will be able to do that. However, the departure of Jon and Max will likely create some slight alterations in the teams and the pairings. Normally we prefer to have this all established and sent to you in advance. However, this time we will not be able to hand out final pairings and scorecards until the Wednesday night Gathering.

The reigning MVP (Bob Warners) selects his team's name (either Recovery Shots or Fairway Finders) at the Wednesday night Gathering. Scorecards for day one of the tournament will be handed on Wednesday night. Every evening, the next day's scorecards will be handed out.

Lunches and dinners are not included in the package this year. There are several options for dinners and we will figure this out as we go. A group our size is always difficult for any restaurant to handle and we may have to split up. We'll play it by ear from day-to-day. One night we typically have pizza brought in. The other nights we typically all end up at a local restaurant/bar for supper in Lewiston. There is also a restaurants/bar on property, just a short walk from our villas hotel rooms. Breakfast is served in the main dining room at Garland.

5. Wednesday Golf, Hotel Check-In, and The Gathering

Wednesday is a non-tournament day. We have secured four tee times on Swampfire beginning at 12:30pm on Wednesday at a rate of $35 per player. Currently, there are twelve players signed up for this leaving one foursome open. If you wish to join the last foursome, let Mark Rice know. Pay in the Garland pro shop. Also, Garland is offering a $35 rate on any of their courses except Fountains for anyone in our group who wished to play golf on Wednesday. You don't have to play in the 12:30pm Swampfire group. If you want to arrange your own tee times, please contact the golf shop and tell them you are in the Mark Rice outing with a promised rate of $35.

Check-in is officially not until 4pm. However, I am told we are welcome to call the front desk at 877-442-7526 on the way up and if your rooms are clean and vacant, you are welcome to check in early. When you call the main phone number, ask for Reservations.

The Gathering. If you are able, please plan to meet as a large group for a bit on Wednesday night. At this point I'm not sure where we'll meet. Possibly in one of the villas. This has become a nice little pre-tournament gathering where we greet each other, welcome the rookies, go over the pairings for matches, and go over other tournament details. We'll start around 9:00pm and try to wrap by 9:30pm. It's important to not miss this. Please do your best to be on time.

If you have any questions, please call or text Mark Rice. Cell number is 616-826-8232.

See you in a few days!

2017 Rooming List Announced

Lewiston, MI--The tournament committee today announced the rooming list for 30th annual James E. Vos Memorial Invitational. Participants in the 2017 tournament will be staying in the single and double villas located on property and just a short walk from main lodge and pro shop. Players who participated in the 25th anniversary tournament will remember these villas as the same lodging used five years ago. The only difference is everyone stayed in double (4-person) villasfor the 2012 tournament. Most of this year's lodging is in single (2-person) villas.

Herewith the rooms and participants assigned. The numbers assigned to each grouping are not actual room numbers. If you wish to switch room assignments from what is below, work that out directly with the resort staff, not with the executive committee.

Villa 1
Jack Vos
Sam Vos

Villa 2
Jon Vos
Max Vos

Villa 3
Jim Vos
Tyler Vos

Villa 4
Tony Vroon
Anthony Vroon

Villa 5
Dan Rosema
J.D. Rosema

Villa 6
Mark Vandenberge
Phil Vandenberge

Villa 7
Thom Anema
Steve Elenbaas

Villa 8
Dan VanderWal
Chris Grek

Villa 9
Richard Anema
John Anema

Villa 10
Jeff Tanis
Owen Tanis

Villa 11
Ken Terpstra
Jim Warners
Bob Warners
Jim Baker

Villa 12
Mark Rice
Rodger Rice
Dave Tanis
John Topliff

30th Anniversary Tournament Teams Announced

Lewiston, MI--The tournament executive committee today announced the teams for the 30th playing of the James E. Vos Memorial Invitational, now just a few weeks away. The executive committee made the decision to select the teams in advance to save time and create event efficiency in what will be a very busy weekend with tight schedules.

Once again, families will face off against families. This year, the Rice's, Vos', Vroon's, and Tanis' will tee it up against the Anema's, Rosema's, Vandenberge's, and Warner's. Both teams have additional "adopted sons" to round out them out and even the competition. Very few strokes separate the handicaps, but as we've seen in the past, that rarely matters. Grit, determination, who's playing well that week, and luck play a huge role in determining the winning team. Who will it be this year?

Herewith the teams for the 2017 James E. Vos Memorial Invitational.

Team A/Handicap (final team name tbd; see below)
Anema, Dick, +30
Anema, John, 26
Anema, Thom, +14 (but playing to a +8)
Baker, Jim, +14
Elenbaas, Steve, +13
Grek, Chris, +9
Rosema, Dan, +6
Rosema, J.D., +18
Terpstra, Ken, +15
Vandenberge, Mark, +16
Vandenberge, Phil, +20
Vander Wal, Dan, +9
Warners, Bob, +17
Warners, Jim, +16

Team B/Handicap (final name tbd; see below)
Rice, Rodger, +22
Rice, Mark, +10
Tanis, Dave, +12
Tanis, Jeff, +10
Tanis, Owen, +17
Topliff, John, +16
Vos, Jack, +20
Vos, Jim, +7
Vos, Jon, +10
Vos, Max, +11
Vos, Sam, +5
Vos, Tyler, +23
Vroon, Anthony, +27
Vroon, Tony, +20

Team names will be selected at the Wednesday evening Gathering event (approx. 9:00pm Saturday evening, details to follow in another post). It is a tournament tradition the reigning MVP retains the right to select his team's name between either the Fairway Finders or the Recovery Shots. We will wait to see what reigning MVP, Bob Warners, chooses....

To save time and create efficiency, the executive committee will also develop in advance the pairings for the entire tournament. Stay tuned for further details.

2017 Handicaps: A Mixed Bag

Byron Center, MI--While the 2014 and 2015 tournaments saw a general downward trend in player handicap indexes, the 2016 tournament stopped that trend completely. Going into 2017, most every returning player's index stayed level, or within 1-2 strokes of their starting 2016 handicap index. There were exceptions, however, as there always are.

Both Dan Rosema and Jim Vos will see their 2017 indexes plummet a full five (-5) strokes from 2016. Both played exceptionally well in the 2016 tournament.

Dan Rosema blitzed Treetops, going 85-77-78-80 for an 80 average, dropping his index from +11 to +6.

Jim Vos came in as a +12, based on a very old set of scores, and quickly kicked that old index to the curb. His opening round of 76 on the Jones course was the lowest round of the tournament (matched the next day by Sam Vos) and served notice to everyone that Jim Vos was BACK BABY!!!! He cooled off slightly but still put up a strong 76-82-85-82 for an 81 average and a 2017 index of +7.

Sam Vos had another super-strong tournament, going 79-76-77-83 for a 79 average and the lowest handicap index in the field (+5). Way to go, Sam!

Normally, sending one's handicap index upwards significantly is not a good sign, but two players perhaps know something the rest of us don't.... Both Jack Vos and Dick Anema will enter the 2017 tournament with indexes six strokes higher than they began the 2016 tournament.

The ageless Dick Anema went from +24 to +30.

And the Wise-one, Jack Vos, also sent his index up six strokes, going from +14 to +20. We normally don't celebrate those accomplishments, but here's the secret: this year's tournament will be played at Garland which historically has wreaked havoc on player scores and handicaps. The smart ones may well just be these two, who have set themselves up with higher-than-normal handicaps going into tournament play on some tough courses. We shall see.

All this sets up for a terrific 2017 tournament. Indexes and tee assignments are below. Tees assignment indicate tee played in the tournament to achieve the current handicap index. Rookie handicaps are estimated.

Name, Tee, Index
Dick Anema, Red, +30
John Anema, White, +26
Thom Anema, Blue, +14
Jim Baker, White, +14
Steve Elenbaas, Blue, +13
Chris Grek, White, +9
Mark Rice, Blue, +10
Rodg Rice, Gold, +22
Dan Rosema, Blue, +6
J.D. Rosema, Blue, +18
Dave Tanis, Gold, +12
Jeff Tanis, White, +10
Owen Tanis, White, +17
Ken Terpstra, White, +15
John Topliff, Blue, +16
Mark Vandenberge, Blue, +16
Phil Vandenberge, White, +20
Dan Vander Wal, Blue, +9
Jack Vos, White, +20
Jim Vos, Blue, +7
Jon Vos, Blue, +10
Max Vos, Blue, +11
Sam Vos, Blue, +5
Tyler Vos, White, +23
Anthony Vroon, White, +27
Tony Vroon, White, +20
Bob Warners, White, +17
Jim Warners, White, +16