Overview:

Over a decade ago, male members of Extendicare Health Services' Reimbursement Department began to gather at local golf courses. Usually congregating in groups of four, these men found mutual joy in hitting golf balls into various ponds, woods, sand, and - occassionally - a small hole on a secluded green. Despite the joy, Tom "Big Daddy" Johnson always found an excuse to not play. Quotes like "I've got to work on my landscaping at my new home" and "Extendicare needs me to work on Medicare Cost Reports" prevented Big Daddy from sharing quality time with his fellow co-workers.

Finally, in a desperate attempt to get him on a golf course and personally witness his poetic swing, the idea was hatched to create a tournament in Big Daddy's honor. After all, who could turn down the opportunity to golf in an outing - especially when the outing has your name on it?

Entering its 12th (yikes!) year, the Greater Big Daddy Invitational continues to flourish - as it celebrates Tom Johnson's annual venture onto a golf course. Previous BDI outings at Silver Spring, Ironwood, Autumn Ridge, Kettle Moraine, Deertrack, Olde Highlander, the Broadlands, the Fairways at Woodside, Nagawaukee, Morningstar, and Rolling Hills have resulted in countless memories. Hopefully, BDI XII will add to those lasting memories!

This Year's Event:

Returning to our roots, the 12th Annual Big Daddy Invitational will be held at Silver Spring Golf Club in western Menomonee Falls on Friday, June 19th. Less than 30 minutes from downtown Milwaukee, our group's first tee time will be around 8:30am – with a couple tee times reserved immediately thereafter.

Home to the Hog's annual Bob & Brian Outing, Silver Spring Golf Club boasts 36 golf holes. We'll be playing the Island 18. The Island Course features the only naturally occurring island green in the state of Wisconsin. The long (nearly 7,000 yards from the tips) Island Course features some dramatic elevation changes, tree lines, large bunkers, strategic ponds and slippery greens.

Originally designed by Designed by Ron Kuhlman, the Island golf course opened in 1986. Originally an 18-hole course, the additional 18 holes opened for business in 1995. Silver Spring likes to call itself the "Public's Country Club."

A quick snapshot of all our other outings shows that Silver Spring ties as the most difficult course that has ever hosted a Big Daddy Invitational. Be forewarned - there is a fair amount of water on this course! As a result, I anticipate hearing the sweet sound of golf balls splooshing into the water all day long - especially on the island 8th hole!

More often than not, the Slope rating of a course defines its difficulty, and here are the slope ratings (from hardest to easiest) of all the courses that we've golfed at thru the years:

I don't believe that Silver Spring has a dress code anymore. Nevertheless, I'd recommend wearing a collared shirt and nice shorts on June 19th. This is a classy outing, after all!

Here's a quick peak at Silver Spring's scorecard:

Here's a youtube video you can enjoy:

Prizes:

Before we all hit our first ball at the 1st tee, Steve Schroeder will collect $10 from every golfer for prizes. At the same time, we ask that everyone simply pay for their round of golf in the clubhouse the morning of the event. At this point, we don't know what our rounds will cost. It shouldn't be too bad.

Everyone's $10 contribution will go into a prize kitty that will be distributed as follows:

(1) A cash prize will be awarded to the person with the longest drive on a to-be-determined hole. Remember, your drive must be in the fairway!

(2) A cash prize will be awarded to the person closest to the pin on a to-be-determined pool.

(3) A cash prize will be awarded to the person who sinks the longest putt (or chip) on the final hole.

(4) A cash prize will be awarded to each member of the foursome that scores the best cumulative score on a to-be-determined hole.

(5) A cash prize will be awarded to the person who wins our annual putting competition on the practice green.

If anyone would like to donate a prize to this year's event, please contact Steve (stvschroeder@gmail.com) and I'll create a competition for that prize and post it here.

The Foursomes:

Once our entire group has been determined, we will assign the foursomes. In particular, we will take great care to ensure that none of us will be golfing with anyone that we golfed with last year. As a reminder, here were our groups last year:

Group #1: Al, Brian, Jared, & Sean

Group #2: Bob, Rob, Art, & Mark

Group #3: Big Daddy, Bruce, Steve, & Chris R.

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The 19th Hole:

After our rounds have completed, we will gather for our usual post-round activities (i.e. handing out the prizes, taking pictures, eating, drinking, etc). We'll figure out those details as the date approaches.