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| This is the story of how a simple idea that was frozen and forgotten was warmed and brought to life by a man’s love for a woman and became a Tradition! Since I don’t have a lot of time, I will not include a lot of details. Mike Norwood had the idea of a golf weekend up north. Conveniently my in-laws happened to have a cabin, where we could stay for free when we went golfing. Due to a lack of patience, the aforementioned Mike wanted to have the golf weekend the same year he brilliantly thought of the idea. So six, fairly intelligent, people decided that going up north to golf the first weekend of October would be a good idea. Amazingly enough that same six, fairly intelligent, people also thought it to be a good idea to tee off on the first hole in 32 degree weather(prior to wind chill); “hey we are already here!” After all we did have the course all to ourselves and got fall rates, golf all you want for one price. There didn’t seem to be a great deal of enthusiasm to keep this tradition going. The weekend is now affectionately know as “The Blue Ball Classic” and is remembered fondly. The following summer Chuck Carr asked for my assistance in coming up with ideas for a bachelor party for his little buddy Phil Herman (a.k.a. Phil). To this day I am still confused why he would ask me. Everyone who knows me knows I prefer a good book and a hot cup of cocoa over a wild bachelor party. And, knowing Phil I figured the bachelor party would, at a minimum, involve; girls, beer, girls, fire engines, girls, a trapeze, and probably a disco ball (I’m just kidding in case any of Phil’s family reads this.) My suggestion to Chuck was to go to Mt. Pleasant to golf and hang out at the casino. I had heard that you could get some real good package deals. Then I joked that, if I was invited, the bachelor party could be at my in-laws cabin in Skidway Lake and we could stay there and play golf in West Branch. Chuck and I had a good hearty laugh, a real man’s laugh. Then, a few weeks later, the strangest thing happened. Chuck asked me if I was serious about having the bachelor party in Skidway Lake. First, I had to confirm that he was going to invite me. Most of the guys I worked with in the Southfield Office didn’t like me much…sorry I digress. I said sure. So after a kidnapping, a bowling ball named Nora, a pony keg, a 100 bottles of bear on the wall, The P-Zone, bon fires, splitting wood, Little Debbies, microwave pork rinds, a beer drinking contest, a HUGE hunk of beef, a couple birthday cakes, a ball stuck in a tree, horse shoes, exploding beer cans, golfing in a flood, Texans, midnight pizza, a keg, snaking a clogged toilet with a fishing pole, Silver Creek Cherry Beer, a lot of laughter, and much, much more a Tradition was born. Oh yes, I can’t forget the Gig ‘em (whoop) stick and there is some golf played also. Just ask around the fire and I’m sure someone will be more than willing to offer up some past details. Well there is how it began. If it wasn’t for Phil Herman getting married and Chuck Carr thinking a joke was a good idea, we might not have the great summer tradition of the Skidway Lake Invitational. - The SLI Commish |
| History of the Skidway Lake Invitational 1998 - ? |
