Bredow's Thank You Note from 2006

I also would like to send my thanks to everyone for the trip. Who would have thought that twelve guys in Palm Springs could have such a great time! Wait ... that didn't come out right. Well, you know what I mean. I am finding myself daydreaming at work about tee shots, club selection, and those beautiful courses.

I have to give special thanks to Montecor, the only person with the patience and passion to put together such a remarkable trip year after year. Thanks for doing this once again Dave. It's an honor for a hack like myself to be invited. I hope the king size bed and the low scores were enough thanks for all your hard work.

To The Great White, your great golf game and easy going attitude inspire me. I look forward to my golf lessons from you someday in addition to receiving that herd of camels in return for my daughters hand in marriage to Andrew. And for the record, who would ever bet big on a six four suited before the flop? I don't care what John says.

To John "team mom" Sandoval, thanks for the sandwiches and orange slices. Not to mention the steak, salad, and pork chops. You have the gift of hospitality and you use it well. It made it hard to be mad at you for keeping me awake with all that snoring. And seriously, the six four suited was brilliant. I don't care what Brian says.

Thanks To Scott Rojas who allowed John Heddon and I to be in the presence of greatness. Shadow Ridge was the greatest example of grace under fire as Scott fired the most nonchalant 78 (or whatever it was) I've ever seen in my life. Only Scott could hit that "one in a million shot" 78 times in a row. And to John for not sneezing in my backswing. Twice.

Thanks to "Cool Carl" Lachman for being such a gentleman (despite that one round where you burped or farted in the middle of every backswing), even going so far as to let me hit your golf ball out of the sand when I couldn't find my own. At least we think that might have happened.

To Dave "Long Drive" Deboe who continues to amaze me with his play. It's always a pleasure to watch you play and to match up with you in poker. I have only three parting words for you. Ball go far.

Thanks to my chauffer Mark "Boomis" Loomis who carted me around all weekend. You drink a buttload of Gatorade, my friend. I commend you on your vastly improved ball striking and your new fancy set of clubs. It must be true that spending money on your game without practice is the quickest and most effective way to improve your game.

To Mike Hernandez, my nemesis. You played fantastic. Thanks for the great pad to crash in and the words of encouragement on the golf course. Nice touch on the matching final round 92 - great way to end our not so bitter rivalry.

Thanks to Dave "Card Shark" Chitty. No matter what I had in my hand I was always afraid to go in against you. I don't know why that is. Maybe it's that friendly smile you always have. It's a pleasure on the golf course, but a bit unsettling in poker.

Lastly my thanks to Jason "Babs" Barbieri. Fantastic golf and a great attitude. It's always so fun to see you and catch up on life. And seriously, that last hole on Firecliff was awesome. Kudos to you shelving your pride and pandering to the unruly crowd. You have earned all of our respect with your phenomenal perserverance.

So that's it for me for 2006. Once again I thank you all for allowing me to hack up the course alongside so many great golfers. My theory of playing once a year paid off again with another personal best. Next year I'm gunning for 89!

Dennis

Chitty's Thank You Note from 2006

Thanks to every one of you for adding immeasurable pleasure to my pathetic, unexciting life last weekend.

Thanks to Dave Little for finding the will and the way to get it all done.

Thanks to John Sandoval for inspiring me to stand my ground when all around me are howling their displeasure at my actions.

Thanks to Brian White for the light in the darkness.

Thanks to Scott Rojas for showing all of us that breakfast burritos probably are the actual "breakfast of champions".

Thanks to Dennis Bredow for reminding us that a great sense of humor probably is better for you than even the breakfast of champions.

Thanks to Jason for taking me off the hook as giving the worst performance at Desert Willow (was that really a 16 on number 18?)

Thanks to Dave Deboe for the kind instruction in just about everything.

Thanks to Mike Hernandez for lining up the palace.

Thanks to Mark Loomis for the kind words.

Thanks to Carl "Iceman" Lachman for modeling even-tempered behavior at all times and for imspiring me toward completely clean and responsible living. Even so I still can't do it.

Thanks to John Heddon for stepping in for Angelo - sort of a kinder gentler Ted, so he has that going for him, which is nice.

Gunga-la-gunga.

Have a great summer - see you next fall

Day of Purpose

Alright guys, it’s that time. For the last day of purpose, I give you my favorite poem. Lots of application to golf here, especially the part about meeting triumph and disaster. I promise you there will be plenty of both in the desert.

Finally, in the words of Tom Kausrud, along with Chitty one of the founders of this tradition:

If it goes right it’s a slice,
If it goes left it’s a hook,
If it goes straight it’s a miracle!

See you in the desert.

Montecore

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling

Day of Purpose

Hi guys,

Hope your long weekend is going well and that you’re barbecuing a bunch – or at least getting to eat it.

Looks like there will be more barbecuing going on toward the end of the week. I’ve been checking the weather and here are the projected temperatures for Wednesday through Sunday: 106, 107, 108, 106, 107.

So this could be the hottest year yet, which is nice. I remember one year I saw 114 degrees on the thermometer on Washington just north of Fred Waring, so that’s the record so far. Whoever’s riding with me in the cart during the Friday afternoon round will have an idea of the temperature pretty easily. At 106, the hair on my arm starts to cook off. It’s a sight to see, but I’ll tell you it’s not the best thing you’ve ever smelled.

Alright, back to watching the Dodger game. Pretty fun to watch when they send 17 guys to the plate in the first two innings. I think even Lance Carter and Odalis Perez could hold onto this lead.

Dave

Day of Purpose

Caddie Responses
# 10
Golfer "Think I'm going to drown myself in the lake."
Caddy "Think you can keep your head down that long?"
# 9
Golfer "I'd move heaven and earth to break 100 on this course."
Caddy "Try heaven, you've already moved most of the earth."
# 8
Golfer "Do you think my game is improving?"
Caddy "Yes sir, you miss the ball much closer now."
# 7
Golfer "Do you think I can get there with a 5 iron?"
Caddy "Eventually."
# 6
Golfer "You've got to be the worst caddy in the world."
Caddy "I don't think so sir. That would be too much of a coincidence."
# 5
Golfer "Please stop checking your watch all the time. It's too much of a
distraction."
Caddy "It's not a watch - it's a compass."
# 4
Golfer "How do you like my game?"
Caddy "Very good sir, but personally, I prefer golf."
# 3
Golfer "Do you think it's a sin to play on Sunday?"
Caddy "The way you play, sir, it's a sin on any day."
# 2
Golfer "This is the worst course I've ever played on."
Caddy "This isn't the golf course. We left that an hour ago."
# 1 Best Caddy Comment
Golfer "That can't be my ball, it's too old,"
Caddy "It's been a long time since we teed off, sir."

Day of Purpose

Today, we’re starting a little game of “Who Said It?”

Here’s the first quote.

So I jump ship in Hong Kong and make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas. A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one -- big hitter, the Lama -- long, into a ten-thousand foot crevice, right at the base of this glacier. And do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga...gunga -- gunga galunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

Day of Purpose

Got a complaint today that one of you was missing the Day of Purpose. It’s nice to be missed.

Today, we explore the economics of the golf trip so that we can all feel good about doing our part to keep the country’s finances in good shape. Here’s a list of some things I know people will be contributing to the economy as a result of the trip.


Lachman
trying to buy a game in the shape of new Mizuno irons $700

Rojas
therapist bills to heal from trauma of hearing me
whine about the trip in his office every day $2,000

Chitty
trip to Bandon Dunes the weekend after the
Palm Springs trip to make sure the
scores he posted in the desert are legit $2,000

Hernandez
new irons after demo-ing Little's Armour 845's 500

using free clubs from Brian (which forces Brian to
buy new ones (see below) 600

Sandoval
Steaks and fixin's for 12 (Friday night dinner) 175
Unlimited bikini wax buffet at Marriott Desert Springs 550
Tips for Octavio, his waxer 250

Heddon
Extra sticky club grips 140

Titanium pins to keep his shoulder from separating
when he helicopters clubs down the fairway 2,500

Deboe
postage for letters he mails to the USGA whining
about the unfairness of their handicapping sytem 300
Money he'll pay to Rojas for losing the "Loser pays
for Shadow Ridge" round 55

Bredow
Industrial strength sunscreen 145

Loomis
muscle relaxers to help him slow down his
pace of play on the course 100

Barbieri
guilt offerings to his church for being involved in a trip
where the leader has twisted the "Days of Purpose"
concept to secular use 1,000

Me
5 dozen DT SoLo's that I'll never use to go with
the 1500 balls I have in the garage already 100
Valium to deal with stress involved in trip planning 50
Postcards I send to Angelo trying to get
him to come back next year 25

White
4 day supply of drumsticks 75
new driver for Thursday am round 400
new driver for Thursday pm round 400
new driver for Sunday am round (TaylorMade R7 TP) 800
Poker debt he'll owe me for after the trip 100


GRAND TOTAL $12,965