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Photos taken at Arbuckle GC, Arbuckle, CA |
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Arbuckle III was the third cup in Stanley Pesick's early dominance of the event. Pesick went on to win two more for a run of - never to be equaled - five victories in a row. |
The Arbuckle Cup Invitational Golf Tournament -- an event whose insignificance cannot be overstated.
Arbuckle in the D
Into each life, some rain must fall
Too much is falling in mine
Into each heart, some tears must fall
Someday the sun will shine
Thus sang Ella Fitzgerald and the Inkspots in 1944. The song’s lyrics were based on a 19th-century Wordsworth poem and have resonated through the years right up to July 19, 2024 when a crazy worldwide computer glitch shut down great swaths of the internet including Delta Airlines. So it was that the four Arbuckleans awoke that morning to learn that return trips for at least two players had been scrambled. Schedules were upended and chaos could have ensued; instead the sun did shine on what became a most memorable stretch of time henceforth to be known as the great Arbuckle in the D day.
Specifically, the Cat’s flight that day was canceled. After a bit of consternation; it was decided to spend the morning in Ann Arbor and then sojourn into the Motor City for a day of discovery and celebration. Highlights included:
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As seen at the DIA |
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Franklin Hills |
One last golf note: day one was a practice day at Franklin Hills Country Club. The course was in magnificent shape; Straus and Pesick got to share a caddie, which was great fun, and all had a fine time. Great thanks go to Walter Shapero for hosting us.
But this year’s event was dominated by the unlikely foursome of Diego Rivera, Vincent Van Gogh, Bill Ford and Don Was. It was Arbuckle in the D; appreciating all that America’s comeback city has to offer
Hat swap |
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Washtenaw Dairy |
Before & After at Michigan Central |
At the Concert of Colors |
Ode to Arbuckle 24
by Walter Shapero
On the occasion of the annual Celebratory Dinner, July 19, 2024
Here's a great story of old Detroit School buddies four
Who have had for many years their own special golf tour
They long ago eschewed the tennis racket
For pursuit of their own special Green Jacket
The name of this ongoing event?
Is the annual Arbuckle Golf Tournament.
So today our hats to those four we should doff
Guys who, at least between themselves, don't get teed off
Though one can suppose you might hear one of them mutter
If he misses an easy 20 incher off the blade of his putter.
(Though that missed putt would not by him be considered a flub
As all the blame surely and purely was the fault of the club).
They play golf courses all over - some easier and some tough
And hopefully, land their shots in the fairway not the rough
Always thinking about whether they should
For the upcoming shot use an iron or a wood
And maybe thinking this or that hole is a snap
Until that next shot unfortunately lands in a trap.
The game of golf to be sure is the strong tether
For this continuing annual guys get together
And as long as they are able it seems quite clear
Together they will keep pursuing that little white sphere
As charter and the only members of an enduring organization
Known as the PPGGA - the Past Prime Guys Golfing Association.
Editor's Note: Due to the Covid scare at the beginning of the week, the following was never delivered.
Arbuckle 2023 Celebratory Poem
September 8, 2023
by Walter Shapero
Never delivered
Put on that big smile and get rid of that frown
The Arbuckle Fearsome Foursome has come to town
Testing their skills on many a short and long fairway
To win the Green Jacket at the end of the day
As with their swings they sometimes might fiddle
In order to more often get that shot down the middle.
These four all-over-the-country sojourners are way past being golf learners
As they vie for the prize of the jacket and some Buddy’s Pizza and Vernors
So let us all forget the LIV and PGA on this celebratory night
As in the presence of the Arbucklers we take great delight
And all together enjoy another of their annual sights(sites?)
And for at least a year one of them ____?___ has bragging rights.
Was it a debacle? A comedy? A tragedy? Or ultimately the same old fun participants have been having since 1997? You decide:
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The skies eventually parted |
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Franklin Hills |
So, that’s that. We all agreed we ended up having a good time and of course, look forward to the day when all four of us can play.
Photo Library
Yawning bunkers at Franklin Hills |
Some things never change |
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The old haunt on Hoover Street |