The Annual Sinister Invitational Golf Tournament and Frolic
a Van De Van Productions affiliate
| Format | Originally a medal play tournament, the 2002 event was held as match play
- a change which will likely carry over to future years.
The "Sinister" in the name does (as many of you have no doubt already wondered) refer to left-handed-ness. In fact, one of the seekers after the sport coat is always left-handed, while the other is always right-handed. Except on this one occasion, of course - the whole point here is that we trade clubs and play golf in the opposite orientation to our normal proclivities. And a grand time is had by all, you may have no doubt! |
| History | Begun in AD 2000, the Sinister Invitational has a rich and
storied
history.
In 2000, the tournament was held at Metropolitan Beach - a gorgeous venue with spectacular lake vistas and tempting freighters In 2001, the site was Warfield Greens in Utica - no lakes or boats, but beautiful in its own way. Then, in 2002, the third of the three rotating courses was introduced: Belle Isle - another site with water and boats, but with the added temptation of plenty of geese. In observance of the Biblical injunction to let the fields have their rest in the Sabbath Year, the Sinister Invitational skips each seventh (7th) year. Should a tournament inadvertently be played in a sabbatic year, all results resulting from said inadvertent tournament will be null and void, and the jacket returns to the winner of the previous - and sanctioned - tournament. In a radical retooling of the tournament, all "courtesy" of disgraced former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, the Belle Isle course has been removed from the roatation due to its having been closed. (It's not easy to play in waist-high grass right- or left- handed.) In its once-hallowed place, the Garden Bowl on Woodward has been added, as has bowling as an official sinister sport. As always, the jacket only changes hands (shoulders?) during sanctioned events, but now there is a whole new kind of event being sanctioned! |
| Participants | Andrew DeWitt and Charlie van Becelaere with Christian van Becelaere as official scorekeeper in perpetuity and ad hominem |
| Results | 2000 - DeWitt in a walk
2001 - van Becelaere in a walk 2002 - van Becelaere by 1 hole (on the last putt!) 2003 - DeWitt by 4 holes and 4 strokes (all in the first four holes!) 2004 - DeWitt by 1 hole and zero stokes! 2005 - van Becelaere by 3 strokes - decided in the last 2 holes! 2006 - first Sinister Sabbath 2007 - DeWitt by 2 strokes (dead even back nine!) 2008 - van Becelaere by 2 strokes - again, down to the last hole! 2009 - vanBecelaere by quite a few pins (yes, pins - see the details below and revision above) |
| Highlights | 2000 - the freighter shots, plus
the amazing
triple hole in one on #18! (captured on videotape for all those
doubters
out there)
2001 - new venue, transfer of the hallowed "sinister sport coat" trophy 2002 - new venue, multiple goose shots, plus the last hole putt to save the match by Charlie as the lights started to come on. 2003 - no freighters this year, but a new pair of shoes may have had a "hand" in the results, four holes to get broken in, the parity (pair-ity?), transfer of the hallowed jacket once again. 2004 - beautiful day, par on opening hole, final putt decides the tourney for the second time, and a late-discovered wardrobe malfunction 2005 - what was this - the British Open? rain (off and on), goose poop everywhere, and still, we had more fun than even on a regular work day! Also, a return to Medal play. 2006 - first Sinister Sabbath 2007 - we've returned to the site of the first Sinister Invitational - Metropolitan Beach, as well as to medal play. 2008 - back to venue # 2, Warfield Greens. Gorgeous weather, slower than sinister players all around, and even a sign greeting the Annual Sinister Invitational at the clubhouse! (photo to come soon.) 2009- not just a new venue, a new sport. You may not believe it, but it's true, and the evidence will be posted once it exists! The new venue is the Garden Bowl on Woodward in midtown Detroit. The nation's oldest still-operating bowling center is now the third venue for the Sinister Invitational - now adding off-hand bowling to the original golf-only format! |
2009 Initial disbelief turns to dismay and disdain:  PS - It's all Kwame's fault!
We still had fun, and the Garden Bowl is definitely in the top three of our current venues!
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|
| 2008 Photos to come soon (or never, that's when my camera ruined the memory card!) | |
| Photos |
 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Total | |
| Drew | 62 | 65 | 77 | 204 |
| Charlie | 92 | 94 | 91 | 277 |
| Standing | +30 |
+29 |
+14 |
+73 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total | |
| Yardage | 250 | 270 | 140 | 115 | 140 | 150 | 230 | 180 | 170 | 1,645 |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 29 |
| Drew | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 51 |
| Charlie | 6 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 49 |
| Standing | D by 1 | D by 1 | C by 1 | C by 1 | C by 2 | C by 2 | C by 2 | C by 1 | C by 2 | Charlie |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Total | |
| Yardage | 73 | 48 | 83 | 54 | 53 | 72 | 92 | 53 | 81 | 108 | 65 | 43 | 60 | 63 | 101 | 67 | 55 | 78 | 1,239 |
| Par | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 54 |
| Charlie | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 77 |
| Drew | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 75 |
| Standing | D+1 | C+1 | C+3 | C+1 | C+1 | C+1 | = | = | D+2 | D+4 |
D+3 |
D+4 |
D+3 |
D+2 |
D+3 |
D+3 |
D+3 |
D+2 |
Drew |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total | |
| Yardage | 331 | 160 | 230 | 147 | 195 | 133 | 189 | 282 | 214 | 1,881 |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 29 |
| Charlie | 7 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 49 |
| Drew | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 52 |
| Christian * | ||||||||||
| Standing | D by 1 | C by 1 | C by 2 | C by 2 | C by 1 | D by 1 | D by 1 | C by 2 | C by 3 | Charlie |
| * - not participating in the tournament, not even playing along as the scorekeeper this year :-(. | ||||||||||
2004 Sinister Invitational
Scorecard
Warfield Greens - 28 July 2004
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total | |
| Yardage | 250 | 270 | 140 | 115 | 140 | 150 | 230 | 180 | 170 | 1,645 |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 29 |
| Rocco (Charlie) | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 42 |
| Franko (Drew) | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 42 |
| Loser (Christian)* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Standing | R+1 | R+1 | R+1 | - | - | R+1 | R+1 | - | F+1 | Franko
(Drew) |
| * - not participating in the tournament, just playing along as the scorekeeper. | ||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Total | |
| Yardage | 73 | 48 | 83 | 54 | 53 | 72 | 92 | 53 | 81 | 108 | 65 | 43 | 60 | 63 | 101 | 67 | 55 | 78 | 1,239 |
| Par | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 54 |
| Charlie | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 81 |
| Drew | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 78 |
| Standing | D+1 | D+2 | D+3 | D+4 | D+4 | D+4 | D+5 | D+5 | D+4 | D+5 | D+4 | D+5 | D+6 | D+5 | D+5 | D+4 | D+4 | D+4 | Drew |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total | |
| Yardage | 331 | 160 | 230 | 147 | 195 | 133 | 189 | 282 | 214 | 1,881 |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 29 |
| Charlie | 6 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 48 |
| Drew | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 47 |
| Christian * | 6 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 42 |
| Standing | - e - | C+1 | - e - | - e - | - e - | - e - | - e - | C+1 | C+1 | Charlie |
| * - not participating in the tournament, just playing along as the scorekeeper. | ||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total | |
| Yardage | 250 | 270 | 140 | 115 | 140 | 150 | 230 | 180 | 170 | 1,645 |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 29 |
| Charlie | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Drew | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Standing | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Charlie |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|
12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Total | |
| Yardage | 73 | 48 | 83 | 54 | 53 | 72 | 92 | 53 | 81 | 108 | 65 | 43 | 60 | 63 | 101 | 67 | 55 | 78 | 1,239 |
| Par | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 54 |
| Charlie | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Drew | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Christian * | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Standing | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Drew |
| * - not participating in the tournament, just playing along as the scorekeeper. | |||||||||||||||||||