Welcome to the Scratchers and Hackers Golf Invitational. This event is by invitation only and a non-profit for fun event. This invitational is simply a group of friends and their friends who play more golf in a shorter period of time than many golfers play in a year. We do it because we’re half insane and half just plain stupid. If you don’t fit one of those descriptions you are probably in the wrong place or have been lied to by someone you thought was your friend. We are truly blessed to have some of the worst golfers ever to visit the Grand Strand (or wherever we play) in this event. At the end of this event I will give some good advice to 10 of you who do the worst and I can tell you it won’t be pretty. So my advice to you now is “Don’t finish in the last 10 places”. As in previous years the overall net champion will receive our top award of The Scratchers and Hackers Golf Invitational Championship trophy. In 2007 we began a tradition of giving the low gross player a championship style trophy named The Scratchers and Hackers J.T. Compton Memorial Award. This trophy was donated by J.T.’s grandfather, Jerry White. Both are to be engraved with name and score and returned every year for the next year’s winner. Along with both trophies goes some cash.
I’d like to recognize the previous J.T. Compton Memorial Award Winners: Howie Cullen 2006 and 2007 – Mike Russell 2008 – Scott Cheek -2009, 2010, 2011 – Juan Melchor 2012 – Chris Bowers – 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021 and 2022 – Chad White 2018 – Ritchie Fesperman – 2019 and 2020
For the new guys, there is a thing called the “Mystique”. It’s that mystical happening that’s going to make you so nervous at some point on some shot that you just simply fall apart. It is that thing that will cause you to lose sleep, hit bad shots, curse if you curse already and makes you curse if you don’t already. I’m happy to have each one of you here because the $50.00 you pay to Aaron at the Calcutta makes our awards pot that much richer. Don’t expect to win any of it back, consider it your indoctrination fee. If you do win some of it back just consider that an administrative error on my or Aaron’s part.
I’d like to recognize the previous “pond scum” “lower than snake excrement” winners of the Championship Trophy. Mark “Two Time” Boguslaw won in 2002 and 2003. Sam “From Last to First” Gaston won in 2004. You’ll never meet a more honest sand bagger than Sam. Tony “I Play Better Wet” Farina won in 2005 in monsoon conditions with a bad back. I believe he must have been on steroids and could probably hit more home runs than Barry Bonds. The 2006 winner, Ryan “Rhino” Walsh, did more charging than any Rhino seen in the Robin Williams movie Jumanji and won by the largest margin of victory in the 26 year history of this event. Tracy Crotzer won by, once again, a new record margin in 2007. Mark Stevens amazingly won in 2008. How that happens no one knows but I suspect cheating was involved. Chad White, of all people, won in 2009. Rick Forrester won in 2010 and it may take us a while to figure just exactly how he did that. All web site activity halted when I posted his picture. Ron Barnhardt fired a 10 on the final hole of 2011 but managed to win anyway. Adding insult to injury Chad White won again in 2012. In 2013 up became down and left became right as Jerry White won. Then in 2014, the unthinkable happened – a Flowe won and it wasn’t me! Aaron went from Bobblehead in 2013 to champ in 2014. In 2015, it was obvious that Cookie was on steroids when he won. No tests were administered, we just knew. Dwight Melgaard won in 2016. He is truly one of the good guys even though he beat me by the slimiest of margins- 16.8 strokes. The youngest ruled in 2017. Dustin Barnhardt had the best golf of his young life and kicked everyone’s ass. In 2018, on a rain soaked Monday, Wes Leonard emerged from a very dark depressed place deep in the clubhouse after praying all night for the rain to continue, to win the tournament! That’s right, Wes Leonard, all the way from the last flight to put his name forever on the Championship Trophy. Take that all you Leonard brothers! The 2019 Championship went to Barkley Truitt. A surprise winner but a guy who truly deserved to win as he clearly played his best golf ever in this tournament. Barkley keeps us all laughing with his great sense of humor and spirit. 2020, the year of Covid 19 was won by Robert Lundgren, a true gentleman and great guy very appropriately from Florida. Florida led the nation successfully out of Covid 19 just as Robert led the group in the tournament. Dustin “Sasquatch” Barnhardt roared back to take the title in 21 for the second time. Dustin won as a 17 year old in 17 and in 21 at 21 and 22 at 22. That means that at 73 I’ll win in 23!!
If you have a Facebook page, look for our group and join. It’s a good way to post your own pictures taken during the tournament. If you have friends at home, make sure they know to watch our leaderboard posted on the website during the tournament for score updates.
Anyway, there you have it. I look forward to seeing you in May.
Mike Flowe