by Peter O'Leary (Nicholas 2010)

John Oros Jr's' 44th email of the week specified (again) the dress code. He need not have worried. He could be sure no students would raise eyebrows in even their most outrageous rabble wear when Dean Knetter arrived at University Ridge Golf Course in a pair of shorts so gaudy they'd give Boo Weekley heartburn down in Kentucky!

Shortly after lunch and drinks, sixty plus golfers got underway with a shotgun start. My playing partners and I teed off from the 2nd minus our alumnus fourth member who was stuck in traffic coming from Milwaukee. Now I don't claim to be a great golfer, or even a good one, but the quality of golf that shanked left and right off my oversized borrowed clubs (thanks John) was truly awful. Nonetheless, my partners were on fire and post arrival of our last member the game was on. Birdies at the 2nd, 4th and 5th put us on a high, but a bogey on the 6th erased our momentum almost as soon as it arrived. We'd heard some whooping and hollering of an extremely enthusiastic student alumni foursome in front of us so we knew our 2 under wasn't going to cut it. The "Beat the Dean" competition on the forth was our sole remaining opportunity to make our mark. Two excellent shots to within 12 ft left us in a strong position. Then up stepped Dean 'Tiger' Knetter with a superb 7 iron to what looked like 10 ft from the pin. Closer inspection gave us the win by a hairs length which may or may not have been poetic justice for those shorts...

We battled bravely through the sunny afternoon but the pars piled up and we ran out of holes. Alas, it wasn't to be. The GBA Golf Day however was never about quality on the course but having a bit of fun with the guys who've been where we are in the Wisconsin MBA. I believe I wasn't the only one to take such a philosophical approach...there were some brutal golfers out there who also "chose" to enjoy the day rather than the competition. And that much was achieved. Everybody seemed to have a great time.

Thanks to John Oros Jr. and the Graduate Business Association for organizing a hugely enjoyable event for the alumni and students alike. You can guarantee I'll be looking to make a bigger impact on the leader board next year.