History
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Over four decades ago, a bakers dozen of hackers, mostly pals from Torrance,
California, decided to gather for a golf getaway at Pala Mesa, near San Diego. We thought
it would probably be a "one and done", but a year later, we found ourselves in Las Vegas
having a blast at GWO II.
The Great White Open has endured for decades, growing from a few foursomes to
the raggedy band of doctors and derelicts that comprise our current roster. Through the
years we have played some remarkable and some not so remarkable venues. We have
ventured north as far as Black Lake in Nipomo, east to Vegas and Laughlin, south into the
badlands of Tijuana Country Club and Real del Mar, and west to...hell, all the rest have
been
mostly in San Diego County.
Over the years, we have created a vault of memories, mostly good...mostly. The litany of
stories from forty plus years are too numerous to list here. You need to experience a GWO
to get a feel of its history. The oldsters know the history and the NFG's (New Fucking
Guys)
pick up a little more every year they come back. Every year, each GWO participant adds to
the ongoing story that is the Great White Open.
Players have come and gone over the years. A fair amount of the 1981 originals still
participate. We lost two legends, Steve Coleman and Simon Dwyer, who are now chipping
out of clouds in Heaven. What is cool is that Steve's son, Branden, and Simon's son, Ryan,
have been a part of our little gathering for years. In fact, quite a few offspring of early
GWO’ers play today.
The Great White Open started as a lark and has endured for forty-three years. Our little
soiree is just the excuse for a group of friends, new and old, to gather for a weekend of
camaraderie, healing waters, and, oh yeah, a little bit of golf.
