Just Playing Through . . . Remembering Tom Weyenberg

 

His Legacy Lives On

Leaving the company and good times with a great bunch of guys is a sad event, but my spirit is lifted by knowing that there is an organization where those good guys can still gather for a friendly round of golf.  Who would have thought the No Stress Golf Group would grow to the point where it could field six tee times and still have members who were not playing on a given day!  Thank you to Steve, Ron, and all the other guys who have stepped up to keep the group going and growing.  Thanks to everyone for your friendship and your support of the notion that golf can be fun without the pressure of most golf groups.  Please pass my farewell along to the other golfers.  Perhaps we will run into each other again one of these days.

-Tom Weyenberg

 

The message above was sent to Steve Parker from Tom as part of an email on April 4, 2016 after Tom moved back to Oregon.  It is still relevant today.

Steve Parker remembers Tom:

Tom was the founder and spiritual leader of No Stress.  I first met Tom in the winter of 2013.  Both of us had just moved to St. George upon retirement and joined the Dixie Newcomers’ Club.  Tom posted an announcement in the Newcomers newsletter that asked if any newcomers were interested in "playing golf just for fun”.  I had never played golf before, so this sounded like a good fit for me.   

Approximately a  dozen people responded to the announcement.  At the first outing of the group Tom emphasized his no stress rules:  no money changes hands, and "take as many mulligans as you want" (a favorite rule of his).  Tom did all of the scheduling and organizing in the early years, and we played twice a month various courses selected by Tom.  The local courses didn’t know Tom or this new  group and insisted Tom guaranty the green fees with his credit card for the group in advance.

But Tom was a snowbird from Oregon and managed to persuade (not without major difficulty) Ron Boling and me to take turns filling in for him during his absences from Santa Clara.  Tom and his wife had medical issues, their doctors were in Oregon and Tom’s absences became longer.  In September 2015 Tom announced it was time for new leadership for NSG and appointed Ron Boling and me as co-coordinators.  Fortunately, Tom had the group and golf course pro shops well prepared for his departure and the handoff was accomplished without truly serious problems.  

In April 2016 Tom moved permanently back to Oregon.

Tom leaves a legacy of mostly-stress-free golfers: single handicappers who follow USGA rules to-the-letter play beside guys who can’t break 100.  Take money, politics and religion out of the mix, and golf can be fun.  

NSG has grown to be one of the largest non-course sponsored groups in the area, and NSG coordinators no longer have to guaranty green fees with their personal credit card.

 

 

Anyone else who would like to remember Tom, please feel free to comment by using the "No comments" link below.