The late Pete Boerboon was among those most involved with the tournament. Bob Jr. recalls an amusing tale about Boerboon when the tournament was on local cable TV years ago.
“His ball was in a bunker near the green and on his first shot he could not get out,” Bob Jr. said. “On his second shot he knocks the ball across the green and into another bunker.
“By his ninth shot he was on the green. Pete thought his saving grace was that the TV cameras had only been covering him from the start of playing No. 17, not all the way through his shots near and on the green.
“A few days after the tournament, he was taking the garbage outside when a neighbor said, ‘Hey, Pete, I saw you on TV and you had a rough time.’
“Pete replied, ‘Yeah, I had nine blows.’ The neighbor disagreed and countered, ‘No, you had 11.’ ”
There are a lot of Tapemark stories but the best one is its success all these years. The tournament is pretty much year to year but it keeps coming back, and there are no plans to change the commitment now, particularly during these difficult economic times when funding for nonprofits is challenging.
And the philosophy of the Klas family remains the foundation for the pro-am. Bob Sr. talks about how none of us know what abilities and handicaps we will be given. “You have to play the cards you are born with,” he said. “You can’t change in the middle of the hand.”
His son said the tournament puts life in perspective. “It gives you a sense of balance in life,” he said. “It reminds you there are others in the community who need help.”
The tournament website includes a request for donors to consider a $40 special gift to recognize the 40th anniversary. https://tapemarkgolf.org/.