Hawaiian Shirt Invitational Origin
Nick (Jeff Nickerson), JJ (Jeff Johnson), and Sheebz (Adam Schieber) have been playing golf together for several years. We have been friends since pre-school. Sheebz and JJ were neighbors before school and Nick and Sheebz were in the same kindergarten class. Golf was not a central point of their lives until they grew up and went their separate ways. Sheebz went to University of Missouri - Columbia, Nick went to Colorado State university, and JJ went to West Point. Three corners of the country, and when JJ went to Bosnia, the world.
When we got together during summers in college we would always try to play golf. Nothing formally planned, just a chance for us to get out an do something together. Then, after heading our separate ways after high school, we ended up coming back somewhat together and we spent 2000 and 2001 together playing quite a lot of golf. Then a significant event happened when Sheebz hosted JJ's bachelor party in San Antonio. Several of JJ's friends were coming in, but first Nick, JJ, and Sheebz spent several days playing golf courses in San Antonio.
One day on the way to one of these rounds, we stopped at a Walgreen's to get sunscreen. The Walgreen's had all of their Hawaiian shirts on clearance for a few bucks, so Nick and JJ each bought one and wore them during our rounds of golf that day. Here is the only known picture of one of those rounds.
The Swing
Now this was back when we were still young
and energetic. We ended up each night on Sheebz patio partaking
heavily in alcohol and nicotine while we discussed the meaning of life
and other unsolvable issues. During one of these discussions, we
thought how fun it would be to formalize our golf outings so that we
could have something to look forward to every year. This was an
idea that was probably brainstormed with beer helping us figure out ways
we could escape and do guy things for a few days a year, but it sure
seemed like a good idea then. We decided to call this event the
Hawaiian Shirt Invitational in honor of the shirts that JJ and Nick wore
that first day. HSI was conceived.
We went through the rest of the week and played golf at The Bandit (pic), Canyon Springs (pic), The Quarry (pic), and La Cantera (pic). Everyone departed ways and we got back together at JJ's wedding a few weeks later. We didn't golf every time we got together, sometimes we did other crazy things. During JJ's wedding weekend we again discussed our idea on our late night canoe ride and talked about HSI again. We decided to target Spring 2002 for our first event. It looked like this thing was really going to happen.
That summer Sheebz moved from San Antonio to Kansas City. The month before he left, JJ came to San Antonio and we played the new Palmer Course at La Cantera (pic 1, pic 2, pic 3, pic 4. This was the last round of golf that the three of us played together before the first HSI.
The Follow Through
We discussed HSI all winter and finally set a date of April 2002 in
Houston for our first event. I don't remember if we ever thought
this would really happen or continue in the years to come. At the
time we just knew that we liked getting together, we liked playing golf,
and we didn't want to stop getting together. HSI would give us an
excuse, or force us, to get together every year. It would also
give us something to talk about in the off-season.
When we showed up at JJ's apartment in Houston, he had a big surprise for us. He had ordered a cheap golf trophy on the Internet and then painted a Hawaiian shirt on the guy. It was on his mantle when we got there and was amazing. Our first HSI event was born and now, four years later, we are still at it and I don't believe that any of us has any ideas of letting it stop any time soon.
Originally written March 2, 2006 by Sheebz
Updated 04/24/2011