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Gentlemen of the BTC |
July 3, 2025 |
I hope that
everyone has
a happy,
healthy and
safe 4th of
July. It is
a time to
celebrate
our country
and spend
time with
our family
and friends
over good
food and
several
beverages!
But be
careful.
It was
another hot
day out
there but
not as bad
as the last
couple
weeks.
Glenwoodie
was tough as
usual but we
were playing
a scramble
so that
helped.
There was a
3-way tie
for first as
Rob
Elliot, Bob
Vizdal,
John
Adreani, and
Lee Kaz had
58, so did
T.
Schessler,
Nick
Voutiritsas,
John
Roberts, and
Paul
Kleinpaste,
as well as
Brian
Miller,
Kevin
Bewley, Greg
Lewis, and
Arnie
Carlstrom.
Coming
in at 59
were four
groups: Les,
Lambros,
Rob, Jesk.
Also,
Stanford,
Stewart,
Bondi, Long.
Also P.
Schlesser,
Suntken,
Schaefer,
and D.
Tomkins.
Coming in at
60 was
Furman,
Vardikos,
Ganz, and
Flanagan.
Also, Lee,
Lopez,
Konopacz,
and Bay.
Also at 60
was Jenner,
Kogut,
Poteracki,
and F.
Carioti.
At
61, Day,
Clementi,
Jasinski and
Podlasek.
At 62 was
Kossmann,
Schroeder,
Raymond and
Joe
Eppolito.
And finally
at 64, was
Kevin
Kennedy, J.
Samoska,
Swintek, and
D. Samoska.
Scott Lee,
Lopez,
Konopacz,
and Bay
won the
closest to
on the 12th
hole with
9ft, 2in. My
group had
9ft, 3in.
They
definitely
had a better
tape
measure.
Just
kidding.
Scott, we
missed the
putt though,
that
definitely
hurt my
team.
We had lots
of
opportunities
but could
not make
many putts.
And as
captain
Dave, I made
all the
right
decisions as
we had to
use my drive
on the last
hole we
played. I
hit it 230
yards, but
unfortunately
it was also
200 yards
left which
led to our
only bogey.
Our group
had a very
good time
out there.
As
usual,
Laurel was a
very good
cart girl.
She is
friendly and
makes it
around to
everyone
enough
times.
After golf,
it was a lot
of fun
talking
about our
rounds and I
definitely
had too many
Yuenglings.
Well,
that's
enough for
now.
We are at
Deer Creek
next week.
One of my
picks for
best courses
for the BTC.
I have
to mention
that I
played
George Dunne
today.
Played a
match
against Bob
Kennedy
straight up.
He won the
front, & I
won the
back.
He won more
holes than
me so I only
lost 5
dollars, but
he bought me
a beer for
six bucks.
Doesn't seem
right
somehow, but
I am setting
him up for
the club
championship
when he will
have to give
me 8 or 9
strokes.
Your
secretary,
DJ
P.S.
Scrambles
are fun.
P.S.S.
The cart
girl Ashley
at George
Dunne was
very good
and she was
also very
friendly.
I like to
give
shoutouts to
good
bartenders
and cart
girls as
they work
hard.
(Wearing
short
shorts/skirt
doesn't hurt
either).
MEMBERSHIP
COMMITTEE
A
membership
meeting
was
held on
Tuesday
after
golf at
Glenwoodie.
Please make
these
gentlemen feel
welcome when
you see them
on the
course of
clubhouse.
Our newest
members
accepted
into the
Club:
NEW MEMBER
SPONSORS
Larry
Konopacz
Ostrowski/Day
Frank
Kossman
Day/Radcliffe
Kevin
Kennedy
Kennedy/Rob
Committee
Chairman,
Jerry
Jasinski
Historian
News
Fellow
Members,
Today’s
Member Story
involves
someone who
has been
totally
involved in
bringing our
Club into
the 21st
Century when
it comes to
how we
operate as a
Club. When
Andy
Zilis
joined the
BTC in 2002
the Club was
in the early
stages of
changing
over from
mailing out
275
newsletters
to our then
membership
via Office
Assistants
and through
USPS. The
cost of that
service to
our Club was
upward of
$17,000 per
year. By
2009, the
year that
Andy was
President of
the BTC,
Andy was
able to
change over
our system
to 100%
online email
of our
newsletter
within the
next few
years. He
would take
all the
information
that was
sent to him
and
formalize it
into an
email that
was sent to
every
Member. Rich
Schroeder
would then
take that
email and
put it on
the web for
posterity so
watch what
you say.
But
before Andy
was with the
club let us
go back to
the
beginnings.
Andy grew up
in the Mount
Greenwood
area. He
attended IIT
on a
baseball
scholarship.
While
playing
baseball in
College he
still laughs
about the
fact that he
gave up
back-to-back
homers to
two future
major
leaguers in
Joe Girardi
and Reggie
Hammonds in
1983. Andy
graduated in
1984 and
received a
BBA in
Accounting.
Andy worked
at the
Options
Exchange for
one year and
then for 8
years he
worked at a
CPA Firm.
While there
he passed
the CPA exam
and started
his own
business,
Zilis
Accounting &
Tax
Services,
which is
still
operating
today.
Like I
mentioned
earlier Andy
joined the
BTC in 2002.
His Sponsors
were
Longtime
Members,
Ed Tadevich
and Frank
Falbo.
They brought
Andy in for
his bowling
abilities
and
rightfully
so since
Andy managed
to lead the
BTC in high
average
three years.
His Teams
managed to
win a few
titles and
during his
bowling
career Andy
has 2
sanctioned
300 games
and even
harder to do
one 800
series.
He
also has
done well in
golf winning
some
Divisions in
the
Presidents
Cup and Club
Championship
and even
more so in
the Two-Man
Event where
three times
he won with
three
different
partners.
Once with
our Current
Secretary,
Dave
Jenner,
Former
Member
Justin
Kamper and
Current
Parliamentarian
Jim Van Eck.
In 2006,
the year
that I was
President,
Andy came on
to be an
Officer and
over the
last 19
years has
done much to
“Make our
Club Great
Again” (Not
that it
always
wasn’t).
When Chuck
Martino
passed Andy
took on
running the
Kids
Christmas
Party which
always put a
big smile on
our
Children’s
and
Grandchildren’s
faces.
Between
Andy, his
fellow
Chairman,
Dan Roberts,
our every
year Santa,
Jim Fowler
and many
more
contributors
this party
continued to
run until
Covid.
Andy
told me that
it was
alright to
bring up his
current
health
problems. He
doesn’t
really want
this honor
but, with a
100% success
rate at
Christ
Hospital in
2024, he is
hoping to
become our
first member
with a heart
transplant.
He will be
going into
the hospital
sometime in
August and
is planning
on coming
out, and
after a long
recovery,
coming back
to golf and
maybe even
bowling. I
am sure that
we all will
be praying
for Andy to
be the
first.
Andy
has lived in
the Oak
Forest area
for 30 plus
years. He
and his
wife, Kara,
have been
married for
40 years in
November and
have two
Children and
5
Grandchildren.
So, let’s
keep Andy in
our prayers
so he can
come back
and continue
to enjoy
time beating
up on us on
the links
and on the
lanes.
Thanks
for
listening,
Your
Historian,
Bob
Vizdal