Traditions

Breakfast anyone?

The Founders

Ron Connors, Spencer Larson, Bill Levey and Rob Robinson are the four players who created the Desert Hunt Invitational in 1998, two years after a long weekend golf trip in Palm Desert. The Founders are solely responsible for the planning and production of the annual event.

Selection of the Captains

Following the final round of play, the Founders determine the Captains for the next year's tournament. By protocol, one Captain is selected from the winning team and one Captain is selected from the losing team. The selection criteria is based largely on performance although other factors are often considered, including whether or not a player has already served as a Captain. The Founders announce the selection of next year's Captains during the Captains Dinner on the final evening of the Hunt.

The Draft and Captain's Choice

Each year, usually around April 1st, a draft is held to construct the new teams for the upcoming event. Immediately prior to the draft, the Captain who was selected from the losing team the previous year gets the choice of drafting first and selecting the first player or drafting second and selecting the second and third players. Starting with the fourth pick, the Captains alternate selecting one player each until both their team rosters are full.

The Champions' Dinner

The Champions' Dinner is held on the first night of tournament week at Morton's Restaurant in Palm Desert. The dinner is held to honor the previous year's championship team. Prior to dinner, a ceremony is held with the winning Captain receiving the Desert Hunt Championship Trophy and the coveted Desert Hunt Honors Jacket. This is followed by the presentation of the Championship Jug and Glasses and a toast to the championship team. The ceremony concludes with the announcement of the much anticipated first round pairings.

Desert Hunt Championship Trophy

The Desert Hunt Championship Trophy was established in 1999 and each year is presented to the winning Captain at the Champions' Dinner. The victorious Captain has the honor of possessing the trophy, which is inscribed with the his name, for one year. The Desert Hunt Honors Jacket The Desert Hunt Honors Jacket was introduced in 2001 and represents the highest individual honor within the Desert Hunt program. Only The Founders and winning Captains receive the prestigious coat, which can only be worn once a year at the Champions Dinner.

1998 Winning Captain Clayton Oswald receives his Honors Jacket at the 2001 Champions Dinner

Captain Gift Exchange

As an expression of good luck and sportsmanship, the Captains exchange gifts during the Champions dinner.

The Championship Jug & Glasses

The Desert Hunt Championship Jug and Glasses were introduced at the Champions Dinner in 1999. Each year the names of the Captain and players from the winning team are painted on the jug, which contains a fine single malt scotch. At the Champions' Dinner the winning team is has the privilege of drinking from the jug until it is empty. The winning players also receive a special crystal drinking glass that has been etched with the tournament logo and the player's name. Only these glasses may be used to drink from the jug.

Captain vs. Captain in Singles

In 2000 a new tradition was started when the two Captains, Bill Levey and Joe Dunphy, opened the final round of Singles play with a match against each other. It is now customary that the Captains pair off in Singles and be the first twosome to tee off in the final round on Saturday. This is the only match in the Hunt that is not determined using a blind draw.

Captains' Dinner Organized by the two Captains, this annual dinner formally concludes the event festivities. In addition to honoring the new champions, the highlight of the dinner is the announcement of the next year's Captains as determined by The Founders. It is also traditional to make good on any wagers made during the tournament at this affair.

2001 captains Bruce Del Fante and Steve Woodhead before their final Singles match.