By Stan Olenik Editor-Publisher, The Golf Club

It has never been clear if the Champagne Shoot-Out at Thornblade Club on New Year’s Eve ends the golf year in the Upstate or starts the New Year.

Either way, the event has gone from a small gathering of friends to one of the most popular member and guest events at the club.

Over three decades ago, the first event didn’t have a name. It was, as is the case with so many fun club events, started when a group of friends were helping a member celebrate his birthday on New Years Eve.

After toasting the birthday boy, Tommy Lever, the group decided to play a nine hole shoot out.

It happened again the following year and when more members wanted to play on New Year’s Eve the club took over organizing the event and it began to grow into the very popular event it is today.

See our story from 2022 with more details on the start up and growth of the Champagne Shoot-Out at Thornblade Club. https://scgolfclub.com/2022/01/01/champagne-tradition-continues-at-thornblade/

When golfers sign up to play in the annual Champagne Shoot-Out there is never a guarantee the weather will cooperate, but no matter what the weather the Shoot-Out will be played.

More often than not in the 32 or 33 year history of the event it is more likely wind, rain, frost, and even snow and ice will meet the golfers playing in the annual event.

On average there have been more blustery days than sunny days with mild temperatures on New Years Eve.

This year 120 golfers signed up even with a troublesome weather forecast.

A slight mist in the morning didn’t deter any of the golfers from getting on the course, as they have in any kind of weather for the event.

This year the “Jack Nicklaus” of the Champagne Shoot-Out, Monty Desai, lead the winning team for the fifth time.

“We didn’t do anything special, ” said Desai. “We just all made some good shots and a few good putts and had fun,” he said.

Sebastian Cappellan, Jody Redmond and Daniel Littell all pitched in to help Desai’s claim, (no statistics ever kept) to be the unofficial all-time leading winner in the Thornblade Club’s Champagne Shoot-Out

If the event awarded a trophy instead of a bottle of champagne, Desai’s trophy case would be running out of room, instead with another Champagne Shoot-Out win he can ring in the New Year with his first place prize.

Happy New Year!