derBayerische September October 2022 - 11

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skills. The par-5 18th is the prettiest
hole on the course and the new
bunker behind the green completes
the look. I figured, given its location,
it was mostly for looks but
Willy says a surprisingly large
number of golfers end up " trapped "
behind the 18th green.
I was once again fortunate to
be paired with Willy and this year
was joined by longtime NCC golfer
and recent South Carolina retiree,
Cynthia Oler, and her husband
Mike. They came all the way back
to Virginia to play in the event, pairing
it with a visit with family after
the round. Since Cynthia is retired,
she plays golf almost daily. Mike
plays regularly but is still working
as an accountant. His work led to
an engaging conversation about the business of golf. Short version-tee
times and events with food are money makers while equipment, especially
golf balls, are loss leaders at best. As an organizational researcher and
consultant, learning about the business of golf was fascinating. Interesting
conversations aside, and despite our team's slightly uneven play, it was a
terrific round with great friends.
Every year when playing with Willy, I learn some fun new facts about
a minute. The owner of a gorgeously restored red E30 M3 (sadly sold too
soon, just before values tripled) and driver of a lovely blue E36 M3, Willy is
N C C
B M W C C A
G O L F
O U T I N G
considering joining the dark side,
switching engine locations, and
buying a Porsche.
* As a Pro, Willy gets several
■ Our prize table courtesy of BMW of Silver Spring!
dozen Pro V1 golf balls every
month, supply chain issues
notwithstanding, and each is
marked with his W.A.L. initials.
On the 9th hole, Willy flared his
drive to the right and then spent an
inordinate amount of time looking
for his ball. Given that he gets them
for free, I asked him why he was so
concerned. He replied that because
they have his initials on them, if one
of his staffers finds one, especially
way off the fairway, they give him
grief. So, he looks until he finds
them to avoid the ribbing. He did
report having a back-up plan
though. When he plays with his priest, he will give him a few of the initialed
Titleists and that way if Willy loses one, he can blame the priest. Nice.
* Perhaps the biggest fun fact of all, to me at least, is that Willy is an
our host. Here are this year's:
* Willy is seriously considering buying a Porsche. Let that sink in for
EBUG: an Emergency Back-Up Goalie for the Washington Capitals. You
read that right, 12 times a season, Willy reports to the Capital One Center
with all his gear, sits in the stands, and is ready to be called on by either
team, a quirk of the NHL's EBUG system, as an actual goalie in an actual NHL
game. And yes, after the Caps won the Stanley Cup in 2018, the Cup itself
made an appearance in the Raspberry Falls Clubhouse. For more on this,
Virginia Golfer Magazine did a full story¹ on Willy and his EBUG career.
Returning to golf, as in previous years, players were divided into
■ (From the Left) Our Raspberry Falls host, Willy Lutz's impeccable E36 M Three. By far, the oldest one here.
September I October
11

https://viewer.joomag.com/virginia-golfer-sep-oct-2018/0044162001537192618/p28

derBayerische September October 2022

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