This profile originally appeared in our June, 2023 newsletter. Not only are the Lauers a two generation Father and Three Sons family, for three years they had three families in the event. They now have two families entered into the event.
Geof and Ralph originally played with their father and two other brothers in 1978. In the year 2000 the Lauers entered three teams into the event. When Geof and Ralph’s father Dick passed away in 2005 they continued to play with their two families entered.
Here is the profile as it appeared in our June, 2023.
Left to Right - Charlie, Tim, Dick, Ralph, Geof
Left to Right (Back Row) - Grant, Brock, Tim, Mark, Evan, Middle Row - Ralph, Dick. Geof
(Front Row kneeling ) - David, Joe, Paul, Charlie - missing - Garth
Left to Right - David, Paul, Mark, Ralph, Geof, Garth, Evan, Brock, - missing - Grant
LAUER Family FATS Profile:
It was in 1978 at the encouragement of Bruce Waite that the Lauer family joined the esteemed Father and Three Sons Golf Tournament. Our father George Richard (Dick) decided his four sons would enjoy a few days together as his sons were living in different parts of Ontario. The “golf” part was just an excuse to have some fun as a family.
That year the tournament (our first) was played at the Bayview Golf and Country Club. It was a 14-hole track as they had sold off 4 holes to a developer. That year it was Geof, Ralph and Tim and our Dad and our youngest brother Charlie sat out. It was also the first year the Lauer’s won The Most Honest Golfer award. Ralph accepted the “worst family” award but then had to be pulled off the stage after some unforgettable and inappropriate behaviour! He ended up passed out on his Dad’s lap on the drive home – how family is that!
Fortunately, they invited us back and we would each take a turn sitting out a year and we have been playing ever since. After 5 or 6 years of winning the “most honest team” our brother Tim said enough is enough and thus created the “Closest to the Lauers” trophy. The premise was that we would continue to be last and the family that was the 2nd “worst” team would win the trophy. Never again would we have to go up to the front to tell the other families that we weren’t really golfers!!
Fast forward to the year 2000 when Ralph’s youngest son David was 11 years old. The creation of three (count em 3) LAUER families entered the FATS tournament. Geof and three of his four boys, Ralph and his three boys and then Dick and his sons Tim and Charlie and one grandson Joe. The grandson entry was only allowed because our family was Grandfathered in prior to the 1982 Constitution writing which only allowed pure Father and Three Son teams. We were lucky enough to play 3 years as a three-family entry until Dick passed away in 2005.
Geof and Ralph have continued to play ever since. Geof and his sons Garth, Mark, Evan and Paul play as his father did with each son taking a turn sitting out a year. Ralph takes part each year with Grant, Brock and David. It is such a wonderful experience for the brothers and cousins to enjoy this time together. So many fun memories and during one of those years when jackets were mandatory Ralph managed to create a new standard of dressing. He realized he had forgotten to bring a shirt! The solution was to tie up his tie and button up his jacket. He went up to the bar to get a drink and asked the lady bartender if his tie matched his jacket. She politely said YES. He then asked if it matched his shirt and when she looked she just lost it….The new look was quickly the talk of the dinner and continued for quite a few years as well as pictures somewhere that prove the shirt off – slip up!
We have Co-hosted the tournament with the Waite family twice over the years in the Orillia area and Geof Co-hosted with the Williams family and also one year with just his family in the Waterloo area. At the tournament at Rebel Creek in August ’09 Geof created the saying “it is not about golf, it is about family”. Geof as the eldest brother has always leaned toward family as he has always told all of us “your Brothers are your Best Friends”. How appropriate for this tournament. To this day the families and friends we have made and of course our “Tail Gating” is talked about by our family all year long and we look forward to our next brothers get together disguised as a GOLF Tournament. It has been a wonderful run as we enter our 45th year of Lauer participation in the FATS.
As everyone knows the Lauers have been an integral part of the FATS family. Ralph initially served on the Fathers Advisory Board and then on our FATS Committee when it was established last year. Geof is always an active participant in the Fathers’ Meeting and makes sure we remember the rich history of the event. I have had the pleasure of playing with Ralph a number of times in the tournament and along with being a lot of fun I always learn something about the history of our event.