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Super Bowl golfing tradition continues in Naperville

With temperatures in the teens and no less than 5 inches of fresh snow on the ground, a group of 11 golfers hit the links Sunday at Springbrook Golf Club in Naperville to keep a tradition of nearly three decades.

This Super Bowl Sunday golf outing began in 1986 when a group of 10 friends gathered at Kevin Wenzel's DuPage County home to watch the Chicago Bears take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. With several hours until kickoff and some warmer than usual temperatures, they decided it would be a great idea to do some golfing before the game.

Twenty-eight years later they are still golfing every Super Bowl Sunday. The number of golfers showing up has varied over the years, but several have teed off every time, even when temperatures have fallen below zero. The group lost one of its original members, Tom Colarusso, last year, but his son has taken his place to keep up the tradition in honor of his dad.

The golfers use small piles of snow to tee up their colored balls and have to keep a keen eye on where it lands in order to find it in the deep snow. At times a golfer will sink up to the knees — and sometimes even waist — while searching.

  Jim Hennegan of Chicago chips the ball out so some deep snow Sunday and onto the 10th green at Springbrook Golf Course in Naperville. Hennegan is one of 11 golfers who’ve been playing together every Super Bowl Sunday since 1986. Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
  Kevin Wenzel chips the ball toward the green on the 10th hole at Springbrook Golf Course in Naperville. Wenzel was part one of the original to start a tradition 28 years ago to play golf every Super Bowl Sunday. Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
  A group of 11 golfers hit the links at Springbrook Golf Course in Naperville as part of a 28-year tradition to play every Super Bowl Sunday, no matter the conditions. Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
  Todd Hector of Naperville chips the ball up from the frozen pond on the 10th hole at Springbrook Golf Course in Naperville. He’s one of 11 golfers who’ve been playing together every Super Bowl Sunday since 1986. Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
  Small piles of snow replaced tees Sunday for a group of 11 golfers who played at Springbrook Golf Course in Naperville, keeping with a 28-year-old Super Bowl Sunday tradition. Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
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