The
YUKON JACK
ESTABLISHED 1980
September 24, 2026
To breathe the same air as the angels, you must go to Tahoe - Mark Twain
Gentlemen -
A week from today, the first cars will begin making their way up 50 or 80, down into Glenbrook, and the 2026 Yukon Jack will officially be underway.
At this point, there really isn't much left to plan, which has never stopped us from planning it anyway.
THURSDAY — ARRIVAL
The house will open at 3:00p Thursday. This year's single most important piece of information - the gate code...
1738...
No pound sign...just 1738.
Once everyone gets settled, the traditional Thursday afternoon trip to GarWoods is still very much alive.
We had a brief transportation crisis when we found out that Mike's boat at Lake Tahoe, is actually is IN Lake Tahoe, threatening one of the foundational institutions of Yukon Jack weekend. But into the breach steps Joe Pehanick, who is coming to the rescue with his boat.
So, weather permitting, the Thursday Gar Woods run is ON! Thank you, Joe. Not all heroes wear capes.
The rest of Thursday should proceed according to the usual carefully developed routine:
Arrive.
Unpack.
Gar Woods.
Return to Glenbrook.
Cocktails.
Dinner.
Music.
Cards.
Football.Not necessarily in that order
As always, there will be Gentlemen who have made this trip for years who won't be sitting around the table with us this time. Unfortunately, Halbach, HAMILTON, Yarris and Schlaak are now officially out. We'll miss them. We'll talk about them. We'll tell stories about them. And we will raise a glass to our absent friends.
FRIDAY
Friday remains intentionally unburdened by anything resembling an itinerary.
Coffee. A walk. Bike ride. Hike in the morning
An illicit few holes at Glenbrook CC. College football. Cocktails. Music. The deck in the afternoon.
A swim for those still willing to subject themselves to Tahoe water temperatures in "God's Country".
The song that causes several Gentlemen to simultaneously announce, "This is a great song," despite everyone having heard it approximately 400 times.
The annual attempt to solve various personal, national and international problems despite having no particular qualifications for doing so.
That's Friday.
SATURDAY — THE YUKON JACK
Saturday morning we make our way to Coyote Moon in Truckee for the 2026 Yukon Jack Championship.
We'll be playing the White Tees at 6,211 yards, with a rating/slope of 68.9/129.
Tee times:
10:30a
10:40a
10:50aGreen fees are $225.
And let the record finally and correctly reflect that Chef Tom Hochmuth arrives as the defending Yukon Jack Champion.
Chef has enjoyed the Trophy for nearly a full year. That year is almost over.
As always, defending champion status provides absolutely no special privileges, favorable rulings, mulligans, gimmes, handicap considerations or protection from the committee. In fact, historically, it may accomplish exactly the opposite.
This year's field:
Balousek
Banducci
Farwell
Hartwell
Hochmuth
Horner
Penny
Roeth
Trutner, E
Trutner, Ki
Trutner, KuWe've already discussed Coyote Moon in considerably more detail than our collective golf games probably warrant, so I will spare everyone another hole-by-hole analysis. Refer to the last email or the website.
The abbreviated version:
Keep it in play.
Take advantage of the altitude.
Aim for the middle of the greens.
Don't short-side yourself.
And when presented with the choice between the sensible shot and the heroic shot, remember how old we are.
After golf, Wiley has graciously volunteered to handle Saturday dinner, thereby allowing Chef to concentrate fully on defending his championship rather than worrying about immediately returning home to chop, dice, saute and try and make 15 very different people happy.
FOOTBALL
There will, of course, be football.
Lots of it.
College football Friday and Saturday, the Bears in action, plenty of Top 25 games, and a full NFL slate Sunday for those who require a gradual transition back into normal society.
Suffice it to say, there should be no shortage of opportunities to sit on the deck, watch football and confidently explain what various coaches are doing wrong.
PACK ACCORDINGLY
The usual reminders:
Towels.
Sleeping bags.
Pillows.
Warm clothes.
Golf clubs.
Whatever medications, braces, reading glasses, chargers, sleep aids, gummies and assorted personal maintenance equipment are now required to keep this particular group operational for four days.
And remember:
GATE CODE — 1738. NO POUND SIGN.
ONE WEEK
I've been thinking a little more about this weekend as it gets closer, and if you'll indulge me, I would like to paraphrase something I read a little while back...
Because somewhere along the way, this not only became a tradition, but also became a kind of marker. A barometer.
A way of looking around the deck over Margaritas and an Allman Brothers/Van Morrison playlist, and somehow seeing all the years at once.
Seeing the kids we had been.
Seeing the lives we thought we'd have. Seeing the lives we actually got.
Seeing the people who came into them. Seeing the people we lost.
And seeing all the gloriously heartbreaking and hilarious stuff that happened in between.
And somehow, here we all are.
Older. Experienced. A little more beat-up. Maybe a tiny bit wiser.
And still making each other laugh at the exact same stupid things we laughed at when we were seventeen.
The golf matters.
The cards matter.
The music, the deck, the cocktails, Gar Woods, the conversations and all the familiar rituals matter.
But mostly, it's the fact that we're still here to do them together. That's the Yuke!