By Charlie Anderson

October 1, 1998

Sunglass manufacturer Dragon Optical held its second-annual golf invitational in late July at the newly opened Encinitas Ranch Golf Course in Encinitas, California. Although the weather was gloomy and sunglasses weren't needed, the spirits were high for the event the company hosts to say thank you for the hard work retailers, athletes, and employees put in to make the brand successful.

The list of attendees was a who's who of pro riders and So Cal's top shops. Retailers from ZJ's Boarding House, Becker, Jack's, Sun Diego, Katin, Chick's, Fastlane, Active, K-5, Ocean Gear, and Laguna Surf and Sport got a chance to play with top athletes like Jamie Lynn, Rob Machado, Shane Dorian, Jun Jo, Danny Wills, Benji Weatherly, and Dragon employees and reps like Kelly Gibson, Lance Varon, Marvin Springer, Chad Cadan, Chuy Reyna, Scott Sorenson, Jeff Osthus, and Owner Will Howard.

The tournament format consisted of a blind draw for teams, which had everyone pushing to play their best. Rob Machado and Dave Nash took the overall title, while Nash won the longest drive, and Glenn Hughs and Todd Roberts each took a closest-to-the-hole award.

Although he didn't take any of the top honors, John Wallace of Active Ride Shop still felt like a winner. "It was a great event, a perfect opportunity to meet others in the industry, and to finally put names with faces," he says. "It was great on Dragon's part to give back to the retailer."