Est. 2012
The Beginning
It began with the two — Brother Randle Smith and Brother Anthony Freeman. In 2012, they observed that it had been years since seeing several of their close RHO Sigma (Purdue University) brothers. Brother Smith suggested a golf tournament to be held at his Orlando vacation spot.
Their joy was almost immediately deflated when they realized that none of the brothers that they wanted to invite played golf. Of course, never to let a major detail block their path, the two Omega men forged on. They figured that they would have to come up with a very appealing proposition in order to get non-golfers to travel to Orlando for a golf tournament.
Brother Freeman came up with a name: The Randle Smith Golf Extravaganza (RSGE). Catchy, but they needed a lot more.
Knowing their frat brothers well, they devised a plan where brothers could participate and spend almost no money. Brilliant!
The Plan
Lodging: provided by RSGE (Brother Smith had a 4 bedroom townhouse).
Transportation: provided by the RSGE shuttle (Brother Smith had a mini van).
Golf: Cheap! They set the date to coincide with Brother Smith's birthday in August. It's so hot in Orlando at this time that top-rated golf courses could be played for as little as $35.
Meals: They strategically booked golf courses that provided lunch with that $35 rate.
Discounted Golf Lessons: Lessons were provided by top PGA coach Earl Hawkins (a friend of the family willing to give brothers a break).
Another obstacle was that Brother Freeman and Brother Smith didn't engage in typical "men's trip" activities. Neither smoked, drank, nor frequented strip clubs. Also, Brother Smith didn't even own a deck of cards.
Undaunted, the two forged ahead. The invitations were sent to several Omega brothers. To their surprise, every one of them accepted. They immediately formed "The Commission" with Brother Smith as the Commissioner and Brother Freeman as the Deputy Commissioner.
Since 2012, RSGE has grown into a world class major event, attracting brothers from around the country. The tournament winner receives the prestigious Purple Jacket, and the Championship Trophy.