Brett Thoss experienced his first golf show without his father, Thomas, last weekend in Tinley Park. (Photo by Jeff Vorva)
Palos Golf returns to Tinley Expo despite loss of longtime owner
By Jeff Vorva
The Tinley Park Golf Expo returned to the village’s convention center last weekend.
So did the Palos Golf Shop.
But there was someone very important missing.
Thomas Thoss, the longtime owner of the Palos Hills business along with his wife, Nancy, died in October after a battle with cancer.
His son, Brett, has also been a fixture at golf shows including the Tinley Park show. This was the first time Brett attended a show without his father.
“It’s therapy for me after he passed,” Brett said. “This is my first show without him. It’s a little melancholy but he was failing because of the cancer and he’s in a better place.”
Thomas logged nearly 40 years in the golf business. Tom and Nancy opened the Palos shop in 1976 and Brett joined up in 1993 after running Badger Golf in Madison, Wis.
The Tinley show started at the Tinley Convention Center in 2010. There was no show in 2019 and after a change in leadership running the event, it returned in 2020 weeks before COVID-19 shut most things down. The event was not held in 2021 because of the pandemic but returned this year.
“My father was here every year,” Thoss said. “He loved dealing with the public so he would have loved it here.”
The Palos Golf exhibit featured just about everything that could be found in their shop moved to Tinley Park for three days.
“Golfers are champing at the bit waiting for spring to arrive,” Thoss said. “This show comes at a perfect time for us. Customers want to find out what’s new.
“These manufactures no longer wait until March or April. Everyone wants to see what’s new. Plus, it’s a long winter in Chicago and it’s nice to be able to get out of the house and this is a good place to do it.”
2 Comments
Local News
Auto mechanic Vern Woyner honored for 47 years working in Lyons
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch If you have lived in or near Lyons the past 47 years and needed your car repaired, there’s a good chance you know Vern Woyner. Woyner, 70, has been repairing vehicles in Lyons since 1977. His longevity of expert service has earned him the highest award presented by the village.…
Robbers hitting Chicago Lawn
Spread the love. From staff reports Police are warning the public about a robbery crew working the south end of Chicago Lawn. Crimes scenes include: 2500 block of West 73rd Street at 10:50 p.m. Monday, April 29. 7400 block of South Rockwell at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 7. 7100 block of South Mozart at 6…
Moving scammers out there, BBB warns
Spread the love. By Better Business Bureau staff . Moving is always a stressful project. Throw in the threat of a moving scam, and things get even worse. Before hiring a moving company, careful research is necessary to avoid falling victim to a moving scam. These scams run the gamut from missing items, massive price…
Burglars hitting local businesses
Spread the love. From staff reports Police are alerting the public to what appears to be a crew of burglars hitting businesses across the city. A CPD alert noted 10 separate crimes. Three were committed against Southwest Side businesses on Friday, May 17: 7800 block of South Western at 12:11 a.m. 3300 block of West…
Bureaucrats bungling licensing tasks
Spread the love. By Rich Miller . Back in April, American Nurses Association Illinois Executive Director Susan Swart told my associate, Isabel Miller, that advanced-practice registered nurses are losing their jobs because of ongoing and severe state licensing delays. Swart said some of those nurses are waiting “a year to 18 months” to get their…
Rainbow Cone adds 4 new flavors
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong Chicago’s iconic Original Rainbow Cone has been evolving over the past few years. First, it joined forces with the folks at Buono Beef and expanded its presence from its original location in Beverly to offer cones at Buono Beef locations and a few stand-alone stores as well as food trucks.…
Park Lawn opens day program in Palos Heights
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Promoting inclusion and individuality, Park Lawn provides services that promote choice and access to community living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The mission behind the organization focuses on encouraging people with disabilities to discover their passion, to take pride in their accomplishments, to live more independently and to…
EPCHS adds Emmy-winning actor Gary Sievers to Hall of Fame
Spread the loveEvergreen Park Community High School has added a name to its list of Hall of Famers. Gary Sievers, a 1968 EPCHS graduate who became well-known for his acting, public speaking, work in radio and television, community service, civic leadership and teaching, was posthumously inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame during the Honors…
Worth vehicle sticker applications ‘lost’ in the mail
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Worth Village Clerk Bonnie Price said that even though application forms for village vehicle stickers were sent out to the post office last month residents were still waiting to receive those applications. “We have been doing this for 15 years,” Price said during the Worth Village Board meeting May 7. “This…
Neighbors
This Coastal State’s Approach to Flooding May Be a Model for Illinois Communities
by Laura Stewart, Illinois Answers Project This story was originally published by the Illinois Answers Project. Editor’s note: This is the second story examining government home buyouts. Read part one, which focuses on Illinois’ program, here. WOODBRIDGE TOWNSHIP, N.J. – In an area once dotted with single family homes, a one-mile gravel path weaves…
Ban on ‘captive audience’ meetings, AI regulations among 466 bills to pass this session
By ALEX ABBEDUTO, COLE LONGCOR, & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com A bill banning what unions refer to as employer-sponsored “captive audience” meetings about religion and politics has cleared both chambers of the General Assembly. It was one of 466 measures to do so during the Illinois legislature’s recently concluded spring session, including measures…
Potawatomi land transfer advances in Illinois House
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A bill that would help the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation expand their newly established reservation in DeKalb County advanced out of a state House committee Tuesday, despite concerns about the tribe’s long-term plans for the property. House Bill 4718 would authorize the state to hand over…
Illinois could be 19th state to phase out subminimum wage for disabled workers
By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com After years of negotiations and continued opposition from service providers, Illinois appears poised to prohibit employers from using a federal exemption that allows them to pay individuals with disabilities less than the minimum wage. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established minimum wage law, but created…
Once again working through the night, lawmakers finalize $53.1 billion budget
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com After a near-derailment and an all-nighter to wrap up the General Assembly’s spring session, supermajority Democrats in the Illinois House gave final legislative approval to the state budget as the sun rose Wednesday morning. Despite holding 78 seats in the chamber, it took Democrats three tries to reach…
Members of House speaker’s staff sue over ongoing unionization conflict
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Members of a would-be union representing staffers in House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s office filed suit against their boss on Friday, asking a Cook County judge to force recognition of the union. The Illinois Legislative Staff Association, which formed in the fall of 2022, claims Welch’s…
Regulators slash Chicago gas utility’s rate request, setting up likely legal battle
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Regulators at the Illinois Commerce Commission on Thursday once again reduced a request to increase customer rates from Chicago natural gas utility Peoples Gas. In November, the ICC paused all spending related to Peoples Gas’ controversial “safety modernization program” for replacing aging infrastructure and reduced its $404 million…
Ban on ‘captive audience’ meetings, AI regulations among 466 bills to pass this session
By ALEX ABBEDUTO, COLE LONGCOR, & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com A bill banning what unions refer to as employer-sponsored “captive audience” meetings about religion and politics has cleared both chambers of the General Assembly. It was one of 466 measures to do so during the Illinois legislature’s recently concluded spring session, including measures…
Would-be union of legislative staffers accuse Welch of undermining organizing effort
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Seven months after Democratic Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch advanced a measure that would allow legislative staff to unionize, members of his own staff on Tuesday blasted the speaker for allowing the bill to languish. The legislation has not seen any action since its passage…
Lawmakers OK bill to require ‘faithful’ electors in 2024, loosen campaign finance rules
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — As the 2024 presidential election approaches, Illinois appears likely to join most of the rest of the country in requiring that the state’s Electoral College votes go to the winner of the state’s popular election. The measure is part of a broad package of election-related legislation…
Thank you very much. I’ve had a tremendous response to the article from some older customers who hadn’t known my father passed due to Covid, etc.
Yes it is sad news of Tom’s passing but it is great to see Brett carry on this remarkable family business. Palos golf thrives in the age of the big box store. Their prices are extremely competitive but the service and expertise received by their customers is truly invaluable. They have earned the communities support.