A Word About our Founder

John Schleicher 1928-2022

John Schleicher was born and raised in New Haven, CT and was a proud US Marine, having served during WWII. He was an NCAA National Hockey Champion at Colorado College where he graduated in 1950. He then returned to New Haven, CT where he lived with his wife Mary and three children Lisa, Scott and Kurt.

He was a life-long entrepreneur and an avid golfer. John was a passionate sailor and spent 5 years building his own sailboat, The Really Sumthin’. As a member of the Yale Golf Course for over forty years, he began caddying there as a teen and later joined as a member for annual dues of $50. In 1955, he became the first president of the Yale Golf Club Association and won his first club championship in 1956. His best score was a 66!

Later in life, he would complain about not being able to see the golf cup–either on television or when he was actually putting-because it was dirt and it blended into the grass.

In 1989, Hole in White® was born. John came up with idea of painting the top 1 inch of dirt above the cup, white. He worked tirelessly on the formula with a paint company as well as designed a metal application tool. A patent was issued for the product and process and so began his small business.

In 2005, his son Kurt took over the Hole In White business where he proudly continues to run the still family-owned and operated business.