The plane took off in a driving rain storm. At 39 degrees I looked completely out of place in my shorts on that plane. We landed 2 1/2 hours later and I was among the majority in my shorts. We got our baggage and we were on our way. We got the hotel, thanks Brandon for the pick up, and I was rocking. I had about 5 hours to rest before I had to wake up and hitch another friend’s ride to Primm.

I was in Vegas……and golf was the biggest gamble there was, apparently.

We arrived at Primm a little after 6:30 in the morning and the 8 of us were ready for a great day of golf. We all checked in and headed to the range. It was there that we discovered our first strange moment. We pulled balls off the neatly built pyramids and there was a strange substance on each ball. ICE!!!!!!!! That is right, it was cool enough in the desert to freeze moisture to a golf ball.

We pounded some ice covered pellets and moved to the first tee. I teed it first of the 8 of us and launched a decent one to about 185 yards away from the first green. We were off. While it poured and spit snow in the Seattle area, I was standing in the first fairway of one of my favorite courses in the Vegas area deciding between a blasted 6 iron or a smooth 5 iron. I might have been in heaven.

If it weren’t for the 8 I took on #12 (yeah even we “good” golfers take monster numbers) I would have been in a good way come the 18th hole. As it was, I was tied for 2nd out of our group and ready to start the second 18. I know, we are crazy. 36 holes is a bit too much for some of us, but we forged on after some lunch.

The group was 2 shorter in the afternoon and as I hit my first shot in the fairway on the Lakes course, we had played the Desert in the morning, and we were looking at one of the best days in golf history…then we hit the 3rd hole.

At 1 over through 3, I was playing very poorly and hitting the ball badly when I felt it. It gave me no warning. It just slapped me upside the head. It was a beast. On the 390 yard par 4, straight away, I hit a great tee shot. We drove down and found my ball, about 185 yards from the hole. WHAT???!!!! Here came the wind…just like God’s hair dryer.

It was all I could so to finish the round. I hit a driver on a par 3, and was nowhere near pin high. I hit an AW from 165 yards, over a green. It was everything in my power to keep my round together for a 79. In fact, the very LW that I have cursed for about 3 months was my saving grace on #18 as I wedged it to 6 feet to save par (Driver, 3 wood, LW from 420 yards).

It was miserable…and it was the first day. But I had a blast. It is not every day that I get to see the other 7 guys that I consider some of the better human beings in the world. We had fun! And we had a few rounds still to go…

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