After becoming addicted to the game this summer, and suffering through winter golf here in DC, my friend proposed heading down to Pinehurst this weekend to get the last weekend of the winter rates. Full of piss an' vinegar, we left the DC area at 1AM Saturday morning for an 8:10 tee time on #4.
Upon arriving, the historic juices really started flowing, and despite it being 35 degrees, I was really, really excited. The starter told us to stay warm, and to expect a winter mix during our afternoon round. No big deal - we were dressed for the weather.
By the time we had hit our approach shots on the first hole, it had started snowing, and quickly melting. No biggie - just paralyzingly cold. Time to open up the flasks to keep warm.
By the time we had hit the third hole, it was really coming down, and starting to stick. The greens got very, very slow :)
On the fourth hole, we began losing balls in the fairway.
By the fifth hole, it was all over, but we had drank two flasks of whiskey and were still feeling pretty good.
So, we missed out on tee times for #4 and #5 (Saturday) and #2 and #1 (Sunday). Not to let it ruin our weekend, we made up elaborate rules for an indoor putting tournament, using the decorative rug markings as hazards. There was much bickering over the actual scoring, but we agreed in the end that we tied.
We drove back north on Sunday, with the intent to play Kingsmill River Course instead, but they were also snowed out. It wasn't till we got to Richmond when we realized there was no more snow on the ground, and there had to be golf courses nearby. We ended up going to Ft. Lee and playing the Cardinal Course, where the back nine (blue) was actually pretty good. With the exception of the 19 degrees with windchill temperatures, we had a pretty good time.
All in all, it was a pretty fun weekend. The biggest takeaway was with a good attitude, and enough hard liquor, you can turn a pretty crappy situation into a pretty good one instantly. Of course, I never got to play #2, and the rates will be at least double what we were going to pay starting next weekend, so I might just have to wait again until next winter. But it was a great weekend away with an old friend, and it's one I'll never forget.