Bill H-D., Steve B., and I had scheduled yesterday’s golf outting at the Eagle Crest Golf Course a couple of weeks ago, long before we knew about the current heat wave, “heat advisories,” and “cooling centers” opened in metro Detroit. I was a little concerned, Annette was very concerned, and Bill H-D. and Steve B. were not concerned at all. Bill said in an email something like “the day we can’t golf because it’s too hot is the day we’re too old.”
I’m officially too old.
Well, that’s not completely true. I felt okay after the first nine holes, though I was playing like shit and I do blame the heat for much of that. I also blame the course. The last time I played Eagle Crest (which was last year), they had these cool video things in the carts that were a GPS system (how far the cart was to the center of the green), a score keeping system, and a little narrative about each hole. Well, they got rid of those, and, besides the fact that you don’t have the gizmo to play with, you lose a lot of information about the course. For example, Steve B. hit it into water on his drive on #2, not realizing there was even a pond in play. (Of course, this does not explain the other two balls he subsequently put into the same pond). The yardage marking for #4 was off by at least 30 (maybe 40) yards, which I blame for my own problems of shooting it over the green by about 30 (maybe 40) yards, and which also lead to my call for a free mulligan and Bill H-D. accusing me of being a socialist.
But I digress.
Anyway, I don’t think I drank as much water as I should have on the front nine because by the time we got to the back, I was feeling it. I always thought that this “heat index” measure was kind of bullshit, but I got to say that by about #14 or so, it was 97 degrees and the heat index to me felt it was pegging at about 175. It was not pretty. I got to the water station and filled up my liter jug for the third time, and Bill H-D. said I looked a lot like Bugs Bunny in one of those desert cartoons: “waaa-ter… waaa-ter….”. Felt like it too.
But I got some more water into me and I bounced back, sorta. I even managed to bogey the very difficult “signature hole” of Eagle Crest, #16, and that was with a lost ball. Still, I had a 117 overall, sunburn, and a nasty heat-inspired head-ache.
So, note to self: no more golf during heat advisories. I’m still kind of feeling whipped from the whole thing this morning.
On a happier note, we did have a nice Indian food meal with the golfers and the golfer’s families at our place. The chicken was certainly a hit.
Also on a happier note: it’s supposed to be rainy with a high of 79 tomorrow, and mid-80s Friday and Saturday.