Welcome back, Dear Reader, to another installment of Fore!, the monthly column that is occasionally about golf here in our lovely little corner of the earth. A corner that we share with one of my favorite creatures…the crow. I know we often refer to them as crows, but that’s a mistake I don’t want to perpetuate. As golfers, we have a love/hate relationship with these characters. I’ll admit I fall into the love category. Maybe love is a bit strong, how about admire or respect. I decided on this topic recently when I was working my Marshall shift and feeding some of the worst cookies ever made to a crow. I tossed him the first one, and he flew a few feet away and took a couple minutes to bust it up and eat it. He came back, and when I gave him the second one he flew away and was back in 10 seconds. I knew that wasn’t enough time to eat it, so when I gave him the third one I watched, and to my amazement he dropped it in the grass, picked up a clump of clippings and covered it with them. Then came right back to get another. He was getting while the getting was good. Brilliant.

But I have to admit that they are bald-faced thieves. I was putting one time and heard one rummaging around in my cart. As I headed over he jumped down with my open bag of chips in his beak. When he saw me coming he gripped the side of the bag and dumped all the chips out on the ground, then flew away. As I drove off he and a few friends came back and loudly feasted. I couldn’t help but smile.

When I lived in Seattle I played in a restaurant league that teed off every Monday at 10 a.m. Most of us were hung over and rarely remembered to bring any food and drink even though the snack shack was never open. One time I was in a group with a very annoying and obnoxious waiter from another restaurant. On the third tee this guy made a big show of pulling out a giant Baby Ruth and a coke from his bag while commenting on our lack of forethought. He set the unwrapped candy bar on top of his coke and went to tee off. While he was hitting the other two players, I watched a big crow hop over and spear that Baby Ruth, spilling the coke while trying to get away. But the candy bar was so heavy he could only fly about ten yards at a time. Which is why the jerk waiter chased him for sixty yards screaming and waving his arms, while we laughed uproariously as one of the other guys dumped out the rest of his coke. And for the next six holes that bird showed back up near every tee with an increasingly smaller bar, which he dropped and waited for the guy to chase him before flying off. Priceless! I must admit I am impressed with the little criminals. They are the only animal other than primates that can make and use tools as well as having the skill of facial recognition. Not to mention a documented two hundred sound vocabulary. Pretty cool in my book.

Oh yeah, before I leave you I have some local golf news for you. The resort is offering a twilight pass that is good for unlimited golf seven days a week after 3 p.m. for a measly four hundred dollars. Now that’s a sweet deal. In men’s club news, the shootout, a two week event, finished with the team of Don Erickson and Ian Cossar taking the first place prize. The big fourth of July tournament is coming up on Saturday and Sunday July 1st and 2nd. By the time this is published the women will have played their spring tournament on June 21st. And speaking of women, the three gals in the picture last issue were Barbara Mulligan, Carmen Wiesner and Jill Grover.

Well gang, that’s all I’ve got for this month. So hit the links while this great weather is here, and when you do, remember to “Hit ‘Em Straight.”