Welcome back, Dear Reader, to another installment of Fore!, the column that can be written when sweltering or in a snowstorm. The trick is to keep the sweat from dripping on the paper. Looks too much like tears. And I’m pretty sure I had a little heat stroke last week. I mean that’s the only way I can justify my bad play. I do have to admit that I have used heat stroke as an excuse to get out of work many times, particularly when I lived in Vegas. In cooler weather I could always use a deceased relative. One time at a family reunion my Grandma Charles rolled up on me and said, “Hey you, I just heard I’ve died three times already!” Gulp. “Well you’re an extremely good looking corpse, Grandma. Apparently your powers of recovery are nigh on miraculous.” For half a beat I thought I had made it worse. Then she burst out laughing. She said “Well I hope I passed peacefully.” Her sense of humor was one of the things I loved most about her. And when she did pass it was at the movie theater with my Mom watching a comedy. In mid-laugh. That’s exactly how I want to go.

In Mount Hood Golf Club news, my two year drought finally ended when Cindy Sewicki invited me to be her partner for the Sadie Hawkins event. Of course, the drought may have been the result of the rule change that allowed women to ask their spouses. Yet another downside to bachelorhood. The golf was won by John and Caryn Tilton, new members this year. After the round we all went to the home of Dave and Regina Lythgoe where we held another successful charity pie auction, which took in $900 to donate to the senior center here in Welches.

In closing, I want to thank all of the employees who have helped make this year a big success. First and foremost is Tom Franklin, who took over the operation when our last pro thankfully left us. Helping him in the pro shop are Bob, Jeremiah, the lovely Elliot, and Michael. As a Marshall I hear a lot of compliments about these folks. In the cart barn the staff includes Eli, Caden, Griffin, Josiah, Grayson and Levi. We really appreciate all you guys have done for us this season. And lest we forget, Mallards reopened this season and the new staff has done a bang up job. Johnathan, Breanna, Kiera, Jed and Lily have shown people the level of service and attention that they expect from a resort like ours. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our three lovely beverage cart girls: Payton, Jasmine and Shyanne. We have never had this kind of reliable cart service on the course. Certainly not in the dozen years I’ve been playing here. Well done.
That’s all I have, so remember to “Hit Em Straight!”