Unforgettable Round

I suffered a broken rib and multiple contusions
John -- Manhattan, KS (6/8/2006)

I was playing one of the best rounds of my life at Long Bay and well on my way to breaking 90, quite a thrill for a 26 handicapper. My wife and I hit our drives on 15 and begin heading down the fairway when in the distance we see dark clouds building fast and the wind beginning to freshen. My wife suggests we leave to find shelter before the storm hits us but I say, "Relax, we have plenty of time to finish this hole before the storm hits." I had no sooner hit my second shot into the air than an incredible wind suddenly roars up the fairway, lifts my ball straight up and blows it back toward us. We would have stayed longer to marvel at such an unusual sight except that along with the howling wind came a torrential downpour. We run to the cart and begin unfastening our bags to put them inside the cart in a feeble attempt to keep them dry. I remove my bag, pitch it through the back of the cart over the seat and turn to help my wife with her bag. Suddenly to our amazement the cart takes off at full speed with NO ONE IN THE CART! We shout over the din of the storm, “How in the world?” and begin to chase the cart as it bounds across the fairway toward a big, ugly swamp. Just as I reach the driver's side of cart and dive in to pull my bag off the accelerator (can you believe it?), the cart hits a drainage ditch with such great force that I get thrown up and down and land hard on the armrest with my chest. A split second later, the cart hits an embankment located just above the edge of the swamp and stops abruptly as it becomes high-centered. That abrupt stop throws me sideways into the cart's "dashboard" and then flips me over the embankment and down into a muddy swamp. By this time, several other golfers have noticed us chasing our driverless cart and come over to investigate. They all say how fortunate that the cart did not go flying into the swamp, and how unfortunate that I did. With everyone's help, we get the cart off the embankment and proceed to the nearest shelter to get out of the raging storm. You should have seen the looks on the people's faces around the shelter when they spot me, covered from head to toe with black mud and sand. In due time, the storm passes, I finish my tale of adventure and most of the people decide to call it a day. Now, remember earlier in this story when I said I was having the round of my life. Well, darn if I was giving up just because I was wet, battered, bruised and covered with mud. My wife and I finish the round and I shoot an 84, even though my ribs hurt so bad I can hardly breathe let alone swing a club (my drives went barely 100 yards). We head back to our hotel, clean up, have dinner, and then go to a hospital emergency room. There we learn that I suffered a broken rib and multiple contusions to my chest. Doctor’s orders are to take it easy – no golf for a while. So, to this day, the fondest memory I have of Myrtle Beach is the first 90, rather than the first rib, I ever broke.

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