Some golfers are of the fair-weather variety, preferring warm, dry conditions with little wind. Others will golf in anything. I pride myself in being an any-weather golfer. I have played in cold, sleet, rain, high winds, and even once snow. However, even the hardiest of golfers draw the line at lightning.
Last Wednesday, a couple of holes into our Mens' Night round, the 22 golfers in attendance took shelter around the course as the sky opened up. The heavy rain that fell for 30 minutes or so was accompanied by some loud booms and bright flashes. This wasn't surprising given the forecast which warned of a severe thunderstorm with the possibility of a tornado for our area. Fortunately, we didn't get the tornado.
After the delay, the golf resumed and the weather was actually quite nice for both man and mosquito. While the round finished a little later than usual, it was a quick wrap up given that there was no time for anyone to play extra holes.
Skins went on three holes. Winners included Scott Maynes / Mike Susinski ($43 on #2), Jason Hunter / Robin Kimpinski ($25.50 on #7), and Kevin Bartram / Keith Martin ($20 on #9).
Closest to the pins were Sonny Blackbird on #5 and Brad Benton on #9. Only Brad converted the birdie to share the $33 deuce pot with Cubby and Mike Susinski.
Scott Maynes birdied the 6th hole to go to -8 on the ringer board. Brad Benton's birdie on 9 puts him at -7. There are three more nights to place scores on the board...August 10, 17, and 24.
When searching for a picture for this week's blog I looked online using the phrase "golfers and lightning". I was struck (forgive the pun) by some of the images. There were cracks and holes in greens, burning trees, and one shot of a pull cart completely destroyed by a lightning strike. A picture of that cart is shown below.
I also read that in North America, around five percent of annual lightning deaths and injuries happen on golf courses. Lightning seeks the path of least resistance on its way to the ground, and the human body is an extremely good conductor due to the body’s large percentage of water.
The official rules of golf allow players to discontinue play if they believe there is a danger from lightning. No other sport has any regulations relating to lightning.
I also learned a couple of things about golf and lightning that contradicted my previously held beliefs. Firstly, you should get away from your cart when lightning strikes. I always thought one was safe with the four rubber tires beneath you. Secondly, I have joked that one can hit a graphite driver during lightning but not a metal iron. Then I read that many lightning rods are made of graphite.
See you Wednesday. If there is a rumble in the sky or a flash on the horizon, I'll probably be waiting it out inside of the club house. Interestingly, as I write this early Monday evening, there are some booms coming from the sky. I think that I will get away from my computer and read a book or something.
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