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Saturday, July 12, 2008

There has to be a joke in here somewhere


Wayne and I got invited to play in a celebrity golf tournament yesterday afternoon at Sand Creek Golf Club in Idaho Falls. I was pretty excited because I don't get to play as much as I would like to, and when you "have" to play golf for a work event, well...let's just say it's better than your average workday.
When we got there, Wayne and I found out we would be separated (apparently there just weren't enough "celebrities" to go around) It's set up so that I would play 3 holes with one group, wait for the next group to come up, play 3 holes with them, wait for the next group and so on and so on.
I headed to #10 to meet my first group. Four guys that work at the site - a bunch of engineers - and really good golfers. I was nervous for several reasons. 1. I'm a pretty low level "celebrity." 2. I'm not a very good golfer by any means. Walking up to strangers and introducing myself, and then teeing it up and driving down the fairway was pretty daunting. But I got off to a great start - 240 yard drive right down the middle. It was pretty!
Then I took out my 7 iron and was onto the green in 2. NICE! Feeling good now - ready to play on.
At hole #13 those guys moved on, and I got a new group. Again 4 guys from the site - all engineers - all members of the Eagles Lodge - all drinking vodka punch out of a cooler on the back of their cart. FUNNY! We had a pretty good time, but I played like poop for the next three holes. Except, on hole #13 I did get onto the green in 1.
So then as I was on hole #15 (my last hole with this group) I came around the corner and saw Wayne! He said he was playing poorly and was coming to check on me and see if I was doing all right. He had already introduced me to a man that I knew would be in my next group - the Stake President of our LDS "stake." (Stakes are larger geographic areas the church uses to break its huge congregation into smaller groups, and "wards" are smaller still--just some Mormon education for you uninformed gentiles). So I know I'm leaving the drinking Eagles, and playing 3 holes with the serious golfing Mormons. I know what I'm in for.
Then things went all hinkey - Wayne is friends with the stake president and his group so he wants to play with them even though it's my turn. Wayne decides he'll just play the next 3 holes with this group and I should stick with them too. Now we have SIX golfers instead of the expected 5. It's weird, it's taking us a long time to play, and it's a little awkward because these are Wayne's real world friends and I feel a little like a third-wheel. But after a while it starts to be kind of fun. The stake president is a very nice man and a CPA. He is playing with the retail manager of Deseret Industries in Rexburg, a dentist, and a man who sells headstones and monuments and burial stuff - he does the chair and tent set up at funerals and even moves the occasional body from here to there. (I'm not really sure either, let's just move on.)
A very nice group of men (and all really good golfers!) But I realized there was a joke brewing when I found out I was playing golf with...
Two Stake Presidents
One Acting Bishop and Two Released Bishops.

Yep, One Episopalian and five Mormon Bishops walk onto the golf course...You can fill in the rest of the joke for yourself.
I had a ball, played pretty well most of the day, made some new friends, and managed to not embarass myself or Wayne. A good day!

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