Many of you know that my Mr. Man once played professional golf. At a turning point in his life, he gave up his clubs and dug into the books to finish his college education. Having played professionally has been a blessing to us because it was one of the many reasons that his Academy was interested in hiring him. The students at the Academy aspire to become world class athletes and due to C's former experience, he can inspire them to do so.
But alas, we live in a land where this statement rings true: "The grass is greener on the other side-but the water bill is higher." Our country has one professional golf course where tournaments are held and the grass is green year around. Can you imagine the sprinkler system for an 18 hole professional golf course in the midst of a desert? That bill must be astronomical! The green fees and club membership dues help subsidize the monthly bills. Player can even play into the night thanks to an intricate lighting system throughout the course. Obviously, it cost a pretty penny to play a round out there. Those who do not wish to sign over a kidney for a green fee have selected the desert golf course to fill their need for this ancient sport.
How is is played if you are in the desert? What about the manicured fairways, greens, and tee box areas? Easy. What 2 resources does this country have in abundance? Sand and oil! To begin the game, C steps up to the tee box and places a fake grass matt over the dried sand. The mats are similar to the 'Welcome' mats used in front of many homes in the US. After using his favorite wood or iron (I have no idea which!) to drive the ball down the fairway, he jumps into the cart with his buddies and heads towards the hole. As you can see in the picture, there is actually a red flag waving in the sunlight. What differentiates the 'green' from the 'fairway'? Dried OIL. Yes. That's right. Oil is poured on the ground to create the greens. If you look closely you can discern a darker coloring around the flag area. Only in this part of the world could you pour out oil for recreational sport! After perfectly executing his putt, C heads to the next tee box while a gentleman follows behind the players to rake the oil/sand to prepare for the next foursome to play through.
It's about a 30-40 minute drive to the Desert Golf course, so C has not played nearly as much if the course was closer. Now would be a perfect time to play 18 holes during mid-day, but the season is shifting to where only early morning rounds are bearable. So if you are traveling in the this part of the world, and golf is your game, you might choose to play the game on Wii rather than have the fees burn a hole in your pocket and sun blister your skin.
