Playing Pebble Beach
Continued
Now John, you have to understand, is one smart fella.  He is also Deaf of Deaf of Deaf.  He has the system figured out, and I should have known that would get me in trouble!  He goes over to the Pro and does his "I'm Deaf" routine and inquires if the might possibly squeeze two poor deaf lads into their busy roster.

If you have met John, you know he has these huge doe eyes that could melt butter in the Antarctic.  Before I knew what happened he comes back with a grin big enough to shame the Cheshire Cat.  "1:00, Sunday.  They had two cancellations.  Do you want to play?"  Barry looks at me like he has seen a ghost.  I'm just numb.  How the heck am I going to pay for this???? John says, Don't worry...  They are letting use play for only $275."  "ONLY?!?," I sputter.  "What do you mean ONLY?"


A view of Monterey Bay from the  seventh tee.  How can you play golf in a setting like this?
At the time,  both John and I WERE married to ladies that seemed to understand that golf is not a matter a life and death... Using our trust 2-way pagers (Thank God for Metrocall!) we were able to secure the blessings of "they who must be obeyed." (and I'm not married now... wonder if there is cause and effect here...)
"It's a once in a life time opportunity.  Do it!, " "she who must be obeyed" said.  The little birdie in the back of my mind is spinning in it's grave (OK, so I'm mixing metaphors!) as I remember what my then father-law, Bob, told me once.  "There is not way in #$@* I will pay that much to play a golf course.  There is no course that good!"  What in the world will he say when he finds out that I dropped that much money on a round of golf.  For that matter, what trinket would I need to leave under the Christmas tree that year as quid pro quo for SWMBO?

With fear and trepidation I go ahead and hand over my credit card to make the reservation.  Did you know that if you do not keep your tee time at Pebble they do not refund your money?  It is do or die!

So now we were were committed.  All the way back to hotel I'm thinking to myself, "What have I done?" 

Steve getting ready to tee off on 7

Steve gets ready to tee up on number seven.  At least he didn't put it in the water!
 Sunday rolls around and I'm a nervous wreck.  I mean, "Good Lord, it's just a golf course, right?"  Why am I shaking now?  Several people come up to me and tell me that they heard John and I were going to play Pebble.  Most of them give me same soulful look of pity that they give the mentally ill homeless on the streets of San Francisco.  (This, of course, raised questions in my mind as to whether I would have a home to go to after I played that round!)

All of a sudden Don Ashmore appears and says, "Hey, I want to join you guys."  John and I look at him with this, "Yeah, right" expression.  "Don,"  John patiently explained, "Steve and I got the last two tee times available.  there is nothing else."  Don insist on going anyway.   "Hey want do I have to lose?  It's a nice drive.  If I can't get on, I will see you off.  You never know. Maybe someone else will cancel out."  "Don, get real," I say.  "Do you realize that people who cancel lose their greens fees?  I mean what kind of people have the money to blow off $300?"  "Never know," he tells me, grinning slyly.

John and I pile into his car and Don follows along behind.  All the while I'm thinking that there is no way on Earth Don is going to get on the course with us.  

(Continued on the next page.  Next page  Click the Golfer to advance.)