Basking in the Sun

Road Trip  

I left my home and drove directly to my golf destination.  Usually I have to drive to the airport, hopefully on a Thursday night, but most times it’s on a Friday morning.  Very early Friday morning, like pulling out of the driveway at 4.00am early, driving an hour to the airport, and walking about three quarters of a mile through long term parking - pulling the clubs in one hand and rolling a small suitcase in the other - all the way to check-in.  Then inch through the security line wash machine, getting tossed this way and that, watch on-watch off, shoes on- shoes off, the rules seem to change daily, and finally reach the gate by 6:00am only to wait 45 minutes to board the plane.  All that before the sun rises. Saturday is pretty much golf, food, site seeing, and food. Sunday is just a repeat of Friday but in reverse.  I don’t mind any of it, in fact, I kind of find it relaxing, yes, even on Saturday when I’m golfing.

However, one of the things that inspired me to start this golf adventure was the idea of throwing my clubs in the trunk of my car and heading out to play golf, for some folks-and most golfers-it’s the ultimate road trip.  Back in 2019 the first course I played I drove from home to Monterey and played Del Monte Golf Course.  It is a beautiful 2.5 hour road trip South West to the central coast.  It took 6 years and just about a week ago, but I did it again.  I threw my clubs in the back of my car, I’m speaking metaphorically of course, my clubs are always in my car.  Anyway…I hit the road. 

Up and Over

I went completely in the opposite direction of my first golf road trip, this time I was headed North East.  I was headed to Reno and the drive was as beautiful as the drive to Monterey was, and as you can imagine it was just a bit more elevated.  It’s a flat drive-30 feet above sea level- from where I live to just about 30 miles past Sacramento. 

At that point the ascent begins and for the next 90 minutes you climb the Sierra Nevada mountains to 7029 feet up and over Donner Summit, yup Donner Summit, like the Donner Party. 

In a far shorter time you descend to the “flat” land of Reno Nevada, and don’t be fooled by the landscape, you have entered the High Desert. Unlike driving to the ocean and playing golf literally at sea level I was going to play my round of golf at Washoe Golf Course at 4,500 feet above sea level.

Washoe Golf Course-The Shoe

The first hole was dramatic with an elevated tee box looking down at a somewhat narrow fairway, but the energy around the first tee was calm and relaxing.

Perhaps it felt this way because it was tucked away on the side of the club house and cafe, there were no direct views of the folks teeing off. There was also a line of trees near the tee that created a kind of privacy curtain blocking any unwanted gallery that could be perched on the cafe deck.   I don’t know if I have ever felt so at ease at a first tee then I did here at Washoe.

I was paired up with a twosome and we all got off the first tee just fine.  In fact, I think we all landed pretty close to each other just right of the fairway and about 150 yards from the green.  With no one on the green we took our approach shots and sprinkled them on and around the green. 

After a few bump and runs we putted out and were on our way to the second hole.   As we were getting ready to hit our drives I started to check out the landscape.  First thing, It was an odd feeling looking out and seeing a flat golf course, but feeling a bit winded because I was trying to be active at 4500 feet of elevation, my whole golf life has been played at sea level.  I just expect more of a mountainous experience with cliffs, steep elevation changes, and views for miles. I was met with a rather normal parkland golf course vista. 

Don’t get me wrong it was nice and all, it just took a little time to adjust to the elevation change.  Second thing,  The course was kind of empty, and that was a bit strange as well.  When I arrived to play I had to park in an area that I can only assume was the overflow parking area. 

I’m not sure where everybody was, perhaps in the Pro Shop, maybe at the cafe trying to get peak at folks teeing off on the first hole, or we haven't found the back up yet, you know, that par three with four groups waiting to tee off.  All I knew is there was no one in front or in back of us for as far as I could see.

The round started slow, not because of pace of play, there continued to be no one in front of us and we were doing just fine slashing our way through holes 2 through 9. 

As I was getting to know who my playing partners were, our game and the round was, how should I say this, normal.  Polite conversation and solid golf was being played, and when we had a blow up hole we played quickly, no drama, keeping the round pleasant.  When I say the round started slow, I mean it took awhile for Washoe to reveal itself. By the time we made it to the eleventh hole The Shoe began to show its teeth.

A Shiver was Simmering

At the turn the landscape became slightly more challenging, the 10th hole looked tighter, and-no kidding-Red Tail Hawks started screeching from above.  The intensity in our games increased, you had to look very closely, but it did go up.  It began with a joke.  The “rusty” player in the group joked about laying down some money on the back nine.  He was kidding…of course, but there were a few seconds of awkward laughing, before we turned our attention to teeing off on 10.

All three tee shots were safe-ish, kind of near the fairway and about 130 yards from the green.  I hit my second shot just right of the green.  The second player hit his shot and reached the green, and our money player hit his approach shot 6 inches from the hole.  Where did that come from, was it a blind squirrel thing, or did his game just click in. After his birdie we had a good laugh about sandbagging, and thinking back to the turn, I was happy we didn’t put any money down.  

Looking down at the green from the 11th tee the hole seemed tame enough, until the dangers slowly presented themselves; tree branches in the line of the tee shot, bunkers protecting the front and side of the green, nowhere to bail out left or right, cross winds, and the green looked to be 200 yards a way (it was only 151 yards long), but still, yikes.  Our birdie player was first to hit, and that was when I heard something about Sharks.  It was something like “getting shark tough”, “being shark strong”, or being on shark tank…anyway, both of the twosome started physicing each other up.  Now I’m thinking they were saying something about getting everyone “shark tough” for this hole, in a “we don’t back down” type of tough.  Ok, I support this, and they were pulling me into this hype, “what type of shark will you be," they were saying, “who’s your spirit shark”, and so on. 

All I could think of was a Whale Shark, but they are not tough or mean enough for this moment, they were just big.  So for the time being I kept my shark spirit animal to myself. The birdie golfer picked the Great White Shark without hesitation, the meanest in the sea he said, and his playing partner chose a Reef Shark, and for some reason, I don’t why, that choice surprised me.  

Bringing the meanest in the sea intensity to the tee shot our Great White Shark took one practice swing and reared back and took a Jaws like swing at the ball only to pull the shot hard left hitting tree branches, skimming off a tree trunk and skidding off the cart path landing softly in the deep left rough.

A silence hung like low tide on a foggy coast side. The Reef Shark and Whale Shark had our eyes cast downward and awkwardly shuffling our feet, or fins I guess, we looked up to see the Great White Shark slowly walking off the tee box, he broke the hush by saying, “that was no Great White intensity, that was more like…a Basking Shark’s intensity.”

**Side note: and I quote; "basking sharks are generally considered harmless to humans.They are filter feeders, meaning they eat tiny plankton and small fish, and their mouths are not designed for biting humans. While they can be intimidating due to their large size, they are not aggressive and pose no threat to passive observers like divers and snorkelers".

They are not mean or tough.

Sharks Can Play

Off we went, Basking Shark, Reef Shark, and yes, Whale Shark were headed to the 12 hole.  I have to say during the 11th hole shark frenzy I never did announce my Shark spirit, I didn't want take away from the Great White Shark's, ah, I mean, the Basking Shark's energy, so I keep it that way for the rest of the round.  Besides I liked knowing my Whale Shark energy was matching the current playing energy, we were at mid level steady as she goes energy. 

Somewhere around the par 5 14th hole I was on the left side of the fairway up on a hill. I was the only one able to see the green on our second shot, everyone else was hitting a blind shot to the green.  I looked down the hill as I heard, “Basking Shark gotta eat” and with a mighty cut I saw the ball flying high and long, clearing the steep hill on the fairway.  The ball came to rest about 60 yards short of the green.  The Basking Shark was chipping for eagle.  There might be something to this Shark spirit thing.

Our inside shark joke stayed with us for the rest of the round, we kept building our shark energy bond, and at the 17th hole we actually made lunch plans.  That was a first for me during these historic rounds, and of course, I had nothing going on after we finished so we shored things up and finished our round. 

I don’t think I have ever had an 'inside joke' experience during my golf adventure.  I was thinking about that on my way home from Reno, the connection from an inside joke can bond you to a moment in time forever.  Lifelong friendships are often built on an inside joke you were lucky enough to be part of when you were a kid.  Like most people I’m bad at remembering names but imagine ten years from now and I’m coming back from my 78th historic golf trip. 

I’m picking up my luggage at the airport and I back into someone behind me.  I turn to say excuse me only to feel like I have seen this person before, and I can tell he feels the same way. 

The very next moment he or I blurt out Basking Shark, and immediately we flash back to the 11th hole at The Shoe.  We burst into laughter, we re-introduce ourselves, and then catch up.  We will always have Basking Shark.

Here’s hoping for more inside jokes!