Nine Days of Rain?! Part 2

I'm happy to say that we did not have nine days of unrelenting rain!

However, we did have a lot of it and some rather wacky weather as well. Friday was a wonder. It was clear enough when I drove into work at approximately 1130, but it was quite dark around 1300 and suddenly I heard something similar to a car alarm... but knew with amazing clarity what it really was.

The lightening detection system!

As with any sport, you have your total devotees to it, otherwise known as fanatics. And in the strange world of golf, nothing stops them from prowling the sprawling 1.5 miles and 36-holes that we provide, short of snow on the ground (which when chasing a little white pocked ball all over the land is likely to be a hell of a deterrent). They were out there in January, sans coats and gloves, happily whacking those dopey white balls all over the dull landscape. Of course, in season, there are just that many more of them zipping around now in carts as well as on foot, still chasing those teeny balls!

While this insanity pays for all of our jobs and keeps that lovely building open, it is amazing to me that this is something people cannot stay away from. As with anything that people love to do, there is a certain safety factor which mercilessly falls under the category of "you-are-too-stupid-to-be-safe-on-your-own,-so we-will-do-it-for-you" and this is absolutely the epitome of it: the lightening detection system.

We have a really nice sophisticated one that is all over the two courses and you cannot miss this sucker when it goes off. It went off almost all day Friday with the four separate storm systems that ranged over northern New Jersey like mach storms. There was even a funnel cloud spotted over Newark and the surrounding areas (quite close to the courses) that while it never reached fruition, could have easily done so and really made those slightly overly dedicated souls search for those benighted balls!

It was not just that not-quite-right car alarm sound. It hooted and hollered and whooped and had a sound a lot like the air horn that Bob and I love so much on 66-2 and 66-3. I don't recall hearing the all-clear sound, but the weather was unbelievably unstable and I strongly suspect that it never reached that point until the last storm passed over around 1900 or so.

Pretty neat, huh!