This Is Why You Call Ahead

Yesterday I was determined to play some golf. I wanted to get at least 9 holes of real golf in, because I was tired of just going to the driving range. Also, we're apparently going to get a foot of snow this afternoon so I figured this was my last/only chance for a couple weeks. In preparation I called around and found a couple golf courses that offer winter golf as long as it is not actively snowing. Even the weather cooperated, because it was 37 degrees on Tuesday, which is downright balmy for Massachusetts this time of year. So, I Under-Armoured myself up (seriously, I was covered from my toes to the top of my head... I'm such a label whore) and headed out to the first club in Canton.

I rolled up and there were a few cars in the parking lot, which I took to be a good sign. I wasn't quite sure where I was supposed to go and wandered into the clubhouse, which looked really nice to be a member of (another sign I'm getting older is that I actively look at the price to join country clubs). It took me a while to find someone to talk to, and when I finally ran into someone inside it was an older woman who looked at me as if I had three head when I asked if they were open for golf. "We have a funeral today," she said. Umm, does that effect the golf? Is the funeral taking place on the first tee? Nevermind, this must be a thing that they do for members and the guy I talked to must not have known it was happening, so I'll just move on.

So, I then headed to the second club over in Plainville. The person I talked to last week assured me they were open. The website said the hours were 6 AM - 5 PM. But, I pulled into the parking lot at 11 AM and there was no one around. Not another car in the parking lot, not another person on the ground - nothing. The gate was open and I was momentarily tempted to just say screw it and start golfing anyway, but then I figured getting arrested for trespassing would not look good in the long run. In the end I ended up going to the indoor driving range, which was on the way home anyway, where I proceeded to sweat buckets because wearing cold-weather Under Armour inside is more effective than sitting in a sauna.

Alright, so the golf didn't work out. But, I was still going to have a good lunch. I had plans to go to Outback Steakhouse with my dad, because all I wanted was a steak, some fries and a beer. We pulled into the parking lot and got the first spot right next to the door at Outback. It seemed a little too convenient and that fact was confirmed when I noticed the sign on the door that displayed the restaurant's hours - they don't open until 4 pm. What kind of restaurant is only open for dinner? This day was not exactly falling into place the way I had envisioned. But, it was redeemed when we went up the road to TGIFridays and I still got my steak, fries and a couple beers that were the size of my forearms.

So, morals of the story: call and confirm that a place is open on the actual day you plan to go - not a couple days beforehand. Also, a couple beers the size of your forearms can do wonders to improve how a day is going.