GolfPricks Win Awards For Houston Trip
"Husbands and Bosses of the Year" from wives and co-workers;
The American Meteorological Society Weather Predictors Award

The annual GolfPrick golf excursion venue change from sunny Orlando to sunny Houston was an all-around huge success in terms of weather, accommodations, and golf courses.  But the circumstances here at home cut the trip one day short and turned what is normally a relaxing "fun-with-the-boys" departure from the hustle-bustle of daily work and domestic routines, into a very stressful final two days as the news spread of wives, families, and businesses all but floating down the Cumberland River.

For the second straight year, the Pricks' departure into the friendly skies coincided with a weeklong deluge of rainfall on the home-front with the circumstances this year turning much more severe than last.  The concentration and focus on eating, drinking, and playing golf quickly changed into hitting golf shots, drinking beer, and lining up putts in between phone calls from distraught wives and business associates facing rising floodwaters, floating furniture and livestock, and submerged office equipment and inventories.

On what turned out to be the last day of golf, one foursome reported  a record five calls to one Prick on one hole, including a report of a floating cow on a mattress.  Needless to say it resulted in one of the many triple-bogeys recorded during the trip.

KA, Big Boy, Budreaux, and The Colonel were the most effected by the catastrophe, with water-filled basements and warehouses, and stranded families in isolated neighborhoods with no running water or electricity.  Eazy, Digger, Little Boy, and Ralph Squirrels were much luckier with little or no damage to homes or businesses.

On the positive side, it was unanimous that the Temple Hills-affiliated Canongate golf courses in Houston are superior to the previous affiliated courses in Orlando.  And, the prices due to the Temple Hills affiliation were less expensive and comparable to most of the public courses in this area.

All of the courses were part of the Woodlands Country Club family and included The Player Course on the first day and The Tournament Course, a previous home to the Shell Houston Open, the second, Lake Windcrest, which was the third round on the schedule, The Oaks (pictured here) on the fourth day, and one not played due to the abbreviated trip, Panther Trail.

All of the courses were within a short distance of the accommodations, although dueling GPS directions in the lead car had The Colonel leading Eazy on a number of what seemed to be wild goose chases throughout the trip.  KA's GPS became the go-to-source in the lead car, as Little Boy's bargain-basement, delayed-response device repeatedly prompted turns as they were passed.

One journey in particular was worth noting as what seemed like days were spent  searching for a Denny's restaurant.  Since the regular breakfast location during the Orlando trips had always been the Denny's within walking distance of the hotel, it was imperative to keep some semblance of GolfPrick tradition intact.  Therefore, the GolfPricks drove all over Houston with GPS's blaring on a couple of mornings trying to find a Denny's, which was finally located on the fourth day within a few blocks of the hotel.  The result of that voyage was the worst service and the worst meal of the entire trip.  However, the cackle-factor remained high throughout.

All in all, except for the ordeal families and friends were going through at home and the less than stellar golf performances by most of the Pricks, the trip was a big success and everyone is hopeful of a return trip to Houston next year.

The Round of the Week - The round of the week was played by Digger Williams as he carded a 2-over 74 on the Lake Windcrest Course (pictured above) on Sunday, which included a 3-under-par back-nine featuring three consecutive birdies as he made the turn.  Needless to say, he took all his partners to the pay window that day.

The Shot Of The Week - Another Digger Williams special on the same day as his 74, during the scramble segment of the dreaded third-nine goofy golf.  Partner Ralph Squirrels found the fairway on one of the par 5s for one of the few times for the entire 72 hole outing, leaving the team with a 211-yard to the front/245-yard to the pin second shot.  Digs, upon hitting his 3-wood second shot, exclaimed, "That's all I've got, Ralphie."  Upon arriving at the green, playing partners Eazy, Little Boy, and Squirrels located their shots short of the green with no fourth ball to be seen, prompting Eazy to say as he walked up on the green, "I've seen this act before," while pulling the flagstick out of the hole along with Digger's double-eagle.

The runner-up shot of the week worthy of mentioning was KA's "It's Showtime" shot out of the water for an up-and-down par on the Woodlands water-infested Tournament Course on the second day - the same day Eazy "Tin-Cupped" three balls into the drink on the tough par-3 third hole, in full view of the chirping foursome waiting on the next tee.

The Eazy Factor - Indeed, Eazy had seen the act before, having been a witness to Digger's hole-in-ones on the Temple Hills Deercrest #7 and the under-construction-at-the-time abbreviated #9.  He was also witness to eagles from the fairway on the Quail Run #10 and again two holes later in a round later the same year.  This particular shot, however, added insult to injury due to the fact that the 3-wood Digger used to score the double-eagle was one he bought from Eazy for $1.