Fort Snelling G.C.

I finally made it out to play a few holes on Tuesday. Only my second or third round out in the last months - and god knows it was a rough one. It's a tiny little thing - and tucked in the middle of many dilapidated buildings of what used to protect the Upper Mississippi area at Fort Snelling. The constant buzz of airplanes made it interesting too, since a long drive on the first hole might reach one of the runways at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Ha - I found a security loophole!

My roommate and I took our first hacks. With virtually no warm-up, my first swing sent the ball way right and would have definitely hit another group had a group of trees not stopped it. We struggled for to score very well, but it was cool to take a look at these historic and seemingly abandoned buildings that were largely boarded up, with broken doors, windows, etc. It will be a shame if they never fix up this place.

The round cost us a measly $12, and we didn't need a tee time. Granted - as the barechested and hairy golfer a few holes ahead of us proved, golf ettiqutte is not necessary. It was relatively flat - and if you can ignore the roar of an airplane landing or taking off, I'd suggest trying to play there sometime. It's definitely a good place to learn how to play. After four holes, we joined with a executive compensation lawyer in his 30's who's just learning how to play and he's swing reminded me of a certain accountant I know. I'm pretty sure even $500 worth of lessons and countless hours of practice on the driving range might not be enough to get this guy a handicap under 30.

With the way I played, I shouldn't talk -- $500 might not do me any good either.