Marty always organized the golf travel trip for the foursome of golf buddies since college playing at the Bolstad Course. But this year was an exception.

Instead of visiting one of the many exceptional Minnesota golf resorts, boasting nearly perfect playing conditions, this year Marty had reverted back to his rural Minnesota roots choosing a country mom and pop course that no-one had heard of.

The shadow of the black GMC Denali grew longer late on Sunday afternoon as the tired foursome discussed their weekend filled with golf until your hands were sore, cocktails and “real charcoal” grilled ribeyes and pork ribs with Willie’s special rub. The double eagle, that Jack scored on the risk-reward finishing hole Saturday, was the highlight of their collective golf experience.

“Jack, when you took the cover off that 4-rescue, we all thought you were nuts. But you have the souvenir video of you removing the ball from the hole and the signed scorecard to prove your albatross,” Carl remarked.

“I know you have been taking lessons Jack, but we still think it was just a lucky shot,” Willie snickered as he drained the final swallow of his Bud Light.

“I know one thing,” Jack stated mater-of-factly. “My pro will post that video on his social media and sell a few more lessons because of that ‘lucky’ shot.”

“Enough about golf and food,” Carl stated flatly. “What I enjoyed the most was the laid-back atmosphere of our accommodations with a big screened in porch overlooking the lake and the National Geographic wildlife experiences we enjoyed. To hell with those big resorts with the cloth napkins and the $50 pasta dishes. I loved cooking on the grill and the fox pups. I had never seen a porcupine up close, and my kids will love those quills I picked up. The goose shit was a little much, but they have to eat too.”

“Don’t forget that chipmunk who ate all those peanuts out of my hand,” Willie said. “I saved that video for my kids. They will love it.”

“But let’s get back to the real stars of the weekend,” Marty said. “Those fox pups were one of the reasons I chose this place. The lady that I talked with twice before I made the reservation told me that the same momma fox has a litter each spring in the same den.”

She said, “Those fox pups will put on quite a show for you and we don’t charge extra for the fox show! Be sure to use old balls on that par-3, number 6, because many times those pups will steal a ball or two before you can get to the green.”

Carl said with his tongue-in-cheek-humor, “We all saw my shot go right past the hole on #6, before the fox stole my ball. It was only about five feet from the hole. You a-holes made me putt it from 10 or 12 feet. But I still made the birdie and got the skin.”

“Only skin you got in three days, and it was fox aided,” Jack smiled. “How long do you think we watched those three pups play keep away with Carl’s ball scampering around in the bunker. That smaller pup the one we nicknamed Caitlin, must have been the runt of the litter, was the star every day. She, I guess she was a girl, was just quicker and had more zip than the others. She will be good breeding stock.”

“We never did see momma, but I am sure she was watching,” Jack said. “It must really be fun growing up on a golf course. I bet that when fall comes that fat chipmunk, you fed all those peanuts to Willie, will serve as a snack one day. Life in nature can be cruel.”

“When I was a kid, we occasionally had a litter of foxes on our course. Usually by fall we had spotted each of the entire littler along the road where a car had hit and killed it,” Marty said. “Like you said Jack, Mother Nature can be cruel.”

As Carl eased his big black Denali into Willie’s large driveway where the cars were left, Jack said, “Would you guys be up for another weekend like this one next year. A guy I work with told me about an off the beaten track golf course in Wisconsin that sounds a lot like the one we just enjoyed for the weekend? If it is okay with you guys, I will get the info to Willie to check out for us. What a great time we had.”

“If I had to vote right now, I would say we go back to “Fox Hollow” only next time I would bring more peanuts,” chuckled Willie.