World Of XXVI - Day 1

This year was "World Of XXVI" and we went to Biloxi, Mississippi. Surprisingly, there are some excellent golf courses in Biloxi, as well as gambling, and it is reasonably close to Baton Rouge, the home of the LSU Tigers, the Vanderbilt Commodores' opponent that weekend.

I began watching the weather report for Biloxi on Monday. The weather report called for rain, thunderstorms and possible lightning for the foreseeable future and did not waver all week. I kept thinking whose great idea was it to go to Mississippi during hurricane season! On Tuesday, I went to the PGA Tour Superstore (again!) to buy a rain suit and golf gloves for the rain (one for each hand, in black). On Friday, I left Phoenix at 5:15 a.m. and arrived at the Preserve Golf Club at 1 p.m. for a 2 p.m. tee time. It was overcast but had not started raining. Our first foursome had arrived earlier and was already out on the course. Turtle, The Mouth and the Big Dog arrived shortly after me and we hit some balls and rushed out onto the course before the torrential rains and lightning started. We were the only two foursomes on the course. The Ranger hung with us on the practice range and seemed to show up every two or three holes. The beverage cart lady followed us the entire round. Later we congratulated Smooth for a "World Of" first, our own private golf course! The two-man teams were the Big Dog and me versus the Alabama boys, Turtle and the Mouth. I played pretty well for the first 6 holes and was about 4 over (net 2 under) and carried the Big Dog on my back. From time to time we would see our other foursome and whoof at each other. Then the steady drizzle started and I started the pull/push off of the tees and the slices from the fairways. Over the next 6 holes I lost at least 5 balls and the Big Dog played the Alabama Boys single-handedly. I came back from that dark place in my mind and showed some tenaciousness and we ham and egged it pretty well over the last 6 holes. We won the two-man game starting me on my winning ways for the weekend.

That evening we ate at Mary Mahoney's Old French House Restaurant, which was previously voted the best restaurant on any "World Of" golf trip. The seafood was incredible! If you go to Mary Mahoney's you have to eat the crab claws (fried or broiled) and shrimp and crab au gratin as appetizers and the Sisters of the Sea au Gratin, one of the famous signature dishes, for your entree. You will thank me, although your arteries may not. There are pictures of all of the dignitaries that have eaten at Mary Mahoney's on the wall, but the picture that I liked most was of a 30 something Archie Manning with young Peyton and Eli (and the unknown third son). On a more sobering note, there is a water mark line in the restaurant that is neck high showing the high water mark from Hurricane Katrina.