43 Degrees, NW Wind at 14, More Rain Coming... Let's Golf!

"I don't think the heavy stuff will come down for a while..." (Carl Spackler, advising the Bishop. Caddyshack, 1980)

Hey, South Dakotans! Take a look out your window. Want to go for a walk?

Neither do I. It's rainy, cool, windy... worse than a good snowstorm! At least snow I can shovel for money and lob at Jon Hunter for fun.

But 107 golfers and a few hundred dedicated moms, dads, coaches, and friends are going for a walk in this weather right now, for the second day in a row. Day 2 of the Boys' State A golf championship is kicking off just a mile north of my house on the shores of Lake Herman. They may actually be thankful for the rain: it may have finally washed away the stink of stagnant algae that filled the creek that splits the Madison Country Club in half.

There may be some sports fans who think the golfers are just the skinny kids who aren't tough enough for football. If that thinking is out there, I would suggest going out to the Madison Country Club to watch these golfers brave the elements for state tournament glory. Oh yeah, those football boys go play their championship inside, don't they? And these golfers don't have the adrenaline of semi-organized violence to distract them from the cold, just intense concentration and long walks with heavy bags.

Swing hard, fellas. And readers, check out SDPB's coverage and photostream from the shores of Lake Herman!

SDPB updates on its Facebook page: 10 a.m. shotgun start on Lake Herman, 41°F, NW wind 20 mph. (For my Canadian readers, that's 5°C, 32 kph... 12:30 p.m. in Newfoundland.)