Herb Lowe thought he had just wrapped up another round of golf. He exhaled coming off the last hole and thought it was time for fellowship with friends, perhaps a drink, and a time to re-live all the great golf moments at Freeway Golf Course that day. But Lowe thought wrong – more fun at Freeway Golf Course was just 10 feet in front of him.
Leading the way was Lowe's long-time friend and trusted golf partner, Arthur Fennell, who was flashing the biggest 'Kool-Aid man' grin in the history of Kool-Aid. Lowe was led to his golf cart and soon encountered the biggest "Whoa" moment in his golf career. "Whoa!" said Lowe stepping back. "Did you see that? Did you see that?" He said out loud to his group, pointing at a motionless red snake. Fennell tried to hold his giggles. He had waited 18 holes to pull the rubber-snake prank on Lowe. "Wha-hoa! Did you just see that! Did you just ... George, did you just see that!" Lowe nervously asked his other partner, who's first name was really Jay. "Not George, I'm sorry, Jay," Lowe said as more chuckles erupted from the group, and Lowe looked at the snake in disbelief.
Then Fennell saw his opportunity. He bent down, picked up the rubber snake, and flicked it furiously it at Lowe so they made as much contact as possible. "Come on man. Don't do that!" Lowe turned and ran back towards the green. The laughter grew even louder. The jig was officially up. "Is all that on camera?" asked Lowe, pointing to the videographer, another golf partner of his. No one could answer – the laughter could probably be heard two foursomes behind them. "Now that's just wrong!" said Lowe, shaking his head, coming to terms with Fennell's prank.
That's just a day with Fennell at Freeway.
OK, yes, they got me. For the record, I should have suspected something was up when Arthur needlessly moved our golf cart from one spot to another by the 18th green, and also when Allison pulled out the video camera (just before I hit a birdie putt). I'll just end with Jay sharing that after he and Allison conspired – yes, conspired! – to play me, they asked the following key question: "What kind of grown man keeps a rubber snake in his golf bag?"
Updated August 17: Check out this nice report by Allison about a Virgin Islands presence at the NABJ convention.
Updated August 18: Jerry Bembry offers this video of another practical joke against me, this time on a golf course in Baltimore in 2007. It was wrong then and it is wrong now! To think, Jerry was my best man and Arthur was a groomsman in my wedding. How does the saying go, "With friends like these ...?"