Last time I wrote about playing in the rain, the wise Chinese philosopher, Rick Sha, commented, "I say you and that Gus awful crazy playing in that weather. No fun only waste of money." Well, now it's just me.

This week my golf day got switched to Monday and my golf "friends" started dropping out faster than Jeff Spiccoli once they saw the weather report. Based on how many guys used the "I have too much work to do" line, I'm guessing the Portland area saw near record productivity that day. Neffa's e-mail was succinct and more a description than an apology. "Sorry."

And so it was a solo trip to Fox Ridge in Auburn. A steady drizzle made it hard to see the sign at the entrance that says "It's A Beautiful Day At Fox Ridge" and the parking lot was empty. If you've never had a course to yourself, it's worth putting up with a bit of rain for the experience. In a cart and staying on the cartpaths, it took just a little over 2 hours and if I hadn't sprayed so many shots away from the paths it would have been much less. My brother gave me a pair of FootJoy all-weather gloves that I christened and now love. Although my hands felt wet inside the gloves and the grips on my clubs were clearly damp, not a single shot was affected by the rain. These gloves will allow you to play on days you couldn't without them. That is, unless you have too much work.

Fox Ridge is a stunning course and one of my 5 favorite courses in the state. Ed Michaud, the super and part-owner, keeps the course in tournament shape with some of the fastest greens around. At 6297 yards from the blue tees it isn't overly long but it feels much longer as the property is massive and most holes are isolated and separated by rock walls and mature trees. It has enough elevation change that it's a challenging course to walk - especially the back. Though it has its share of scoring opportunities (6 par 4's under 360 yards) I wouldn't call it a "feel good" course as it has some brutal holes, especially #5 and #18. 5 is a par 3 that might as well be an island and is a long downhill shot. The green is the size of Rhode Island but I still don't see a lot of balls landing safely on it even on those rare days that the wind isn't a factor. 18 is just plain tough from start to finish. It requires a tee shot of some 250 yards (but don't go long) to get out far enough to see the green around to the right. Then it's a mid to long iron to find the putting surface which is fronted by the same pond you dunked your approach shot in on #9. Any mistake here and you're staring at a triple unless you drain the 6 footer down the hill. One advantage of the rain was that there was no one enjoying a drink on the deck to watch and moan. Fox Ridge only costs $50 mid week with a cart and this is a steal of epic proportions.

From Fox Ridge I drove south for a burger at Spring Meadows and Brandon said he'd go grab his rain gear and join me so I was off again. The gloves worked for the second time that day and I carded a 77 - easily my best round of the year.

Only two 3 putts all day. Go figure.

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