Last week I invited my new friend Rick Sha, a self professed "normal guy," to go down to MA and play in a small tournament at a couple swank private courses with some old college friends. Before I invited him I double checked the weather forecast to make sure it was going to be warm and sunny as I know he doesn't own any rain gear.

I picked Rick up shortly after 5:00 AM and was surprised to see he had not one, but two coolers full of domestic beer and another cooler stocked with jello shots. He also seemed to be sipping a coffee spiked with Allen's Coffee Brandy. For a guy in his 70's, Sha sure knew how to roll. He explained that he viewed the day not so much as a golf tournament but as a party that happened to take place on the links and that the jello was his way around the signs that said "No Alcoholic Beverages Allowed On The Course." I sensed we were going to get along just fine.

We arrived at the first course shortly after 7:00 and he immediately joined in the verbal abuse that passes for friendship with the boys from MA. Even his broken, and by now slightly slurred, English proved not to be a barrier. He fit right in.

Once all the side bets were in place we were off and running. Sha struggled a little early but finally got the driver going and contributed with some big pars. On #9, after launching a bomb that ended up in the first fairway and unable to see the green because of some trees, Sha ignored our yells that there was still a group putting out and drilled a 9 iron that nearly decapitated a guy putting for birdie. We were still giving him a hard time when he calmly knocked in the putt for a net eagle. Partner!

On the next tee he sought out the guy he almost killed and apologized profusely. The guy was clearly pissed but Sha's sincere apologetic manner and a jello shot eventually won the guy over. It was a very touching diplomatic moment. Maybe Bush needs to look into the power of jello.

At #11, a sprawling par 5, Sha asked the member we were playing with how far it was to the stream that cut across the fairway some 300 yards out. The member scoffed and said not to worry about it. Sha then proceeded to blow his drive right into it. While I'm sure he was upset about dropping a stroke, he seemed quite proud of the prodigious blast and who could blame him. That bomb seemed to awaken his game and he went on a tear that culminated with him jarring a monster putt for birdie on #18. Another eagle for team Maine.

After lunch we headed for the second course and Sha continued to stripe it even though his balance seemed a little shaky. When the host brought out margaritas I assumed Rick was done for and we all kept an eye on him but, amazingly, he actually seemed to play better. We finished the round in great spirits and feeling that we had a chance to finish in the money.

In the clubhouse, as we waited for the final tally, Sha scoffed down gin and tonics once he found out they were on the house and I could see him deteriorating rapidly. I don't think he had much to eat and a long day in the hot sun had to be wearing on him. Finally, the scores were posted and we claimed our second place winnings. Handshakes, one last round of verbal jousting and we were off. I couldn't have been prouder of Rick. Well, at least until he threw up in the car. Partner!

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.

As predicted, The Ledges was beautiful, in fantastic shape and produced my worst putting numbers of the year. And yes, it included a 4 putt. It actually could have been worse.

The greens are so pure and roll so smooth that they are very puttable...if you're below the hole. When the pins are tucked up front is when all hell breaks loose.

My brother drove up from Marblehead and we met in York on a day that was, quite honestly, too nice for golf. Bright blue skies, 70+ degrees, light winds and no bugs. I mean, there go half the excuses, right?

From the blue tees the The Ledges (www.ledgesgolf.com) measures 6357 yards (6981 from the tips) and has only 2 par 4's that exceed 400 yards (#1 and #17 - both of which play downhill) so prodigious length off the tee is not a prerequisite for scoring. That said, #15 is the only hole that takes driver out of your hands so you're not forced to hit mid-irons off the tees either. The par 3's are varied (148, 196, 179 and 131 yards) so you get to try your luck with different sticks and the par 5's go from benign to brutish. The 18th hole is downright nasty (618 yards from the back) with a couple bodies of water and a horrific back to front sloping green. I'm sure that hole sells a lot of beer in the bar.

We managed to scrape around in about three and a half hours and headed west to the Sanford CC. This seemed to make sense at the time. Play the tougher course (134 slope at The Ledges vs. 125 at Sanford) first so we could relax a bit during the second.

Sanford (www.sanfordcountryclub.com) used to be a pedestrian 9 hole course but 10 years ago it added 9 new holes and is now a very solid course and well worth the 45 minute drive from Portland. The new and old holes are well-mixed and the course is also in excellent shape. The old greens are smaller but devilish. The fairways looks spacious from the tees but are actually quite thin with playable rough encompassing much of what you see from the tee. Here again length is not the issue on most holes but keeping it out the woods is. It's not as easy as it sounds and some of the doglegs are short enough to blow through. Like Ledges, this is a course that takes some knowing but every time I play it I like it more. Last year, it was the only course I broke 80 on but last week I didn't even break 90. I'm guessing 5 three putts didn't help my cause. Again, we zoomed around in well under 4 hours (this time as a threesome) and the uncrowded mid-week conditions helped. On a gorgeous day over two well-respected courses we hardly ever had to wait and rarely even saw other golfers.

If one of the reasons you're not playing as much as you used too is because it takes too long, well, that doesn't fly mid-week in Maine.