Why the word "snake" fasinates us, or at least me

I had to give this a lot of thought before I wrote it, cause it will come back and bite me so to speak.....These are true stories.....just a bit  of trivia....when there were Cowboys and Indians,  The cowboys wore boots that came up almost to the knee...They were made of leather, almost a quarter inch thick....Why?  because there were Rattle Snakes...When they struck, faster than you can blink, it was usually between the ankle and calf of the leg...Their fangs couldn't get through the leather....

OK...Court may remember a Club in Atlanta that he and I talked about a bit ago....Indian Hills....The Ford Motor Co. carved this out of a Georgia Pine forest....For you that aren't familiar with real snakes, the poison kind, in Georgia, they had 2 main varieties....Cotton mouths and  a smaller one called  Copper Heads....When this course was started, the crews carried shot guns and it sounded like a shooting range every day...After the course was completed, on Mondays when the maintenance crews went out, they still shot a bunch of them.....Well, the point of this post is, that the first year the course was open, they hosted a LPGA event....Carol Mann and a lady from Canada stayed at our house....The local rules said "DO NOT GO INTO THE TREES TO GET YOUR BALL"   They had cut the branches up about 8-10 ft....so you could actually take a swing....One thing about Cotton Mouths....they climb trees to get at the birds nests.....Well, the first fairway started at the clubhouse on a hill.... went down probably 30-40 ft and leveled out....The fairway was slopped left to right, and on the right side was about a 2 acre pond...The fairway took a gentle bend around the pond to the right.

The best tee ball, was towards the left side...it caught the slope and could shot gun you another 50 yards into the middle of the fairway...Just a 9 iron or wedge to the green, across the corner of the pond....Well, Ms' Mann went to the left side, but also drew the ball, into the trees....When she got there, she was starting to go into the trees....could see her ball on the pine straw....A Marshall there stopped her....he had a rake on a rope....he threw it over the ball and dragged it out....She could take a drop with no penalty.....When they looked, sure enough, there was a snake in a tree.

Second, they were having a member guest at the same club....the rules sheet told the players not to go into the trees, and also not to retrieve their balls from the water.....I don't recall which hole it was, other than it was a par 5 and you crossed a small stream 3 times to get to the green....It took a really big hitter to go for the green in 2 rather than playing a 3 shot par five.....You guessed it....One of the guests dribbled into the water, got out of his cart and reached into the water....this is a favorite place for the Copper Heads....He got 4 separate strikes on his hand and arm....He started to run,  and the others in his group chased him down.....I was acting as rules official, and just happened to see what was happening.....We put him in my cart, I took him up the hill to the club house where an ambulance took him to the hospital....His partner was his brother-in-law, and when I talked to him a few days later, he told me his hand and arm swelled up about 3 times normal...Lucky, he didn't lose any fingers.

Well, all you guys/gals get ready to gaffaw....This ones on me....The Atlanta Athletic Club had built a new course out a bit,  a great place....Well, one Wednesday, My dad's uncle called me and said one of the regular foursome couldn't make it, and could I fill in....Are you Frikkin kidding me?   I'd be there if I had to sell one of my kids....I jumped in the car, drove ta a RICHES' department store and purchased a pale lemon yellow pair of slacks....My wife said I couldn't go looking like a bum and embarrassing Uncle Walter.....I remember this like it was yesterday....On the 4th hole, a dogleg left, I out drove the others by about40 yards, but went through the dogleg into the rough....They had also cut the branches up about 8-9 feet.   Dropped Uncle Walter at his ball, and sat there while a couple of guys hit, than drove down to my ball....Just sitting there on that pine straw as pretty as you please....I got out of the cart, determined my distance, pulled a club and went into the trees....I took a couple practice swings, no problem....than I happened to look up to see if I was obstructed.....HOLY SH*T.   there above my head was the snake......Well, I froze....and I wet myself.....Uncle Walter had gotten there, saw what the problem was and told me not to move....Hell, I couldn't have if I would have wanted to....He took a club, and knocked the snake out of the tree, grabbed my arm and pulled me out of there....He put me in the cart, and than the adrenaline hit me....I shook like I had Saint Vitus Dance....They took me back to the club house, poured a couple of brandy's in me and sent me home.....I walked into the house, and my wife took a look at me and that big wet pee stain on those new lemon yellow slacks....Never said a word....I marched into the bathroom, took the slacks off, balled them up and threw them into the trash....I told her what happened about 3 hours later....She must have laughed for 20 minutes, than went and called Uncle Walter and I could hear her laughing again....He never did ask me to play with his group after that, even tho he and I went to the Masters together for a few years.....OK everbody  stop yur dam laughing......yea right    SYUB