Burial Grounds

"Yeah Jack," Tom had said in the car on the way to the golf course. "On the first hole, off the fairway to the right, is an old Indian burial ground--and since your first drive usually slices in that direction, I just know you're gonna piss off the dead Indians with your first shot!"

Now, as Jack King stood at the first tee, he knew his brother would probably be right. Jack's stomach tightened as he thought about his first shot. Jack was always nervous at the first tee, and today was worse because he was playing on an exclusive and unfamiliar course. In fact, his stomach was doing somersaults even before they walked to the first tee--it started earlier that morning as he got out of bed and thought about the first tee.

"Little warm out here, isn't it Jack?" Tom said, with a big grin on his face, and his hand wiping his tan forehead.

Jack glared at his brother and said, "Yeah, it's warm all right." Jack could feel the beads of sweat rolling down his back already.

It was only eight-o'clock, and as the late spring sun was beating down on Palm Desert, Jack realized it wasn't just a little warm out--it was downright hot! As a rule, Jack wouldn't be caught dead outside on a hot one like this, but today was different. Tom had gotten them a free pass for a round of golf at Desert Hills Country Club. The usual seventy-five dollar green fees at Desert Hills just wasn't in Jack's budget. But free golf? That's Jack's favorite price, so heat or no heat, Jack wasn't going to pass it up.

Tom leaned over toward Jack again and whispered, "It's crowded out here isn't it?"

Jack knew Tom was trying to psych him out, and he just stood there shaking his head. There was a large group of people hanging around the first tee, and Jack knew they were all good golfers---at least they sure were dressed like it! And to make matters worse, Jack and Tom were paired with another twosome they didn't know (Jack always got nervous playing golf with people he didn't know).

As Jack stood there in the heat, almost wishing he hadn't come today, he heard the starters voice on the loudspeaker, "Next up, the King and Jones twosomes."

Jack felt his stomach tighten even more.

The Jones twosome consisted a tall skinny man named Robert Jones, and his brother Mark who was just as tall as Robert, but instead of skinny, Mark was built like a weight lifter.

The four of them walked up to the tee and it was decided Robert and Mark would hit first, then Tom and Jack.

Both Robert and Mark hit decent drives right down the middle of the fairway, and Tom followed them with a big drive right down the middle also.

When Jack walked up to hit his first shot, his knees were almost shaking, and the sweat running down his back was from more than the heat. Everybody around the tee was watching them, and since the others had hit good shots, Jack was feeling pressure to do the same.

"Come on Jack," Tom whispered, "Don't worry, I already know where your drive is gonna go!"

Jack looked back at Tom without saying a word, and got ready to hit his ball.

The hole was, in golfers= terms, a "dogleg right, @ which meant it started out straight, then about halfway to the hole it turned to the right so you couldn't see the green from the tee.