Spokane, WA

I went to elementary school with my friends Geoff and Ryan at St. Thomas More Catholic School in North Spokane. With the busyness of life, we don’t get a chance to catch up much anymore, even though we all live in the same neighborhood in West Spokane, near Downriver Golf Course. So I called Geoff to see if he and Ryan would like to play some twilight golf at Downriver. Spokane has great, affordable golf at all times, but at the end of the day, you can get a great deal on playing nine holes at area courses.

Twilight golf starts at around 7, so we met up at 6:30 to hit a bucket of balls to warm up while we got reacquainted with one another. We decided to play a little game of “call your shot” to see who could hit a ball closest to a particular marker on the driving range. We picked out the closest barrel to the tees, about 75 yards out. Geoff pulled out his pitching wedge, and the first ball he hit plunked right on top of the 55 gallon drum’s lid, making a resounding “thunk.” Ryan and I decided Geoff was a jerk for ruining the game by showing us up with the first ball.

When our round started, we played at a brisk pace because the cheap twilight fee includes as many holes as you can play before dark. There was no one ahead of us, so we took the opportunity to play quick and get the most for our money. Though Geoff had hit the barrel, I miraculously began playing well on the course, starting with a birdie on the par 5 first hole.

While the course was in incredible shape and the price can’t be beat, the best part about our round was just picking up our friendships where they had left off, talking about old friends and old times—recalling events all the way back to the mid-90’s.

When we left the course after playing about 13 holes, we were all in a great mood, until Ryan saw the flashing lights behind his car. He hadn’t noticed that Northwest Boulevard has a speed limit of 20 mph during the summer next to Audubon Park, and he was going about 35. Geoff and I paid for the bucket of balls and the beer afterward, but Ryan ended up paying 200 dollars for a speeding ticket, giving the end of the evening a sour taste. Even so, we decided we’d be back soon for more twilight golf at Downriver.