Sunday was my birthday. Turning 25 was something that sort of caught me by surprise on this trip. Another surprise of this trip was being able to golf with my friend Dillon Delaney.
Dillon is going to school to be a dentist in Minnesota and after 10 months of school in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, he is finally home to enjoy his summer. Naturally, he was on the hook to play some golf with me.
At Silver Fox Golf Course in Pablo, Montana, Dillon and I made our way around the nine hole executive course on a beautiful summer day.
“25 today huh?” Dillon asked dryly. “Your best years are probably behind ya.”
Dillon was my roommate in college at Montana Tech. We lived in the dorms together as freshmen and then had a house we rented our junior and senior years. At first, Dillon’s dry sense of humor took me some time to get used to. In the beginning weeks of school, we both drove each other nuts. When he would be going to bed, I would watch a funny movie late into the night. When I was trying to sleep in, Dillon would make the most noise on the planet while getting dressed.
After about a month, he and I finally figured it out and became great friends. Sure, we might’ve tormented each other incessantly, but it was wonderful.
It was wonderful to torment each other on the golf course as well when we played Silver Fox. There was plenty of opportunity to do this on the par 3 course.
Starting on the 104-yard par 3 that plays up a small hill with the driving range to the right and a bunker to the left to the green.
The longest hole at Silver Fox Golf Course is the 235-yard par 4 6th. Interestingly, this was the only hole on the course where I lost a ball. Well actually, my ball was stolen. Dillon and I had decided to let a single play through after hitting our tee shots on the hole with water along the right and a bunker in the middle of the fairway leading up to small green with a bunker in the front left.
As the single in a cart drove up to hit his second shot as Dillon and I watched from the tee box I remarked, “I don’t think that’s where he hit his ball.”
Dillon laughed, “Nope. He’s definitely playing yours.”
Sure thing, walking up the fairway, Dillon and I never found my ball, but we did find an old and beaten up Titleist that I’m sure the single was sadly missing.
After our round concluded at Silver Fox, Dillon and I enjoyed the rest of my birthday by playing at the KwaTaqNuk Casino in Polson and then finished our night fishing up at a mountain lake by his house.
Year 25 was off to a pretty good start.
Montana's Longest Drive 