CERTAINLY ISN'T
CONDUCIVE
TO OUTDOOR
ACTIVITIES.
BUT, THERE'S
ALWAYS AN
EXCEPTION...
AS TIM REMINDS US
IN THIS WEEK'S
EDITION OF
"SIOUXLAND
STOTRIES".
DESK
SOPHIE, EVEN
DURING
TRADITIONAL
GOLFING MONTHS...
A COLD DAY ON THE
LINKS IS NEVER A
GOOD THING.
SO TO THINK
SOMEONE WOULD,
SWING AWAY IN THE
DEAD OF WINTER
IS.... WELL, GIVING
THE GOLF TERM..
"WINTER RULES."
" A GOLF COURSE
CAN BE A DESOLATE
PLACE IN THE
WINTER MONTHS.
"FOR ME TO PLAY
GOLF IN THE
WINTER, NO. NO
THAT'S NOT MY
THING," SAID JOEL
MCQUEEN,
SEC/TREASURER AT
PIERSON GOLF
ASSOC.
IN FACT, IT'S NOW
MOST PEOPLE'S
THING.
"I'M A FAIR-
WEATHER GOLFER,
I'M JUST LIKE
EVERYONE ELSE,"
MCQUEEN SAID.
WELL, NOT
EVERYONE
"SOME PEOPLE
THINK IT'S A CRAZY
THING TO DO.
DOESN'T HE GET
COLD? YEA, I GET
COLD," SAYS KARL
BAHRKE.
"THAT DOESN'T
MEAN I CAN'T GET A
ROUND IN AT MY
FAVORITE COURSE,
PIERSON, IOWA.
"I'M SURE IF THEY
DIDN'T KNOW CARL
OR KNOW THE
SITUATION, THEY
THINKING
WE'D BETTER BE
CALLING THE GUYS..
WITH THE PADDED
JACKETS AND THAT
SORT OF THING,"
SAYS JOEL
MCQUEEN.
TURNS OUT THE
SITUATION IS KARL
BAHRKE HAS
PLAYED AT LEAST 9
HOLES OF GOLF
ONCE A MONTH ON
THE SAND GREENS
OF THE PGA, OR
PIERSON GOLF
ASSOCIATION FOR
117 CONSECUTIVE
MONTHS.
"YA KNOW, I'M
REALLY NOT THAT
GOOD OF GOLFER,"
KARL SAYS. KARL
SHOT OR TWO, BUT
SINCE JUNE 2011
WHEN HE TOPPED A
SIMILAR EFFORT BY
A FRIEND, HE'S
NEVER MISSED HIS
ROUND OF GOLF.
"ONE NOV. IT WAS
REALLY NICE OUT
SO I CAME OUT
SHOT A ROUND OF
GOLF AND THEN IN
DECEMBER WAS
MILD AGAIN AND I
SAID YA KNOW
WHAT, JUST TO
TELL MR. JENSEN
GUESS WHAT I'M
ABLE TO DO IT TOO.
I JUST THOUGHT AS
LONG AS YOU'VE
DONE IT A YEAR,
JUST KEEP GOING
AND KEEP GOING
AND IT JUST KIND
OF EVOLVED," SAID
KARL.
JUST LIKE THE
WEATHER.
"THE WORST DAYS
OF THE MONTH I
TRY AND AVOID. I
WATCH THE
WEATHER
FORECAST,"
BAHRKE SAYS.
"NEXT MONTH IF
THAT GROUND IS
FROZEN, I CAN SEE
ANOTHER 250-YARD
DRIVE AND THAT'S A
LONG WAY FOR
SOMEBODY MY
AGE," SAID KARL.
BUT THIS 65 YEAR
OLD RETIRED
TEACHER SAYS HE
REALLY DOESN'T
FOCUS ON THE
NUMBERS.
"I DON'T KEEP A
SCORECARD AS
SUCH. I TRY AND
KEEP IT IN MY
HEAD," KARL SAYS.
BIRDIE AND EAGLES
AFTER ALL AREN'T
WHAT KEEPS KARL
COMING BACK.
"SMALL TOWN IOWA.
ENJOY THE OUT OF
DOORS, THE FRESH
AIR THE GENTLE
BREEZE AND THE
TRANQUILITY THAT
GOD HAS GIVEN US
RIGHT HERE IN
IOWA," HE SAYS.
"YOU DON'T HEAR A
LOT. SOME DAYS
YOU MIGHT HEAR
THE NOON WHISTLE
IF YOUR HERE AT
THE RIGHT TIME,"
SAYS KARL.
"IT'S JUST LIKE ANY
OTHER GOLF
COURSE WITH THE
EXCEPTION OF THE
GREENS. YOU HAVE
YOUR SAND
GREENS HERE THAT
DON'T ALWAYS
PLAY LIKE THE
GRASS GREENS,"
SAID KARL.
HE ADDS, "THERE'S
A CUP DOWN IN
HERE BUT FILLED IN
IT'S PROBABLY
FROZEN AT THIS
TIME OF YEAR."
TURNS OUT,
GETTING A TEE TIME
ISN'T MUCH OF A
PROBLEM.
"THERE'S RARELY A
TIME THERE'S
ANOTHER GOLFER
OUT HERE WHEN I'M
GOLFING."
COMES TO SPEED
OF PLAY, BUT
DISAPPOINTING
WHEN THE GAME'S
BIGGEST MOMENTS
ARRIVE.
"I DON'T KNOW HOW
MANY YEARS AGO IT
WAS. I WAS PLAYING
#7, PAR 3, 85-YARD
HOLE AND I HIT IT
AND I THOUGHT
GOSH I HIT THAT
WELL AND IT
SEEMED LIKE IT
JUST ROLLED AND
ROLLED FOREVER
AND IT
DISAPPEARED.
AND I'M GOING YES
AND I LOOK
AROUND AND
THERE'S NOBODY
ON THE GOLF
COURSE," SAYS
KARL.
"WHEN A PERSON
HITS A HOLE IN ONE
THERE'S USUALLY A
WITNESS," HE SAYS.
"MY THOUGHT AT
THE TIME WAS MY
DAD KNOWS IT
WENT IT AND GOD
KNOWS IT WENT IN
AND I KNOW IT
WENT IN," HE ADDS.
FOR EVEN THE
MOST DEDICATED
OF DUFFERS THE
CLUBS EVENTUALLY
GET PACKED AWAY.
SO HOW LONG
MIGHT THE STREAK
CONTINUE?
FOR EVEN THE
MOST DEDICATED
OF DUFFERS THE
CLUBS EVENTUALLY
GET PACKED
AWAY...
"I WANT IT TO GO
THROUGH AT LEAST
MAY OF THIS YEAR
TO GET TO 120. TEN
YEARS GOLFING AT
LEAST ONCE A
MONTH HERE AT
PIERSON, IOWA.
"MY GOAL MIGHT BE
10 MORE YEARS...
AND WE'LL TAKE IT
FROM THERE. WE'LL
SEE WHAT
HAPPENS," HE
ADDS.
BUT UNTIL THEN,
DON'T EXPECT THE
SUN TO GO DOWN
ON THIS MAN'S
GAME. NO MATTER
THE MONTH ON THE
CALENDAR.
TIM-BAM
KARL ALREADY HAS
HIS FEBRUARY
ROUND IN THE
BOOKS...
HE SENT ME THIS
PICTURE FROM HIS
MOST RECENT
ROUND...
HERE'S HOPING THE
WORST OF THIS
WINTER IS NOW
BEHIND KARL.
MAKE SURE TO
WATCH FOR MORE
"SIOUXLAND
STORIES."
THEY AIR EVERY
THURSDAY ON
KCAU-9 NEWS AT
FIVE AND 10.
ALSO, ON FRIDAYS
AT MIDDAY.
AND IF YOU KNOW
SOMEONE WITH A