Golf in the Gambia

Went out Golfing with one of the top Embassy staff Saturday morning. This course is touted as one of the most extreme courses in the world. Since its the rainy season there is actual grass on the course, and this particular day it was cut. I guess the week prior sported shin high fairway grass. No matter Rick plays a similar game to myself and does not waste time with fairways the waist high rough is where the fun is. A caddie is required, as is a browns sweeper. Glad you asked..the Greens are called Browns here as they are oil sand putting surface. Beach sand mixed with used engine oil and presto you have a country club putting surface. So the brown sweeper is a tired but pleasant old dude with a small square mat attached to a rope, he gets to the brown before you hit on and grooms around the hole with his mat, then after you hit on he grooms a path to the hole from your ball. So Rick and I ended up with an enterauge during our round, two caddies, a brown-sweeper and after the second hole they brought over a ball spotter to stand  in the middle of each fairway to find our shots after they sailed into the trees. The caddies also carry fake grass mats to place your ball on upon request as the majority of the course is sand and stone. Watching your step is a must as the Vice Presidents well fed cattle free graze the course. We played about 15 of the holes in a pretty good rain storm which added to the whole experience.