During my long day of shuttling the players down to the driving range, I had a number of interesting experiences. On one trip back from the range, I was driving a full load of players, pros, and one staff member (who had joined us for the week to help with the tournament). I was chatting with the player next to me when all of a sudden a snake slithered its way across the road right in front of my cart. I didn’t exactly slam the breaks, but I did squeal “Snake!” rather loudly. It was a small garden snake, nothing to be frightened of, and the guests hardly bothered to look. The first reaction I heard, however, was the staff guy saying in heavily accented English, “It was not a snake”.
“It was! It just slithered into the bushes!” I pointed.
“It was not a snake,” he said, completely serious.
“What?” I could not believe what I was hearing, but I decided maybe he just didn’t understand. I let it drop.
When we arrived back at the Clubhouse, the players unloaded their bags and headed off to the first tee. Before I could set off for the range again, though, the staff member grabbed me and pulled me back by the club storage room.
“It was not a snake,” he repeated again, as adamantly as ever.
“It was! I saw it! They saw it! I don’t understand.”
He looked me straight in the eye and said, “This is a 5-star resort. We do not have snakes here.”
End of conversation.
I felt awful for about 30 min, as if I had let the entire resort down with my outburst. Then I started to laugh at the absurdity. Since then I have seen about a dozen snakes (none poisonous or dangerous in the least), and every time I just can’t help but smile. No, we don’t have snakes here.
*Note: Featured photo courtesy of Costa Navarino.
the buzzy place 