The five minutes of rain that came after we’d teed off on the ninth hole were worth it.
For more than an hour, I thought that my highlight during last night’s round during our informal little formal golf league at Northern Pines in Cicero would be the birdie putt from 15 feet dead past the hole on No. 3.
No, it wasn’t the 40-yard chip on No. 8 that left me a three-footer for another par on No. 8, either.
The best part of the fifth week for all of us, in fact, came as we were walking down the night fairway, ready to wrap up the round after a short but hard rainfall.
Off to the right, past the eighth fairway, was a double rainbow. Golf shots? What golf shots?
DJ, Bird, Morelli and I all noted and appreciated the moment. They called for the Bialczak camera. Yes, it’s gotten to that point.
I attempt a birdie putt on No. 9 at Northern Pines. (Photo by DJ)
Soon after I grabbed my increasingly trusty three-wood and carved my third shot on the par-five around a mid-fairway tree and onto the green. I left the pin-high putt of about 25 feet a good five-feet short. It had just rained for five minutes, slowing the green, remember? I hadn’t. Nailed the putt, though.
As the eight of us relaxed in the clubhouse afterward — full turnout for the first time since week two — our foursome glowed from the rainbow and the fact that we’d all broken 50.
So I shall reveal the scorecards for the night on the par-35 front nine: DJ 39, with a birdie on No. 9 and four pars; Bird 42 with pars on No. 2 and 4; 49 for Marie, narrowly missing par on both par-threes, including a marvelous sand shot on No. 5; and 47 for me, with pars on 3, 8 and 9. Damn that 7 on the par-four No. 7, which included a short, hooked drive to the left and a second shot that landed under the lip of a fairway bunker.
Have you stopped what you were doing to take a picture of a double rainbow? Would you stop playing golf during a five-minute pour or keep going? How would you feel when the other three golfers in your group opened their umbrellas and you discovered yours was in the trunk of your car?
Mark Bialczak 
Beautiful Pics.. i love that rainbow
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Thanks, Leyla. It was a sight for a golfer!
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Yes I would have stopped what I was doing to take a photo of the rainbow. Where is it? If it wasn’t cold I would of played through if I played gold. I hope you didn’t get too wet. 😆
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Yes, I have stopped what I was doing to photograph a lot of things, including a double rainbow. Yes, if I played golf, I would play through a little rain. And if my golf buddies opened their umbrellas and I didn’t have mine, I’d feel wet, of course. LOL! No, seriously, I’d actually probably just grin and bear it but I’d definitely make comments to the effect of, “Y’ll don’t stand to close to me please. When you three get hit by lightning holding those lightning rods, I don’t want to get caught in the crossfire.” But then again, I live in the former lightning capital of the world, so that probably was less of a joke than you might have thought. (Now it’s #2, second to Rwanda, Africa.)
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There are a lot of golf jokes that revolve around lightning, Rachel, most that include God and two irons. Thank you for your inclusive and insightful comments!
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LOL! See, I wouldn’t know that because of the no sports thing. 🙂 Honestly I just think it’s rude of your friends not to cover you.
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I didn’t even ask, Rachel.
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You shouldn’t have had to…they should have offered, If I was there, I’d have shared my umbrella with you, Mark, whether you asked or not. 🙂
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You are very kind, Rachel.
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🙂
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Thanks for the picture of that double rainbow! What a beauty! I love that you paused long enough to take it in, relax, and return to your game. Mindfulness. Not just noticing but truly experiencing the moments as they come. That’s hard work sometimes. Good job Mark!
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And after appreciating it, I hit my best shot of the night, Sandra, so one with nature worked for me, Sandra!
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Double rainbows AND look at those tanned gams!
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That may be from walking Ellie B so she loses weight! Come 50 degrees, it’s shorts weather for this man.
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I hear you on that. But my legs never seem to tan unless I get help from the bottle.
(FAKE TAN not alcohol!!!)
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I do not need that bottle help. I tan up quick for a pale-skinned guy, Colleen.
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You are lucky. Like my husband. He looks out the window and sees the sun over yonder and turns back to look at me and has fulfilled his name.
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Ah, yes, Mr. Brown!
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😉
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this is fabulous, mark and reminds me of that big storm scene in caddyshack, (except that yours ended well). if it were me, i would not let the 5 minutes stop me, and it seemed to bring you all good luck. as for the umbrella situation, i would have become even better friends with one of the friends and shared some space under one of theirs ) i love that you are the defacto camera man at this point. the only double i’ve ever seen was while driving on a freeway, so –
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I grabbed the rain vest that I keep in the pocket of my golf cart and threw it over my head, Beth. I may have looked silly for a second, but I didn’t care.
No, I am glad you didn’t try to shoot the double while driving the freeway. That would have ended up worse than the ‘Caddyshack’ storm scene!
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A double rainbow..of course. Sounds like a stellar night out. Most of the time I don’t even have the umbrella in the car. Embrace the rain, I say.
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Yes, that’s a good philosophy, Audrey. On the golf course, they tend to be a pain and get in the way as much as they keep you dry, anyway.
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Yes, see who needs ’em anyway…
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Being an Irish girl, I would stop for any rainbow, especially a double one at that! I didn’t realize you once lived in Maryland, Mark. I used to live in Rockville, then Frederick. And unfortunately every time we travel back home we experience the 95 Richmond to DC nightmare!
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I went to Maryland, living in apartments off campus, and them lived in Greenbelt renting a house for four years. Traffic down there was oppressive, no matter the road or route, Karen, even 30 years ago.
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I have never snapped a double rainbow, but I did catch a small floating chunk of a rainbow last year after a ballgame…
http://evilsquirrelsnest.com/2013/10/26/rainbow-bite/
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I just went over and checked out the cute shortie at the ballpark. Nice ESN.
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Beautiful picture, and I have never played golf. 🙂
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I can see that you may be a bit occupied elsewhere at this stage of your life, mx4b. Double rainbows are for everybody.
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Yep yep. 😉
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Yes, stop for double rainbows! Who knows how many more you’ll see in your life? If you want to visit the sea or the desert or ruins or temples, you can just head that direction. But rainbows are a gift, elusive and precious.
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Indeed, Kerbey. You are in an elusive, precious and poetic tone this morning, too, I must add. Thank you, my friend.
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I got my child to take double rainbow pictures as we were speeding down the interstate. I was very tempted to pull over and take a picture except in the rain that highway wouldn’t have been safe to even stop on the shoulders.
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I’m glad you didn’t stop on I95 through Richmond. Just taking a wild guess there, Jeanette. That’s a bear of a highway, I know. I’m also glad The Kid was on Double Rainbow picture duty!
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No, it was 64, so a few miles west 🙂 Good guess though!
Between Richmond and then the traffic to/from DC, 95 is no fun at all. But, I gotta get to work somehow!
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Sometimes 95 was at a standstill, both directions from where I lived in Maryland, just outside of D.C. It was just as creep-along to get to Baltimore as it was to Richmond.
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I defnitely would have stopped to take a picture of the rainbow.
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It was worth it. And I was so relaxed afterward I hit my best shot of the round. Thanks, Paul.
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