The weather was pretty amazing on Saturday, with sunny skies and highs in the mid-70s.. Perfect for playing a quick round of golf! The only problem? My buddies wanted to get an early start, suggesting a 7AM tee time since they all had family commitments (birthday party, soccer game, dance recital, etc) later that day.

Now that’s a problem for me, because much like Garfield, I don’t do mornings. But seeing as how this was the best weather we’ve had in a long time, I gave in, setting a painfully early alarm for 6:30am and promising myself to get to bed at a reasonable hour.

Of course, I didn’t get to sleep until nearly 2am, and before I knew it my alarm was going off! I was a groggy mess, and I could barely see straight. Thankfully, we still had a few Rip It Energy drinks in the fridge, which I threw in my bag as I made my way out the door.

For those of you who have not tried Rip It Energy before, these energy that are really popular with the troops. My buddy Mark started drinking them while serving in Afghanistan to help stay awake, and he turned me onto them a few years ago. If I’m feeling sluggish in the morning, I just drink one of these bad boys, and it perks me right up better than coffee ever could. They come in 18 flavors (Sting-er Mo is my favorite), cost way less than other energy drinks, and the taste can’t be beat! Visit the Rip It Energy Blog for more information.

Sadly, even this much-needed boost of caffeine couldn’t help turn around my golf game, which went from bad to worse as I sunk one ball in a lake, and a second in the woods. And what did I find when I went back into the woods to retrieve my ball? Poison ivy, a whole lot of it!

Luckily, I remembered the tell-tale signs of poison ivy (leaves that grow in groups of three, pointed at the tip, with small clusters of white berries), and followed the old saying, “Leaves of three? Let them be!”

Things improved over the course of the day as I got back into a rhythm, and I ended up shooting a 95, about 10 strokes off my normal game. Considering this was my first time out in months, I was more than happy with that score. But I clearly need to start hitting the driving range after work..

All in all, we had a great time golfing, and it was good catching up with my buddies, many who I haven’t seen since the holidays. We’ve all got so much going on in our lives these days, but golfing is a good excuse to get away from the wife and kids for a few hours to bro out and have some fun.