My friend Jason and I have been trying to golf together for the past three years. We met years ago through the tournament he runs every year in his dad’s honor. Since then we’ve done several interviews together, crossed paths many times and have exchanged golf invites on numerous occasions. Somehow, it just never worked out.

This week, however, he invited me to play on his team for the WWII Vets Wacky Golf Outing at Vineyards Golf Course in Fredonia. I also got to play with another longtime friend, Adam, with whom I’ve also never golfed. Our fourth was the always entertaining Alexis, who is practically brand new to golf. But that’s one of the advantages of a fun event like this. We used as many of her shots as mine, probably.

Going into the day, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. The Facebook page for the event just said there would be wacky rules on each hole. Could I have shot Jason a quick text to see what I was in for? Sure, but I figured the thrill of the unknown would be worth something.

We played the back nine (South side of Berry Road) of the course on an extremely windy morning. Jason and his crew put some work in to make this event truly unusual. It was a four-man scramble, but that’s about where typical rules ended. The easiest way to explain is probably to go hole by hole. So here we go:

Hole 10: Putt with foam balls — Everyone got to tee off on this par 3 as normal, but once you were on the green, you had to putt with foam balls. This would have been difficult enough on a calm day, but with gusting winds, it was hilariously difficult. In fact, I put my ball down and the wind just took it down the hill. By the time I chased it down, Jason had sunk a pretty incredible putt, so I didn’t even have to hit.

Hole 11: Signs, signs, signs! — This one had the front of the green looking like someone’s front yard filled with political signs. They weren’t actually political campaign signs, of course, but they sure did a nice job of causing some chaos. Our group actually circumvented the obstruction a bit by missing the green way off to the right. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

Hole 12: Use a driver for the entire hole — This is a short par 3, but we all had to tee off with driver. This was the hole we started on. Alexis went first and slapped one dead straight right to the fringe on the front of the green. It was incredible. The three of us followed with…what you’d expect when you’re trying to hit a driver 130 yards. Putting with a driver was actually slightly easier than expected, for what it’s worth.

Hole 13: Elimination hole — In a normal scramble, for those who might not know, all four golfers tee off and then decide which shot was best. Then all four players hit from that spot. This continues until someone makes a putt. In this hole, once your shot was used, you’re out. So, for instance, I hit a pretty nice drive into the fairway. We used my shot, but then I was eliminated. Adam, Jason and Alexis all hit from where my drive landed. We used Jason’s shot next, so only Adam and Alexis attempted our team’s third shot. It was wild, but I regret hitting a good drive because then I was out.

Hole 14: Old clubs — There was an ancient wood on the tee box that everyone had to use to tee off. Adam and I actually both hit respectable shots despite the weight of the club feeling super bizarre in our hands.

Hole 15: Lefty driver — You probably can guess, but everyone had to tee off with a lefty driver (or righty if you were a natural lefty). I was actually excited. I used to be a decent hitter in baseball batting left-handed. Adam and I actually both write left-handed, but play golf right, so we have some natural left-handed advantage. Well, it was atrocious. I almost completely whiffed and barely got the ball off the tee box.

Hole 16: One free throw — At any point during the hole, the team could use a throw instead of a hit. In fact, it didn’t even count as a stroke. So when I bombed my tee shot within yards of the pond, it made sense to try to throw it onto the green from there. Well, it’s not as easy as it sounds. I got mine onto the fringe in front of the green, but all three of my teammates splashed into the water. Other golfers I talked to after the tournament shared similar stories.

Hole 17: Obstacles on the green — Cones! Cones everywhere! Getting to tee off as normal, I hit a 300+ yard bomb right down the middle. On a day with little “real” golf, that felt awfully good. My second shot went to the left and a little past the pin. Well as luck would have it, that was basically the one spot with a clear look at the pin. There were little orange cones everywhere, but they somehow didn’t come into play for us.

Hole 18: 60-yard tee shot — “That’s the first time I’ve ever teed off with my 64-degree wedge.” That was the phrase uttered by Jason after his tee shot. Yes, it was a unique experience being simultaneously on the tee box and within spitting distance of the green. I won closest to the pin, for what it’s worth here.

Long story short, this tournament was awesome. I had a blast making a fool of myself with some friends. Jason mentioned that this will probably be a twice-a-year event and I highly recommend joining us next year if you can.

As always, golf (even wacky golf) is great. Go get some.

Stefan Gestwicki is an OBSERVER contributing writer. Comments on this article can be sent to golfersdiary@gmail.com