The Fraternal League of Ordinary Golfers is a loose affiliation of people who enjoy golfing for recreation and the camaraderie that develops in the pursuit of this endeavor.

The League coordinates events to allow members to enjoy participation on a variety of golf courses in and around Southwest Michigan.

It is the goal of the Fraternal League to schedule golf outings weekly for the duration of the typical golf season, which usually starts sometime in April and ends sometime in October, weather permitting, and holidays excepting.

For the 2008 season, we are planning on meeting every Monday at 5 p.m. somewhere yet to be determined between Sawyer and Bridgman, to leave for the course.

Are we being indecisive? Well...yes and no.

Shortly after someone says something critical or unflattering. Oh, you meant, like, at the course?

We expect to tee off sometime between 5:30 and 6:00 depending on how far away and how quickly the existing Monday leagues clear the first or tenth tees.

Meet us at 5:00 p.m. to drive together, or go directly to the course. We'll post the tee times here, and email everybody as soon as we know.

Plan on teeing off between 5:30 and 6:00. It's playable already until 8:30, so there should be plenty o' time for nine.

Very well, thank you. Seriously folks, like this. You join the league. We put you on our email list. Every week we contact various clubs to determine who can handle us on Monday evening. We notify you, RSVP. That means you have to respond, as in, make a commitment, to be there next week. You email us back. We reserve tee-times. You show up at 5 pm Monday evening at the designated location.

Tee off, search for ball, chip back onto fairway, apply fairway wedge to ball, search for ball, repeat until on green. Putt until the ball goes in hole, or until you get tired of putting. Repeat nine times, or eighteen if you're up for adventure. No, really. Do you need more detail?

We also will plan ahead where we can, so you can check the website schedule and see what clubs and courses are coming up so you can plan on which ones you want to be there for, or alternatively, miss.

Hey, I'm sure it will all work out in the end.

It's up to you and your foursome. Early and late in the season, only nine will be possible due to daylight hours, but mid-season should support 18 without any problem. Play at least nine, but you can decide what's enough. Often a group will meet for dinner on the way home as well, so you might take that into account.

We've found that nine followed by dinner is a good combination, especially if tee-time interferes with meal time at home.

Membership in the League is only $10 a season, to help defray the cost of administration. You are responsible for green fees, cart rental, etc. We suggest you purchase the Superbook, as discount coupons are plentiful, and we will be using those as a selection guide in order to keep costs low.

You might consider carpooling now that gas is almost as expensive as milk. For some outings, John Moline has offered to have people meet at his place in Bethany and car-pool from there. Options are limited only by your imagination and your starting location.

Right here is what it is all about. The Fraternal League of Ordinary Golfers is the perfect opportunity to invite someone out for a fine afternoon and give them a chance to meet the rest of the gang. So, you don't have to be a member to play. We love to have them join, but if they can only come out once or twice that's fine too. We'd just like to meet some new folks.

Of course not! You wouldn't want to be a member of any organization that would let just anybody in, now would you? Qualifications include being able to fog a mirror, figure out which end of a driver you hold, decide which end of the tee goes into the ground given a choice, and being able to list seven of the nine distinctions between a flanged niblick and a spoon mashie. (We'll let you slide on the last one - 5 or 6 will be good enough.)

Well, OK. But they have to behave themselves.

Assuming he's old enough to swing a club, not slow down the foursome, and above the minimum club age, of course he's welcome. There is truly no better bonding experience for a father and son than swearing at a bad shot together, er, I mean, enjoying the finer aspects of the sport out on the links on a beautiful afternoon. You may want to warn him in advance, however, that he is liable to encounter some real man activities out there, including cigar smoking, philosophizing, theological debate, and the occasional technical critique of an unexpected shot. We of the Fraternal League welcome him and will do our best to make him feel part of the group, as well as minimize his early education.

Of course you will. People of all persuasions are welcome. In fact, despite what you might occasionally see on the course, we don't recommend smoking or drinking, especially for the younger generation. And we get downright intolerant of underage tobacco and alcohol usage, and will start making threatening motions with our seven irons if we see it happen. But other than that, we think that each individual must make his own peace and take his own position on smoking and drinking. Of course, sometimes the mosquitos are so thick you wished you smoked, and sometimes your drive is so bad you'll take up drinking, but in the end we'll let you make up your own mind about it. We won't be offended if you don't, as long as you aren't offended by those who do.

Yes, there is. You get to take this silly wire bucket, and go stand by that sign that says 150 in three foot high letters. We're going to hit balls at you on the driving range, but any that you catch, you get to keep.

Wake up, blockhead! If you were in this for prizes or even the satisfaction of beating the pants off everyone else, you would have joined a real league. We catch you even talking about keeping track of handicaps, and it's off to the driving range for you. On the other hand, if there is interest, we may do some fun things like longest drive, closest to pin, longest putt, and that sort of silliness just to give us something fun to look forward to. Of course, most lost balls might be more in keeping with our league.