Don't mess with Tucson's killer lightning: Live to golf another day

Golfers tend to be macho. Even if they have triple the IQ of your smartest Ultimate Fighting Championship fan. They also tend to be slightly more determined to get their golf in than a pit bull is to finish off a 2-year-old’s arm.

This can lead many a golfer to dismiss that lightning flash on the horizon. It’s too far away to worry. Besides I’m putting for eagle on this par 5.

In Tucson this is an especially bad idea. I was playing with Canoa Ranch head pro Dave Powell when lightning started flashing over the mountains. Like any self-respecting golfer, I figured no biggie and set up to hit my next shot. Powell almost tackled me on the high tee.

It turns out Tucson - the land of great nature hiking trails and true desert golf - is also one of the leaders in flash lightning strikes.

Powell is understandably paranoid. And not just because he understands the value of the worst golf-playing golf writer to teaching pros and chiropractors alike.

Last year, Powell watched a golfer get struck and killed by lightning.

“It was at Skyline (Country Club in Tucson),” Powell said. “I was on the putting green and he was on the tee. It hit him right on the top of his hat. He never had a chance.”

That’s no way to go - even for a golfer.

So if you see lightning, especially in Tucson, head for the clubhouse. The good news is that storms tend to pass quick. We were back out on the course in 45 minutes.