The Friday after Thanksgiving is Black Friday for most people, but for those with enough nerve, moxie and the ability to deal with the cold, it’s the Turkey Bowl. For more than 15 years, the Turkey Bowl golf outing has been held at Cream Ridge Golf Club. The pro at the course, Bill Marine, makes the tee times for the group automatically, and his good nature makes for a pleasant day — rain, shine, frozen ponds or even snow! We were the first groups off, and the lead team completed the round in three-and-a-half hours. This year was a non-issue when it came to the weather. After a terrible Thanksgiving Day of rain, the weather cleared; and upon our arrival, it was nearly t-shirt weather. As the day progressed, the sky darkened; and while it never rained, it became quite chilly. The threat of rain scared off some players, so the traditional three to four foursomes was reduced to two. These hardcore players came with their A game, with birdies and pars being the hallmark of the winning games. I played as well as I can, with a score in the 80s. But that was not good enough to beat Paulie Walnuts with a gross score of 76. The trophy was offered to the winner by last year’s victor, John Ecklund. John was not able to join us this year, but his presence was in absentia, thanks to a little Photoshop work by Chris Ottaunick. The teams ended the day at Plumbstead Inn for a few libations and lunch (the games were done by noon). In attendance was Yammi Ottaunick, Paulie Walnut, Drew “Mulligan” Gallagher, Gerry “Tex” Gallagher, Larry “Blue Velvet” Gallagher, Mike “Corkie” Donahue, Bobby “Hole in one at the Smurfit Course” Hancock and myself. Hope you had an enjoyable Turkey Day and can join us for the Christmas Boxing Day tournament! — Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO