Sculpted along a narrow valley between two massive granite escarpments, the layout was short but exceedingly tight, and members still delighted in recalling the day in sixty-two when Sam Snead, playing an exhibition round from the championship tees, shot an eighty-six and lost two balls. It was early Saturday afternoon, and for the first time in years, Zack was preparing to play a round of golf—his opponent: Judge Clayton Iverson. Zack had originally planned to spend the morning meeting with Jason Mainwaring and Jack Pearl, and then the rest of the day not between the granite cliffs, but on them, climbing with a small group from the local mountaineering club. However, Mainwaring had signed out for, a week to Greg Ormesby, the only general surgeon remaining in Sterling, and Pearl, too, was away until Monday morning. And in truth, as much as Zack had been looking forward to making a climb, he was pleased with the chance to spend a few hours alone with his father for the first time since his return to Sterling.
