DON'T PLAY IT AS IT LIES

The ground is really rocky and dry, so I teed the ball on top of dung, which doesn't impede the club's follow-through. Dung from larger animals is best: camels, cows, yaks. Horse dung is great -- it's about the size of a hamburger, and you can drop the ball right on top. One time a big snake coiled around my ball, thinking it was an egg. I did a quick Rules interpretation and dragged the ball out with my 3-iron. The snake didn't come at me. I took a couple extra club-lengths on that drop."

BEWARE THE VARMINTS

Marmots are furry little rodents about the size of gophers. They're everywhere. I lost a lot of balls down marmot holes. They carry the bubonic plague. Who knew that humans were still dealing with the bubonic plague in the 21st century? Some Mongolians hunt them for food, even though they could die eating them. One guy will wear a sheet and dance around, mesmerizing the marmot, while the other guy loads the shotgun."

GET A GOOD CADDY

I had Khatanbaatar. He didn't know the game at all -- he told people I was playing baseball. When we stayed with locals, the family would want to hit balls. Khatanbaatar would say, 'No, stand closer to the ball, hold your hands like this!' He'd never seen the game before, but he acted like the head pro of Mongolia."