The golf season has officially begun at Le Meridien Moscow Country Club, Russia's only 18-hole golf course. The season kicked off on May 11 when newly elected team captain Rich Nordin hit a drive from the first tee. In the spirit of an old tradition, established in England in 1823, the club's caddies scrambled to retrieve the ball from the green in order to receive a 500-ruble prize. Attendees at the club's opening then finished off the day with a banquet in the clubhouse, prepared by chef Helmut Anzer.