A few weeks ago, I waxed rather inelegantly about my passion for Maxfli golf balls. I rambled on about how I had always been enamored by the Maxfli brand and would only play with one of the balls when I thought my game was sharp.

Which meant, of course, that I very seldom teed up a Maxfli.

Anyway, Molvin read that article lamenting the passing of the Maxfli brand from golf shops to be replaced by TaylorMade, which had bought the company and was using the technology to market the balls under its name.

So what did my new best friend do? Listen:

"Howard, after about three weeks of searching deep rough and woods along Talamore and Pinehurst courses, I could come up with only a half-dozen Maxflis.

"However, I found a half-dozen balls of other manufacturers. Perhaps you will discover one of these to give you that once-in-a-lifetime round.

"Good golfing!"

Well, Dick, your scrounging act does not go unappreciated, although I must admit to a moment of apprehension when I checked by my drop box at The Pilot and found the dozen "eggs."

The carton was labeled "Goldhen Farm Fresh Eggs" and promised that I would find 12 Grade A large eggs inside.

I bestowed a puzzled glance in the direction of the lovely young lady whose desk abuts the drop box station and she shrugged.

"I don't know," she answered my unasked question. "I asked the gentleman who left them if we needed to put them in the refrigerator and he said, 'No, they're not that kind of eggs."

I can understand her concern, because right there on the side of the carton, it said "Keep refrigerated at or below 45 degrees."

And you can understand my concern when I saw the notice printed on the end of the carton that read "Sell by May 9, 2006."

Hey, this was no longer May. The weather was a little warm, and I was, OK, maybe just a little bit nervous. Because this may be hard for my legion of fans out there to accept, but there are some people who don't really like everything I write.

But what the hey, I wasn't going to show nerves in mixed company. So I gathered my resolve and opened the carton.

Wow! Ol' Dick wasn't kidding. Inside were six of those beautiful Maxfli golf balls that included four great-looking Revolution Solids, a "10" that had some kind of symbol that looked a little like the Habitat for Humanity logo and one of those hot M3 Tour-420s.

I was so excited by having those Maxflis that I didn't really check out the brands of the other six until I had returned home.

When I did, I felt as I do when I usually go into my bag to find a couple of balls on the first tee.

I'll swear to you that I can open two new sleeves of Maxfli Revolutions, paint my little shamrock ID symbol on them in blue ink and place them in my bag only to reach the first tee and pull out two Top-Flites, a couple of Titleists, some Lady Precepts and a Polara.

What happens to the new Maxflis? I don't have a clue. I just never see them again.

Anyway, the other six balls in the egg carton from my buddy Dick were a Slazenger, a Callaway, a Srixon, a Bridgestone, a Hogan and a TiTech GemStone.

I kid you not. You have just read the contents. And I can assure that each of these balls will have its day in the sun. And sand. And water.

And one last thing -- I teed up that beautiful M3 Tour-420 for a round at my home course of Gates Four Golf and Country Club a couple of weeks ago and the unthinkable happened.

Most people who have played golf with me over the last four years won't believe this, but it's the gospel. I shot a 73 with five birdies.

Yeah, I like this guy Dick Molvin. Keep up the scavenger work, good buddy.