John Elway Seen at Swanky Day Party 2 Hours Before Fatal Golf Cart Accident

John Elway was in good spirits hobnobbin' with other celebs and throwing back a beverage from a styrofoam cup just 2 hours before he was involved in the golf cart accident that killed his good friend, Jeff Sperbeck.

Take a look at these photos TMZ Sports obtained from a swanky day party last Saturday inside The Madison Club -- a golf community in La Quinta, CA -- Elway looked to be having a solid time.

Wearing a red and gray checkered shirt with a white ballcap, the NFL Hall of Famer was mingling with a small group around the bar.

Sources at the event tell us Elway was at the bar around 4:30 PM, but we do not know what he was drinking.

The party seemed to be a pregame of sorts for the Stagecoach music festival -- which was taking place about 2 miles away. In addition to Elway, one attendee told us Cindy Crawford and Ashton Kutcher were there as well.

We're told Elway arrived at roughly 4 PM, and was still there as of 5:15 PM.

As you know, at around 6:50 PM, 62-year-old Sperbeck suffered a significant head injury when he fell off the golf cart Elway was driving -- not far from the party -- and he later died on April 30.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Dept. is investigating the fatal incident, and says it will take "appropriate action based on the outcome" of its probe -- though, so far, there's been no indication of any wrongdoing.