Visions of Golf Season

Posted Mar 24 2010, 02:31 PM by Cathy Erickson
I took a walk on our golf course yesterday afternoon.  While visions of dull yellow dormant grass and creamy colored straw covering the greens catch my eye first, when I took a moment to look closer I could see a few blades of fresh green grass popping through the mix of soil and clay.
 
My spirits rose and it didn't take long for my mind to recapture memories of sunny skies, carpets of green, and a warm breeze on my cheeks.  As I slowly released the deep breath I had just taken, I felt the golf course welcoming me back for another season.

I know it's still a bit too early to get excited, but aside from a few water logged areas on a few holes (which I assume are from plugged drains), the course is as dry as I can ever remember for March.  I remember a few years back we had no snow on the ground at the end of February and my face lit up just thinking that if it got just a little warmer we could be playing in March!!  It was just a week later when we got a storm that dumped 2ft of snow.  It was a crushing blow to my spirit, and would be another month and a half before my clubs made to the back of my car that year.
 
This year though, having a few streaks of unseasonably warm weather, the only snow that remains are scattered patches under the shadows of trees or along a few creek banks.  As I was walking along yesterday I could hear water racing through the woods, so I made my way into the trees to catch a look.  Leafless branches and brush exposed the meandering creek bed, and I found myself awed by the strong current.   I hardly give this creek a second thought during the golf season, but I'm glad I did today.
 
As I worked my way out of the brush and back onto the course I noticed that some of the dead birch trees had been cut down.  The landscape looks different, but I'm sure there was some fear that they might just fall over.  I don't know much about trees, but birch seem very fragile.  As I wandered along I picked up some birch debris that had made its way to the rough and tossed it back in the woods.
 
I was surprised to see that some of the stationary ponds are still trying to melt their coating of ice, but I wasn't surprised to see sand traps full of animal tracks.   I only saw 1 deer, but the "evidence" that they are around is all over the place.  I also appreciated the chirping birds and 2 squirrels I saw racing around.
 
As I walked a couple of holes backwards I was reminded about how different something can appear when you look at it from a different perspective.  Walking back up #12, I didn't realize how downhill it was going forward...I mean I knew it was, but seeing it, and walking it, I'm really glad we don't have to play it backwards!  And it was as I was walking up that last fairway I decided to renew my goal of trying to break par for 18 holes this year.
 
Before I got back in my car I took a few deep breaths and then took a moment to be grateful that in just a few weeks I'll be able to bring my clubs with me to the course.  Yellow or green, warm or cool, the golf course is where everything is beautiful to me.  I can't wait!
 
PS...Two weeks until the Masters...woo HOO!!

Filed under: Spring, goals, Golf