Finishing the season strong

[Doug Siebert]

Curious if I'm alone in wanting to have my last round/hole of the season be a good one, so that I'm eager to get back at it next spring.

I've now had three rounds that I thought at the time would be my last round of the year.  First was in the second week of November, with a nice day in the mid 70s.  Played awful.  Only good thing about the round was the course was slow and it got dark early so I got to quit before finishing 18

Second was the day before Thanksgiving.  Played much better.  Not great, but beat 80 at least, and finished strong with a drive crushed into a cross wind to cut the corner, followed up by nearly holing a 50 yard SW to leave a two foot tap in birdie.  That's the way to finish a season!

Then I had a dilemma.  Another warm spell, resulting in a record high of 68 degrees yesterday.  Would have been in the 70s if there'd been some sun.  I actually hesitated a bit about playing, not wanting to risk leaving myself bad memories over the winter.  Fortunately I played pretty well, with some uncharacteristically good driving, closed by driving the back fringe of the last hole for a two putt birdie.  So still good memories for the winter.

I couldn't help thinking while I was driving home about how I hesitated to play because I'd played well on my previous "last" round of the year.  Am I alone in this, or do others think this way as well?

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

I hadn't really thought about this too much.  I guess one of the fringe benefits of living down south is not having to worry about this.  I normally try to not have more than a week or so between my last round of this season, and my first round of next season.  (weather permitting, which it normally does).

Thats good because the last thing I need is one more thing to worry about in my golf game...

[Ronald Montesano]

Before Kevin Lynch gets a hold of this thread, here is the WNY Contingent Credo: the season never ends.

Guys brag about 24+ consecutive months of at least one round in Buffalo. That includes snow, hail, sleet and other crap that Canada and Ohio send our way.

On Sunday, great weather. We were at Terry Hills in Batavia ('twixt Rochester and Buffalo) and ran through our 18 holes in 3 hours. Kev eyed me up  and said (not asked) "27?" I nodded and we knocked off the third nine at TH in 1.5 hours.

It comes down to layers. Typical upper body armor for me is 1-Nike compression 2-SunIce jacket 3-Galway Bay Jacket 4-something else if it's really cold.

Off-season is when I practice the fade if I'm hooking and the hook if I'm fading. Lots of intentional low shots, putters from the fairway and other crazy choices that normally don't see the light of day.

[Bill Brightly]

Nothing to worry about, Doug, unless you actually pass up on the chance to play...

[Doug Siebert]

Before Kevin Lynch gets a hold of this thread, here is the WNY Contingent Credo: the season never ends.

Guys brag about 24+ consecutive months of at least one round in Buffalo. That includes snow, hail, sleet and other crap that Canada and Ohio send our way.

On Sunday, great weather. We were at Terry Hills in Batavia ('twixt Rochester and Buffalo) and ran through our 18 holes in 3 hours. Kev eyed me up  and said (not asked) "27?" I nodded and we knocked off the third nine at TH in 1.5 hours.

It comes down to layers. Typical upper body armor for me is 1-Nike compression 2-SunIce jacket 3-Galway Bay Jacket 4-something else if it's really cold.

Off-season is when I practice the fade if I'm hooking and the hook if I'm fading. Lots of intentional low shots, putters from the fairway and other crazy choices that normally don't see the light of day.

LOL I guess I'm just a fair weather golfer.  I might play when its low-mid 50s if it is 1) sunny 2) windless 3) January if there's a course open.  Anything below that or if I've already played recently or have reason to believe I will be able to play soon, no way.  So there are some winters where I'm going over four months without touching a club.  If I was hardier/crazier I could shorten that time, but I don't want to bother if I need to bundle up like Ralphie's brother in Christmas Story.

Not sure how you're able to play in the snow and ice in WNY, the only time a course opens around here in the winter is if the only snow left is in shadows or melting drifts in hollows, and then only if the ground isn't frozen.  Does the course you visit get enough play even on those bad days to be worth staying open, or is the owner/manager out there to run the bar/restaurant that's always open anyway, so he might as well take your money even if you're the only guy out that day?

I've played where there was ice in the cups so either the flag was frozen in or there was no flag and you just aimed at the middle of the green and hoped the hole was nearby, but that's about as bad as the conditions got.  Never played in snow, ice, on frozen ground and nothing remotely close to below freezing (not even with wind chill)

I was amused when we had some record highs in early March this spring of over 80 degrees, and I'm playing in shorts and short sleeves, and there were still some pretty good snowdrifts hidden on the north side of some steep hills.  I've played with some snow still on the course in places, but not when it felt like June and I was dressed for it!

[Mark Johnson]

i never feel like that for a course perspective.

But i will in terms of my play.   During my last round of the year, i limped home with 2 3 putts in the last 3 holes.   So i went off the back again and birdied 2 of 3.   Then I felt good enough to hang them up for the season.

[Kevin Lynch]

Doug -

I used to have that superstition, and for years I would demand my season end with a par.  Problem was, my home course finished with a 220 yard par-3, so it was a challenge.  Fortunately, my course usually closed before weather demanded it (county-run course), so I often concluded the season at another course with an easier finisher.  One year, I managed to finish birdie-birdie-par in late November, then we had four weeks of snow. I actually hesitated playing a round in mid-January (due to a freakish week of 70 degree temps) because I didn't want to sully my finish before the new season began (usually in April).  However, I received a ruling from my friends that the January round would, in fact, be the first round of the new season, as opposed to an extension of the prior season.

However, in recent years, the weather in Western New York really hasn't provided a clear-cut end of season where I can't play for 8+ weeks and I retreat to the indoor golf-domes.  We had 4-6 inches of snow two Sundays ago, but I played in short-sleeves a week later.  As a result, my "finish" superstition has dwindled in recent years.

Unfortunately, I never really determined what my "punishment" or "reward" would be for finishing with a par in a given year, so it was an "incomplete" superstition. 

[Tommy Williamsen]

In DC the weather is such that I can play golf almost year round. There are many times in Jan and Feb that are good days to play. I have a house in a little resort in VA where I will ski in the morning and play golf in the afternoon. If it is in the forties I will play. There is an old Norwegian saying, "There's no such thing as bad weather only bad clothing."

[Kevin Lynch]

LOL I guess I'm just a fair weather golfer.  I might play when its low-mid 50s if it is 1) sunny 2) windless 3) January if there's a course open.  Anything below that or if I've already played recently or have reason to believe I will be able to play soon, no way.  So there are some winters where I'm going over four months without touching a club.  If I was hardier/crazier I could shorten that time, but I don't want to bother if I need to bundle up like Ralphie's brother in Christmas Story.

Not sure how you're able to play in the snow and ice in WNY, the only time a course opens around here in the winter is if the only snow left is in shadows or melting drifts in hollows, and then only if the ground isn't frozen.  Does the course you visit get enough play even on those bad days to be worth staying open, or is the owner/manager out there to run the bar/restaurant that's always open anyway, so he might as well take your money even if you're the only guy out that day?

If it's mid-50s in January/February here, you may need to book a tee time to avoid getting shut-out!

Typically, there are only 2 courses in the Buffalo area that will stay open very late in the season (Terry Hills & Byrncliff).  Thus, when the odd warm spell comes along, these two will be packed.  Most of the other courses will shut down for the season at a semi-fixed date (one of my favorites closes based on hunting season for liability purposes).  I believe there are some in Southern Ontario that stay open all year, but I believe they use temporary greens.

Terry Hills stays open because it has great drainage, and knows it has the reputation of being one of the first to open up.  By virtue of supply & demand, they will get enough of the hearty crowd to make it worthwhile.  Their restaurant / bar is open on weekends, so they can hope for some feeder business as well.

Byrncliff is a year-round resort which has golf, cross-country skiing, and snowmobile trails, so they'll take whatever feeder business they can get (the owner will be there daily).  Honestly, they'd prefer more snow, since the snowmobilers / skiiers will provide a bigger population than the golfers who enjoy playing in the 30s/40s.


As for the hearty / crazy characterization, I guess I can't argue that too much (but being on a website like GCA.com increases the probability of crazy).  Fortunately, I have found a group a similar-minded nuts in my area, so the camaraderie takes some of the sting away from a 38 degree day. 

About 18 years ago, I received a nylon-lined windbreaker at a charity event that is, by far, the best golf-related acquisition of my lifetime.  It's so light that I'm not restricted in the least, and it's black, so it maximizes the benefit of any solar energy. That windbreaker and a turtleneck is battle-proven down to 28 degrees (so no Christmas Story layering).  Honestly, I'm just as comfortable playing in 40 degrees as I am when it's 80, so I don't give myself any "weather excuse."

And, if there's a little snow, just break out the fluorescent equipment, like these three nuts (JNC Lyon, myself, Ron Mon):

[John McCarthy]

With a stocking hat, layers and walking golf can be a year round thing even in Chicago.  Last year i played 3 or 4 times in January but it was an unusually warm winter.  The best part is meeting up with a buddy and he looks at you like your nuts and you look at him like he's nuts...and you both have a blast. 

I got out twice in November (worked too damn much) and the first time was grim but the second time I got the yardages right and played real well for me.  Just before I wrote this I cut the check for annual dues for the first time in my life.  I bought a new driver yesterday.  I might buy a pushcart this afternoon.  I'm itching to go. 

[Dan Kelly]

John Updike had something to say about this, in "December Golf":

December always holds some mild-enough days. The foursome, thinned perhaps to a mere threesome or twosome, meets by the boarded-up clubhouse, exhilarated to have an entire golf course to itself. There are no tee markers, no starting times, no scorecards, no gasoline carts -- just golf-mad men, wearing wool hats and two sweaters each, moving on their feet. The season's handicap computer has been disconnected, so the sole spur to good play is rudimentary human competition -- a simple best-ball nassau or 50-cent game of skins, its running tally carried in the head of the accountant or retired banker in the group. You seem to be, in December golf, reinventing the game, in some rough realm predating 15th-century Scotland.

The last swing feels effortless, and the ball vanishes dead ahead, gray lost in gray, right where the 18th flag would be. The secret of golf has been found at last, after eight months of futilely chasing it. Now, the trick is to hold it in mind, all the indoor months ahead, without its melting away.

[Kevin Lynch]

The discussion of the mild-winters has me thinking of whether or not I miss having a clear "finish" to my season.

As I mentioned earlier, I lost that superstition of finishing on a high note over the last few seasons.  But, I used to like that pressure of gutting out a par knowing it could be my last time out.  I suspect that Doug / Mark really get to appreciate that feeling and savoring it for the cold months.

I also regret missing that "first round" euphoria and "fresh start" optimism.  Last year, I never went more that 2.5 weeks without playing, so I never had that time when I cleared my head of all swing thoughts and started new.  I suppose if you're a solid player, continuity is a good thing.  But, if you're flawed and inconsistent (like me), that re-boot may not be such a bad thing.


Having said all that, I distinctly recall thinking "this weather sucks" when I was entering week 8-9 of not playing during our last bad winter.