Why we Minnesotans WERE miserable (and expect to be miserable again someday)

[Dan Kelly]

While all of us are pining for the final departure of our stubborn winter, I happened to run across a passage from John G. Anderson (in Golf Illustrated & Outdoor America magazine, ca. 1915; Max Behr, editor) that says it better than I could:

"[T]o every true golfer's heart comes a thrill of joy and a flush of new born inspiration when he spies the crocus peeping out of its bed and the grass taking on a color soft and pleasing to the eye. Spring, the soft treading links, the first drive, the short putt, and then the club-house with the company of old friends and a chorus of the inevitable 'ifs.' It's good to be alive, better that all's right with the world, but best that the winter trammelled soul of the golfer can burst forth into words and action on the newly awakened links."

[PCCraig]

Dan,

This has been the longest winter of my golfing life. Just plain brutal. I think we're still a couple weeks away from our first round.

[Rick Shefchik]

We had a board meeting at my still-closed club last night and determined that we might be a little farther ahead financially this spring than we were last year, when we opened on March 23. In a fit of very black humor, we concluded that we might as well stay closed all year.

[RJ_Daley]

I had a house guest for the last 8 days, from sunny Italian Amalfi Coast.  Was he ever disappointed!  Welcome to the 'Frozen Tundra"! 

[Matthew Rose]

I woke up to 10" this morning in the north Denver burbs, with more expected. That's three times I've used the shovel so far in April. It's a bad winter everywhere, it seems.

[Garland Bayley]

,,,It's a bad winter everywhere, it seems.

Nah, it's been a drier and sunnier late winter and spring here than usual. 

[Jason Topp]

The worst part is that there is no real hope in the extended forecast.  I thought about going to Des Moines this weekend but realized I have dinners on Friday and Saturday night so that might be tough. 

[Morgan Clawson]

I wonder if The Harvester is snow free 

[Dan Boerger]

While I haven't lived there for 20 years now, Minnesota used to be home. I suffered all the jokes: Two seasons in Minnesota, Winter and Road Repair. Summer in Minnesota, two weeks of bad ice skating.

But, alas, your time will come. As the cumulus clouds float high above the chain of lakes, and you are cracking your drives along the well maintained fairways of Minikahda, enjoying a cool and not oppressive summer breeze, you will have the last laugh.

(Assuming, of course, your twilight post-round drinks are in a screened deck of some sort ... away from those nuthatch-size mosquitos!)

If you Minnesotans are ever venturing to the Philly area and in need of a game of golf, PM me!

[Jeff Shelman]

Yes, this has been brutal.

I was fortunate to get in some golf on a recent trip to Phoenix, but I'm very anxious to get out here. I find it amazing that my first Minnesota round of the year might not come until May.

[Howard Riefs]

Dan,

This has been the longest winter of my golfing life. Just plain brutal. I think we're still a couple weeks away from our first round.

Come back home anytime.  It's a balmy 56* in Wilmette.

[PCCraig]

Dan,

This has been the longest winter of my golfing life. Just plain brutal. I think we're still a couple weeks away from our first round.

Come back home anytime.  It's a balmy 56* in Wilmette.

After this winter 56* is shorts weather!

[Terry Lavin]

We were all seduced, of course, by the past year's spring.  Last year I played a dozen times in March.  I've played one round this year.  One.  Yes, I'll take some cheese with my "whine".

[Dan Kelly]

Lawsonia appears to be open.

[Chris Johnston]

Snow (again) last night at Dismal River.  More snow forecast for tonight.  After several years of drought, we really do need all the moisture we can get.

We haven't even charged irrigation.  Crew is grumpy.

It's time for Spring to...well...um...SPRING!

[Peter Pallotta]

Dan - no one who doesn't love golf, and perhaps no one from sunnier and warmer southern climes, can ever fully appreciate how surely our winter-trammelled souls will soon burst forth into fresh words and actions, not only on the newly awakened links but EVERYWHERE. Seriously: since the last putt dropped at Augusta on Sunday (the official start of my golf season), I find that I've come ALIVE: talking more and laughing more, kissing my wife and child constantly, encouraging my co-workers with warm praise and helpful advice, handing out money to total strangers, breaking out in song and dance like a young Fred Astaire, petting the cat, immensely enjoying my food and drink, thinking gratefully about the wisdom and decenecy of our political leaders, and generally being the best and friendliest neighbour I can possibly be. Oh, my: I can feel the MAGIC. I can already see the putts going in, can embody the perfect impact position, the ball compressing on the club face just before rocketing off straight and high and true into the cloudless light blue sky, can sense the best rounds of my life coming, just around the corner waiting for me to embrace them. I'm itching to find a 7,100 yard course, and bring it to its knees!!

Peter

[Wayne_Kozun]

The same thing here south of Minnesota in Toronto, the season is likely a few weeks away, at least at better courses.

[Brad Tufts]

New England golf season opening a touch later than its normal schedule, which is way later than the crazy-early situation last year.

Tedesco opened March 16th last year, this year April 13th.

Normal is probably first week of April for the Boston area.  Earlier further south, a bit later further north.

[Dan Kelly]

I'm itching to find a 7,100 yard course, and bring it to its knees!!

You just keep itching, Butch. That's what you're good at!

[Peter Pallotta]

 

Sundance, I got vision, and the rest of the world wears bifocals.

Butch

[JMEvensky]

Dan - no one who doesn't love golf, and perhaps no one from sunnier and warmer southern climes, can ever fully appreciate how surely our winter-trammelled souls will soon burst forth into fresh words and actions, not only on the newly awakened links but EVERYWHERE. Seriously: since the last putt dropped at Augusta on Sunday (the official start of my golf season), I find that I've come ALIVE: talking more and laughing more, kissing my wife and child constantly, encouraging my co-workers with warm praise and helpful advice, handing out money to total strangers, breaking out in song and dance like a young Fred Astaire, petting the cat, immensely enjoying my food and drink, thinking gratefully about the wisdom and decenecy of our political leaders, and generally being the best and friendliest neighbour I can possibly be. Oh, my: I can feel the MAGIC. I can already see the putts going in, can embody the perfect impact position, the ball compressing on the club face just before rocketing off straight and high and true into the cloudless light blue sky, can sense the best rounds of my life coming, just around the corner waiting for me to embrace them. I'm itching to find a 7,100 yard course, and bring it to its knees!!

Peter

You had me going until the giving money away to total strangers.You went a bridge too far on the dancing like Astaire.

[Peter Pallotta]

Jeff - I HAVE to go too far, do you see what I mean?  A newly un-trammelled soul (not to mention a below-average golfer) just HAS to believe that his best rounds are still before him, waiting there for him like his best gal on VE Day, May 8th 1945.  When that mind-set, it's only natural to start singing like Astaire!

Peter

[cary lichtenstein]

Chicago wasn't much better

[Howard Riefs]

I woke up to 10" this morning in the north Denver burbs, with more expected. That's three times I've used the shovel so far in April. It's a bad winter everywhere, it seems.

Looks like great weather for a Rockies game. Let's play two:

https://vine.co/v/bFPTHVawZxV

pic.twitter.com/aeG6GuvJyQ

[John McCarthy]

I'm going out tomorrow.  It is going to be a bog.