Back when I used to play golf, I would play roughly 30 to 40 times a year. That’s not too shabby considering I was married; owned a home; wasn’t retired; and lived in a state that was covered in snow a good portion of the winter.

Every spring (from roughly 2001 – 2009), I would create a schedule that would be passed around to my foursome (and one or two subs that would fill in from time to time). The schedule would include dates and locations of each course we would play.

And we would play a lot: 18 holes every other weekend and 9 holes on the weekends that we didn’t play 18. From April through most of November, my Saturdays (or Sundays) were spent on a different golf course within 1-2 hours driving distance from my house.

Since 2010 though, things have changed. That year, I played 15 times. 2011 was just 8 times. Last year, 14 times. And so far this year, I have yet to step foot on a tee-box (yes, I realize it’s already well into June).

So what happened? Well, the wife and I (a kid-free couple of 10 years) decided to, well…have kids. My son was born in 2010 and my daughter this past March…and I love them both to the moon and back.

But adding just one kid cuts into a good chunk of your leisure time. Adding a second (as I’m finding out) seems to cut into a much larger chunk than the first did!

The funny thing is I didn’t even really think about not playing until now. Seriously – so far this spring and summer we’ve been to an amusement park; a baseball game; two strawberry festivals; the zoo; the beach (twice); and the local natural history museum (twice). Golf? Not one thought.

Actually I take that back. I did text a buddy to play 9 one Sunday morning about a month ago. What happened? Woke up that Sunday to rain…go figure.

But I guess I really didn’t realize until now that I hadn’t played yet this season, which is strange considering I write for a golf blog. You would think it would always be in the back of my mind. But having kids has a way of changing you.

Now don’t get me wrong – I’m itching to get out on the links. This is the longest I’ve gone into a season without playing.

Yes, back when I used to play golf, I loved every minute of it. And the next time I play, I will love every minute of that too. It might be next weekend, or next April – who knows? But the bottom line is you never stop loving this game – whether you play once or 100 times a year, golf has a way of endearing itself to you.

In the meantime, I’ll settle for swinging at a practice golf ball with a plastic 7-iron a foot too short for me. Though it’s not too short for my 2 year old – it seems golf has already endeared itself on him. And that my friends, is the light at the end of the tunnel – soon enough (probably too soon), spending time with my kids will include spending time on the golf course.

How great is that?