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How Often Do You Visit the 19th Hole?

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Do you play all 19-holes?

A golf course just isn’t complete without a 19th-Hole. Whether you take advantage of it or not, you can rest assured that it’s there somewhere if you need it…either connected to the pro shop, or in a separate building on the course, or at least somewhere on the premises.

When I was on my quest to play every public 18-hole golf course in my state, part of my experience would be to grab a bite and a beer in the 19th-hole after my round. But there we’re some exceptions: Like when the course had no 19th-hole. Yep, a full-sized, 18-hole course with no restaurant or bar – that always threw me for a loop.

Or sometimes I’d have dinner plans with the wife afterwards – which would quash any chance of me shoving some good tavern fare down my gullet. And sometimes I was the only one from my foursome who had time to stop in the 19th-hole. Not wanting to belly-up to the bar solo, I’d bypass it altogether and just head home.

I surmise the 19th-hole has a whole different meaning to players who belong to a private club. I mean, that group probably feels obligated to spend a decent amount of time at the course after each round (don’t get me wrong, I’m sure it’s a good time with good friends). But what I want to know is how many public course players still spend time in the 19th-hole these days?

A good chunk of a course’s income stems from food and drink sales in the 19th-hole (and merchandise sales in the pro shop). But in this tough economic climate, are we still spending our hard-earned cash in the bar after the round?

Take the poll below and let us know…

How Often Do You Visit the 19th Hole?

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Golfing In A Winter Wonderland

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Here's what you can do during the golf off-season... (photo by TimoHonkelaEnglish / CC BY-SA 3.0)
Here’s what you can do during the golf off-season… (photo by TimoHonkelaEnglish / CC BY-SA 3.0)

OK, so in the past I may have mentioned that I don’t play golf once the temperature drops below fifty degrees. But now that I’ve been introduced to the likes of Peter Masters and Annika Ostberg, I realize that I’m being a pansy.

Most people likely have no idea who Peter Masters and Annika Ostberg are. Neither did I until doing a bit of research. But these people are some of the best in the world, as well as the first two champions, in their sport. What sport is that you ask? Well, Snow Golf of course! Actually, for arguments sake, it was known as Ice Golf at the time.

Modern snow golf is actually credited to Tina Blomme, who created the game in 1996 and incorporated Snowgolf, Inc. in 1998. According to Wikipedia, “After developing all the products, rules and regulations, to support the sport…she [Ms. Blomme] designed and ran the first official snowgolf course next to the Ice Hotel in Quebec, Canada. Currently, she is setting up the 5 year Snow Golf Global Tour and 2020 Global Championships, in an effort to officialize the sport internationally.”

Meanwhile, there are recurring events like the Ice Golf World Championships, which have been played almost exclusively in Greenland (twice in Austria) since 1997 on the world’s northernmost golf course which is actually an ice shelf that gets reshaped every year by nature. So you may be playing the same course, but you’re never really playing the same course.

However, as cool as that may sound, the next fact may snap me back to reality. The fact has to do with where and when these tournaments are played. This year? The tournament was played earlier this month in Switzerland. Now, as desirable as a trip to Switzerland may be, whether for golf or not…, do I really want to be there in January? I’m having a hard enough time handling the snow and cold here in Connecticut! But Switzerland in January?!

I accept the fact that the people who play in these tournaments have a desire and, what I can only describe as, love for the sport. And these people make me feel like more of a pansy for not playing below fifty degrees. But I’ll tell you what…you can call me a pansy. At the end of the day, I’ll be the pansy in shorts and a polo.

Swing ’til you’re happy…as long as it’s warm enough!

Home, Home On The (Indoor) Range

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Is the simulator an adequate stand-in for golf? (photo by Greg D'Andrea)
Is the simulator an adequate stand-in for golf? (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

For anyone reading this who does not live in the northeast, you may or may not be aware that it’s been snowing here recently. I could go ahead and say there’s been a hell of a lot of snow…and that would be an understatement.

It has snowed so much, and been cold enough for very little of it to melt, that we are simply running out of places to put it! Honestly, the snow from two storms ago is still buried underneath the more recent nor’easters! And there’s even more expected this week!

So with all the snow and tough driving conditions it creates, it’s understandable that there seems to be a case of cabin fever spreading throughout the area. And it was never more evident than today at the indoor range.

Despite temperatures in the low to mid-teens, the weather was relatively nice this past weekend. So it seems, once the sun comes out, so do the golfers…myself included. Though it’s certainly still too cold (for me anyway) to head to an outdoor range, even a heated one, I’m willing to brave the cold for my first opportunity of the year to hit the indoor spot. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one. I guess it’s due to the recent weather conditions, but I have never seen this place so packed! I’ll tell ya…for five months out of the year, this place is a gold mine!

Now, not only is the trip to the indoor range an opportunity, obviously, to keep my game in relative order during the off-season, but it’s also an opportunity to keep my boys interested in the game. Though it’s certainly not the same as being out on the course, my boys love the indoor facility. And that’s good news for me. For a mere $20, the three of us can spend as much time as we’d like, with a bottomless ball basket, driving, chipping, putting and hitting out of the sand. And if I can keep their interest during the off-season, all the better when the temps begin to rise.

But of course, it’s on the way past the lobby and into the facility itself when they spot the golf simulators. Lucky for me, these things require a tee time, so I’m able to save myself a few bucks today, but not without the promise of a return trip.

Like I’ve mentioned previously, I’m not a big fan of practice (insert Allen Iverson impressions here). So I’m going to look at this as more of a mission to keep my kids interested in playing golf. I mean, I had fun, they had fun…we all had fun! So how could this possibly be practice? We’ll see how I feel about it next time.

But seriously, for those in the northern half of this country who are frozen off the course for the next few months, I recommend looking for an indoor golf facility. You can work on all areas of your game for the price of about two buckets of balls at your local range…and it’s warmer! Just don’t think of it as practice and it’s even better!

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Golf For The Ages

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Are old guys slowing you down on the golf course? (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

I guess there’s a lot to learn from our elder golfers. A couple times I was getting ready to tee off with a buddy when all of a sudden the inevitable happens…an old guy wants to join us. WTF! This guy is going to slow us down…or is he?

You know, some of the best stories, tips (who needs those, right?) and golf sayings I’ve ever heard came from the senior crew. It must be a stereotype derived from that old couple on “Caddyshack” that has branded the notion that every old golfer is slow. As with age comes wisdom and so does wit…here’s a good one for you guys:

A young man who was also an avid golfer found himself with a few hours to spare one afternoon. He figured if he hurried and played very fast, he could get in nine holes before he had to head home. Just as he was about to tee off an old gentleman shuffled onto the tee and asked if he could accompany the young man as he was golfing alone. Not being able to say no, he allowed the old gent to join him.

To his surprise the old man played fairly quickly. He didn’t hit the ball far, but plodded along consistently and didn’t waste much time. Finally, they reached the 9th fairway and the young man found himself with a tough shot. There was a large pine tree right in front of his ball – and directly between his ball and the green.

After several minutes of debating how to hit the shot the old man finally said, “You know, when I was your age I’d hit the ball right over that tree.”

With that challenge placed before him, the youngster swung hard, hit the ball up, right smack into the top of the tree trunk and it thudded back on the ground not a foot from where it had originally lay.

The old man offered one more comment, “Of course, when I was your age that pine tree was only three feet tall.”

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!! Respect your elders…

Prepping for My Golf Season (Not that it will Matter)

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It’s a new year, and along with it comes the giddy anticipation of a new golf season! (Photo via Pixabay)

A brand new year. Yep, this is the time during the winter when I begin thinking about my upcoming golf season. Up here in New England, it starts to get pretty cold in November. By Thanksgiving there could be snow on the ground and by the holidays, you’ve already forgotten what the trees look like when they have leaves and what it feels like to step outside without a coat and scarf.

Come January 2nd though, I’m ready for the winter to end. As far as I’m concerned, two months of frozen weather should be good enough. I just ate my ass off, drank too much beer and champaign and used up all my vacation time. If I’ve gotta go back to work on January 3rd, the ground better be thawing out and the crocuses better be coming up.

Inevitably, the realization that we have 3 more months of this shit hits me while I’m scraping frost off my windshield at 7 AM Monday morning. But instead of slumping into a wintery depression, I begin thinking about what I need to do to get prepared for the upcoming golf season.

Keep in mind that very little of this involves me actually practicing. No sir. Every year around this time, I will finally remove my clubs from the trunk and bring them inside to warm up. Stupid, isn’t it? It’s like I’ve felt bad for them the past two months…out there freezing their grips off.

I’ll bring them inside and clean them. I’ll rummage through my golf bag, remove all the scuffed-up balls and throw away greens fee receipts. I’ll check to see if I’m running low on tees and find a couple scorecards I wish remained unfound. When I’m finished, I’ll set my bag down next to the table in the dining room and let it stay there.

My wife will eventually ask why my golf clubs are in the dining room and I’ll tell her I’m stowing them in the attic for the rest of the winter. A few days will go by. She’ll ask again…”Yeah, sorry. I’m getting around to it.” A few more days pass. I’m looking at them right now as I type this at my dining room table. My new Burner driver is beckoning me to take it outside and smash one into the woods across the street.

Around the beginning of February, I’ll finally put them in the attic. And right after I do, I’ll head back out to my trunk and grab my two pairs of golf shoes. You see I’ve just returned from the golf store with brand new soft spikes (I had to bring one of the old spikes with me to make sure I bought the right ones). The ensuing two hours will be spent hurting my fingers with that stupid metal tool while trying to loosen the old spikes. Nevertheless, it puts me in a golfing mood.

Finally, around the end of February, I make my annual off-season golf purchase. Last year it was new grips and this year I need a new pair of golf shoes. Next year is the biggie and I hope I follow through on it – new clubs!

Sure, I may hit the indoor range once or twice between January and April, but it’s all the little things that really get me chomping at the bit to play again. And though none of this will ever be reflected on my scorecard, it’s nice to have something to look forward to after you realize the long, cold, winter has really just begun.

Happy January, February and March everyone!

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