In case the persistent sultry heat, the preponderance of thunderstorms and the incessant conversation about a fifth-round NFL draft pick named Shadeur Sanders hasn’t made it obvious, we have arrived at the middle of August, when the weather is typically as appealing as week-old sushi.
The good news is the start of football season – Labor Day weekend is New Year’s Day with shoulder pads and sweat stains – is fast approaching and the bad news is the Bermuda rough is deep enough to lose a small child in.
For many of us, this is also the golf solstice, the dividing line between “it’s still early” and “it’s getting late.”
It’s a time of year when there’s no good excuse for playing poorly unless, well, you’re not nearly as good as you think you are.
It’s that time when we’ve played enough that we can’t explain the rise in our handicaps on this being a new season and it’s close enough to quarter-zip weather that it’s tempting to sigh and surrender the fight, accepting the idea that it’s too late in the year to start another swing change – though it’s never too late to test drive a different putter.
It’s a time of year when there’s no good excuse for playing poorly unless, well, you’re not nearly as good as you think you are. And who among us (we’re not talking to you, Scottie Scheffler) isn’t guilty of that?
Ideally, a golf season should be like a nice flight. A smooth climb out, a long cruise in clear air and then a slow but satisfying approach to couch time when the sun sets before the 9-to-5ers can get to their cars to squeeze in a late nine or a quick range session before dinner.
But golf isn’t like that. There are flight delays (the spring thaw in your game hanging around until early summer), clear-air turbulence (a sudden bout of the shanks or the chipping yips), spells of spectacular scenery (that round at Pebble Beach that seemed worth every dollar), that beautiful stretch when it seems as if you’re not even moving (the way you putted in the member-guest) and, inevitably, a bumpy landing (also known as turning 76 into 81 over the last three holes more times than you care to recall).
Those of us lucky to play enough golf understand the life cycle of a season. Those golf shoes you got for Christmas need a good cleaning now. The grips on your wedges are getting slick from overuse. Your Venmo app may be fire-engine red.
While the major championships are over, our personal golf seasons are not. They have, however, reached the tipping point for many of us. It’s like chasing daylight – there’s less of it each day now.
The good news is August will eventually expire – it always has – and for much of the country, there’s no better time for golf than the fall. And, it’s never too early to start working on next year.
Ron Green Jr.
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Top: Vlad Georgescu, getty images