“Hey Mike, how about writing a column about the golf season that never was in 2009?”
That comment, made by a close friend and fellow chipster, fell like a hammer on my cranium recently.
For more reasons than I care to admit, the 09 campaign was not filled with great personal highlights – the likes of which would have inspired PGA Tour commentator Johnny Miller to ramble on as he does sometimes.
Nope, it seemed to be one disappointment after another.
I can still remember the lowest day of the year, when I arrived back home from a weekend golf trip to Niagara Falls on May 31, only to witness snow falling on the fairways at my home club.
Yes, it was a day filled with so many lows that hamsters were spotted playing handball against the curbs.
But before I get too depressed, there were actually some really cool moments that made me smile.
My good friend Gary Kennedy recorded a hole-in-one in October, while playing a casual round with friends.
Bobby The Blade, Stumpy and Wanker were all in fine form at various times during the summer, dishing out their commentary on issues well beyond the reach of mortal men. Deep thinking is an art form cultivated over time, as wisdom and knowledge are harvested.
A minor shoulder injury, along with a stress fracture in my foot, ended my golf season five weeks ago.
Normally I’d play into the first week of November, if the weather co-operated.
Bobby The Blade and I would normally play that final round, bundled up against the elements, with ski mitts and wool caps warming vital body parts.
To be perfectly honest, I had thought the 2009 season might be my last playing the grand old game of golf.
Hardly one to give into putting slumps or the odd wayward drive, frustration with my wedges nearly had me abandoning the game entirely.
Short chip shots around the green have always given me nightmares and this year it became even more frightening.
After pleading with a few people for help, golf professional Mike Gunson took me to the practice range for what turned out to be 25 minutes of torture.
In that time span, I must have hit more than 100 balls.
Returning to the clubhouse, I downed two bottles of water without even blinking.
Working with Gunson, I soon discovered my body setup was completely wrong and my swing was also way out of line.
With some adjustments and tinkering by Gunson, it quickly feel into place.
And major smile was back on my face.
So now thoughts of hurling my golf bag (with clubs included) off a fishing pier have been abandoned, replaced by a sense of confidence that I can still shoot some decent scores.
But what I’ll remember most about the soggy and chilly golf season of 2009 will be the great guys I shared rounds with.
In addition to cementing friendships with guys I’ve enjoyed being around for decades, it also gave me a chance to spend hours on fairways with ladies and gentlemen I knew little about.
While I’m not sure what the experience did for them, I know it enriched me.
So yes there were a ton of days this summer when it wasn’t the best weather for golfing, boating or whatever sport or recreational activity turns your crank.
But it was time mostly well spent.
And as my wise golf friend Tony Crist noted not so long ago “Mike, you’re a long time dead.”
So now if you will excuse me, I have to go out and buy some gas for the snowblower.
Where did summer go?
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