Seasons

Breaking news: Summer is really over in New Jersey!

I cannot believe this as I sit here typing in the beginning of November and this is my thought.  This simple thought was triggered by the fact that this past Sunday was our group’s final official round of golf.  The golf season where we play starts in April and ends in October.  In my mind, this is a warm weather sport, which means that golf season = summer.  Last round of golf = end of summer.  Weird, huh?  When I was young, I remember equating summer with no school and going to camp.  In retrospect, summers are now much longer than the July and August school break (or June to September for college age). 

As I had these thoughts, I began to realize how our perceptions change as we get older.  When I first learned to play golf, it was at Camp Echo Lark, where we had a golf-pro teach us how to play.  Golf was a game that both my grandfathers played, and at the time, the golf pro was about their age (or so it seemed from my point of view).  Since my father did not play, in my mind, golf was for older folks.  Fast-forward about forty years and some of my friends decided to learn the game.  After the first year that they played, I joined the group.  Our tee time has been early on Sunday mornings, so that when we are done, we still have the full afternoon. 

I am not a grandparent, and years younger than the age of my grandparents were when I first learned to play golf.  Truth is, we are up early, doing an outdoor activity, having some laughs and hanging with friends.  It is funny, my brother has played golf, we have friends that have children that play, but my perception did not change until I had the clubs in my hand.  I am not a good player, but I still go out (yes, I had to get over the fear of being a bad player).  I play with an old hand me down set, but I play.  And now, the clubs get put back into the garage for next year, for you see, summer is officially over…this year.