Golfers Need An Off-season

The only good thing about being a die-hard golfer in a cold-weather place like Minnesota is that you have enough time away from the game to forget how disappointingly average at it you really are. Yes, you have just enough distance between your last tee time and your next one to delude yourself into thinking you are a considerably better golfer then you really are and that can be fun, if you're into that sort of thing. The Spring thaw brings with it a new season of golf (which is nice) but it also ushers in the harsh realities of how crooked and short your drives are, how inaccurate and unpredictable your iron shots are, how much more your touch around the greens resembles that of a rapist and not a pickpocket, and how achingly difficult putting can be when you're always 20-plus feet away from the hole. Sad but true--winter isn't always the worst season in which to find yourself if you are crazy about playing golf.