At a well-traveled 74 years of age, there isn’t much I haven’t seen. But on my ride back to Connecticut Wednesday from a round of golf played in 90-degree heat in New York State, I spotted a tableau beside the road that was a first for me: Cows, on a hot day, hanging out in the shade of colorful umbrellas. The scene was on a farm in Canaan, CT, beside State Highway 44, and I was struck by how each of the calves was positioned under an umbrella and savvy enough to stand in its shade. I snapped the photo below.

Contented Cows in Canaan

This is my week to be impressed by the animal kingdom. Today, I received a note from the company that works for the Pawleys Plantation Property Owners Association. The community had been pretty much overrun by herds of wild hogs in recent months, and a new company was hired to bait and trap them. This week alone, a total of 22 hogs were caught, 16 alone on Wednesday night. No word on whether a barbecue is planned.

The golf courses depicted below have two things in common: They are located inside the boundaries of full-service golf communities, and they are all open to the public. Those who play golf only once a week, or seasonally, might find that paying as they go is a solid financial alternative to initiation fees and dues. In the latest issue of Home On The Course, our mostly-monthly newsletter to be published and emailed tomorrow, I explore the states of play for both options. Subscribe for free now.

Pawleys13fromside 1Par 3 13th hole, Pawleys Plantation, Pawleys Island, SC

Viniterra from tee boxPar 5 10th hole, Viniterra, New Kent, VA
Cypress Landing par 3 15thPar 3 15th hole at Cypress Landing, Chocowinity, NC
Savannah Lakes Tara Finiisher 118th hole, Savannah Lakes Village, Tara Course, McCormick, SC