As I write this, our deck is covered in about 16 inches of snow where it hasn’t drifted, thanks to high winds, to over 2 ½ feet. Just one week ago, some of the Hartford, CT, area golf courses announced they would be opening in a few days. The day before opening, it snowed about two inches, certainly enough to dash the plans of even the most serious and sturdy of golfers (the latter is not me anymore). Yesterday, the snow had melted almost to the point of playability. But today, blizzard conditions not only put a blanket of deep snow over the area, but it also put a damper on any possibility of the golf season in southern New England starting before April 1.
This is why so many of us long for a vacation home or permanent home in a warm weather area. (A friend told me on the phone that it was 85 today outside her home in Las Vegas.) It is also why I have seen an uptick in the number of questionnaires readers of my web site and newsletter have filled out in the last two weeks, about three times the typical rate this time of year. Snow is good for the guy who plows my driveway, for supermarkets and for me.
But that doesn’t mean I like it. We golfers have an internal clock, and when Daylight Savings Time kicks in, it is natural to think the golf season should as well. For all you fellow New Englanders -– and this applies to everyone north of the Mason-Dixon line -– here is tomorrow’s weather forecast in selected cities of the Southeast. According to weather.com, there is a 0% chance of rain in every one of these locations tomorrow. Perfect sweater weather golf.
Amelia Island, FL 59 degrees and sunny
Sarasota, FL 63 degrees and sunny
Pawleys Island, SC 47 degrees and windy;
Hilton Head Island, SC 52 degrees and sunny
Lake Oconee, GA 49 degrees and sunny
Aiken, SC 48 degrees and sunny
Greenville, SC 45 degrees and sunny
The scene on the back deck of our home, and it is still snowing (and blowing). It will be a while before we can use the grill.