I know people sometimes like to talk about how something was the “best ever” or “life changing” or some other sort of wild hyperbole.
But when I say that this is the greatest early spring I can remember in my Minnesota golfing life, I’m being serious.
I walked 13 holes last night after work at my club. It wasn’t warm, but it was certainly pleasant enough. I’m playing again tonight with my buddy Chris. It might be 13 more holes (yes, the 13th green is by the clubhouse) or we might be able to sneak in a full 18 holes.
Either way, it will be the 20th time that I have teed it up for at least nine holes. I’ve already played nine different courses this year. Now five of those rounds and courses were played during an early March trip to Texas, it has still been an unbelievable run here.
I played my first Minnesota round of the year on March 11. I played a second round a week later on March 18. My club opened on March 21st and I’ve already been out there 11 times. I played 216 holes in March (12 18-hole equivalents) and waked 189 of those holes.
To put that into perspective, my first Minnesota round a year ago was on April 9 and my club didn’t open until April 13. There are people I know who won’t play 11 times this year and I will have played 11 times at my club prior to last season’s opening date.
Just as amazing and surprising as the amount of golf played has been the course conditions. My club is in unbelievable condition. The greens are fast, firm and true. It’s like the middle of summer. I spoke with our pro yesterday and said they’ve had to put a little water on the greens to make sure they don’t get too fast. In April. Yesterday, the greens were running 12 1/2 on the stimp. It was a day in which they normally roll the greens, but that was skipped.
You had to be very careful about where you left your ball. I hit it above the hole on No. 1 — never a good idea — and promptly putted it off the front of the green. Front pins were very difficult to get it close to. You had to think your way around the course.
It sure didn’t seem like April
Only Golf Matters 
Jeff, couldn’t agree with you more. Even on Long Island, I’ve played more this winter/spring than I have in any other year. The greens in March were as good as they’ll be this summer. While I’m not a member of a CC (well, I kinda am in an “illegal” sense), I can’t believe how great the overall conditions have been at the public tracks I play. Now I really have no excuses this summer 🙂
Re: I know people sometimes like to talk about how something was the “best ever” or “life changing” or some other sort of wild hyperbole.
I know a guy who talks that way about golf shoes!
Re: I know people sometimes like to talk about how something was the “best ever” or “life changing” or some other sort of wild hyperbole.
Hell, I know a guy who talks that way about golf shoes!