Now that February is in the books, I admit to being a bit relieved. Let me explain. At the end of 2012, I (like many others in the WNY golf community) had played 22 consecutive months of golf in the Buffalo area. Like many of my fellow hackers, I was hoping that the streak would continue into a third year. But, as January arrived in more typical winter fashion with cold, wind and snow it sure looked like the streak would come to an end.
Then, unexpectedly, in mid-month, the temps began to rise, the snow cover slowly melted and it suddenly looked like golf in January would be an actuality. As the fateful weekend approached, it became more and more likely that golf would be played. By Saturday, texts and emails were flying between my fellow club members. Terry Hills was definitely going to be open on Sunday and plans were made to meet at the local hash house and make the trip down the Thruway to that quaint town of Batavia, NY.
That’s were things began to get dicey for me. See, I had made plans to hang out with my Significant Other on the Sunday in question. Nothing earth-shattering, but, plans just the same. On the morning of the fateful day, as the temperatures slowly began to rise, I sat at the kitchen table with a cup of Joe and the Sunday newspaper dreaming of teeing it up. I even received a phone call from a fellow player wondering where the game was going to be. After finishing the call, I off-handedly mentioned to the S.O. that some of the guys were heading out to Batavia to play. Without looking up from the Target Ad she had been studying, she said, ‘Do you want to play today?’
I’m not the brightest bulb in the room, but even I could see this loaded question rumbling down the road like a runaway train. I could commit relationship suicide and jump on the golfing offer or I could feign eager interest in spending the day looking at shoes in the local mall. Either way it was a tight-rope walk that I was not sure I was prepared for.
So, I did what any red-blooded male would do in that situation. I lied. A white lie that in my heart I really believe is not a lie at all. So, I told her that I really wasn’t too keen on driving all the way to Batavia and bundling up against the elements and trudging around in what would more likely be a soupy mess of a golf course and that I was looking to hanging out with her. She smiled and, looking up from another ad, said, ‘It’ll be fun’. All was right and shortly we were headed down the road to a day at the mall.
The mall was expectedly crowded and there were plenty of ‘visual distractions’ to keep me occupied as we ambled from store to store. At some point, I didn’t even regret the fact that I was inside when I should have been somewhere on the back nine at Terry Hills.
By the next day, the weather soon turned back into January-like and my chance to keep the streak alive was gone. But, I am sure I did the right thing. I spent quality time with someone I care a great deal about and, as a side dividend, I loaded up the ‘good will’ bank account. I’m not sure if I will ever use it, but, it actually felt really good to do the right thing.
So, now February is done and the streak would have ended one month later had I played in January. I made a choice that I was prepared to live with, but, it now makes it a lot more palatable knowing that the streak was doomed from the start. And, hopefully, as the real WNY golf seasons looms on the horizon, a new streak can be started.
BTW, I’m curious if any out in the Buffalo gofing community still has their own streak still alive. Drop me a line if you do.
