With the New England fall season wrapping up, it’s sad to know our time on the course is slowly coming to an end. But fall golf is one of the best parts of the year, and we should appreciate it. Coming off the summer season and the high temperatures, there’s nothing golfers want to do more than play a quick afternoon nine while racing the sun’s clock. Fall golf is an adventure in itself, and I’m going to tell you about the good, bad, and ugly sides of it.
Starting with the good of fall golf, and the main reasons we all keep coming back to the game: nothing beats playing a round in the crisp autumn air with the beautiful foliage in full effect. It’s moments like these that make you look around and truly appreciate the outdoors.
Fall golf is also the time for pants, hoodies, and quarter-zips. I know for a fact that finding cute, functional golf pants is a struggle for most women who play. I struggled with finding a good pair myself, but let me tell you, the Lululemon Dance Studio Pants will not let you down.
During the summer season, I’m always wearing a skirt and polo. Don’t get me wrong, it’s one of my favorite outfits; however, nothing beats the amount of pockets and space fall golf attire gives. Everything has a place, and it makes walking in the chilly weather a little more manageable.
As for walking in the fall, nothing compares. Whether you’re strolling with your friends, family, or even alone, fall golf is the perfect time to get your steps in and tee it up. It’s not like I have anything against taking a cart out; I just enjoy soaking up the autumn breeze on foot.
Another bonus to golfing in the fall is the firm fairways. I’ll never complain about a few extra rollout yards off the tee (if you can manage to hit the fairways).
While I love fall golf, there are a few annoyances that I have to overlook every now and then when I’m out on the course. For starters, I’m not the one in control of my start and end times. The sun is setting earlier and earlier every night, which only gives me a couple of hours after school to play. The worst part is watching the sun go down while I still have a few holes left. It almost becomes a matchplay competition, but my opponent is in the sky and waiting for me to crack under the time constraint.
I don’t get the leisure to practice around before I go out anymore. I played a few days ago and hit seven balls on the range before heading to the first tee. My warm-up consisted of four seven-iron shots and three drives, and honestly, I kind of loved it. I was so focused on getting out that I hit each ball carefree. It helps that I walked to the tee box, set my bag down, and striped it down the middle.
While the occasional annoyance out on the course doesn’t bother me too much, there are a few aspects of fall golf that I truly despise. Picture this: you are feeling excited for an afternoon round of fall golf. You go into the pro shop and get a new sleeve of Pro V’s, line them up, and add a few dots. You head to the first tee and hit your drive. You leave the face open slightly, and it has a baby slice, landing in the rough. No big deal, right? Except it’s not summer anymore and the trees are growing more barren every day. The ball lands one foot right of the fairway, and suddenly you’re becoming Sherlock Holmes, except you don’t have a magnifying glass and this isn’t a clue to a mystery. In fact, the only mystery I see is how a white golf ball can look so much like a red leaf. By my seventh mistaken find, I’m fed up and ready to move on from the hole entirely.
If my ball lands in the rough during this fall season, that’s one thing. But it’s getting to the point now where my ball can land in the fairway, and I still can’t find it. For those familiar with a gallery drop, this is definitely the season to use them.
Don’t get me started about early morning frost delays. Sometimes, it’s impossible to win against Mother Nature. Just when you think you can play an early round and face no issues with the sun’s timer, the overnight chill freezes the grass and delays your 8:00 a.m. tee time. It’s a lose-lose situation! Play early and get delayed, or play later and get rushed.
The sunny and nice weather days during the fall golf season are breathtaking, yet the windy days with no sun will truly leave you with shortness of breath. I love a light layering moment or even a vest, but when it’s cold enough that I have to bundle up and can’t move my arms to my backswing, that’s when I get fed up with the fall golf season.
But hey, that’s fall golf for you. It brings good days and bad, and always a perfectly executed shot that keeps you coming back for more. I’m blessed with a passion for playing golf that only those who play the sport will truly understand.
While the autumn golf season on the course is filled with annoyances and truly infuriating moments, there’s no better way to spend the last bits of fall than outside, on the course, and playing golf with your friends.
