Conference 7.286::golf

	 Oh, how  I envy those fortunate souls who live in Florida, Southern
	 California,  Spain or anywhere where you can play (comfortably) all
	 year round...

	 Golf in  Sweden  this  time  of  year (apart from the extreme south
	 where you can play all year if you're a REAL mean Viking...) is not
	 enjoyable.   You  can't  play  in  the  morning or in the afternoon
	 because  the  sun  rises at 7.30 and by five in the afternoon it is
	 pitch  dark.   And  we're only in October yet - wait until December
	 when  we  have  only six hours of daylight...  The fact that we can
	 play  until  23.00 in the summer is not much of a consolation right
	 now...

	 Actually, most courses close about this time.  My club ( �gesta GCC
	 outside  Stockholm)  has  started using winter greens already.  And
	 when  the  temperature hardly manages  to creep above 5 �C very few
	 people feel like playing golf anyway.

	 My clubs  are now safely tucked away in the attic, lovingly cleaned
	 and  polished.   Some  of them may be taken out for a short trip to
	 the  indoor  driving  range (a big tent) when it opens, but most of
	 them  will  stay in the attic until the season starts again in late
	 April.  Or, if my finances improve, for a trip to Spain or Italy in
	 March...

	 Mr. Litby

	Re: 47.0

	What happens to your clubs when they come out of the car in November?

     re .2:
     
     They go into the cellar (the attic is filled with insulation) until
     April, unless I find some $$$ to go off to Florida or the Carolinas
     or one of the islands.
     
     Except for the putter, which usually stays upstairs where I can
     rug-putt all winter.
     
     --Mr Topaz

    Here in Vermont the length of the season is fairly short also. 
    My clubs are in the trunk now only because I took them to Mass a
    couple of weeks ago to play with some old college friends.  Normally
    they are in the basement by now. :-(
    
    	My father-in-law keeps inviting me to Flordia in late winter.
     Maybe this year I'll tale him up on it!!!
    
    	What's going to happen with this notes file over the winter?
    Since we won't be playing golf we can share our dreams of shooting
    66 with 3 putts on 17 & 18!  Then again maybe we'll just double
    bogey 19 all winter!!!
    
    				Keep in the middle
    					KO

    	Here in western Massachusettes, I have been playing once a week
    still and will continue to do so until it snows or the temperture
    drops below 40 degrees Far. which is coming very shortly.  So far
    we have had pretty nice weather, considering the time of year, to
    play in.  The scores are generally a little higher because of the
    weather and course conditions, and probably because of playing a
    little less often, but I still enjoy it.  
    	As mentioned earlier, the leaves can cause great aggravation,
    but fortunately, there is one course that we play on regularly that
    is kept very well and the leaves are blown or swept off the course
    at regular intervals.  If you're interested, the course is 
    Southampton C.C. in Southampton, Mass..  The course is in very good
    shape for this time of the year, although using many temporary tees.
    All the greens are in good shape and are being used.
    	So the clubs are still in the car and when I do take them out
    and bring them into the cellar, they will most likely stay there
    for a long time as I'm considering strongly on bying a new set this
    winter.  
    
    PS: Depending on how bad the winter is, we sometimes
        can start playing as early as late Febuary or early
        March if you don't mind the cold to much.
    
                                       Paul W.
    

    
    I played in a 3-Man Scramble 4 weeks ago.  It was a cold day,
    threatening of rain when we started out.  One of my partners chipped
    in from off the green on the first hole to start out with a birdie.
    It started to drizzle, so on the next tee I put on my new Jack
    Nicklaus, Gore-Tex rainsuit that I had just purchased the previous
    week.  The rain gradually got heavier, but we kept doing fine,
    finishing the first 9 at 4 under.  
    
    By the time we started the second 9, the rain was heavy, and the
    wind was picking up.  The temperature was around 40, and my gloves,
    grips, and hands were soaked.  We didn't fare quite so well on the
    back nine, finishing 5 over, 1 over for the day and out of the money.
    We did pick up one skin though.  
    
    My gore-tex suit kept me dry, but everything else was soaked.  I
    laid everything out in the basement to dry, and that's where its
    been ever since.  There have been a few nice days since then, but
    with daylight savings time, and booked up weekends, there hasn't
    been a good opportunity to go.  It's trying to snow here in Minnesota
    today and barring a 50 degree day in Nov/Dec (not unusual), that
    could be it for this year.  Besides, I've started reading the skiing
    conference.  
    
    Keep this notesfile going, rules interpretations and stories of
    warm weather golf trips might help us make it through the winter.
    
     

Yesterday all the members of my club got a letter saying

	"Where are you? We should point out that both courses are
         still open, and in great shape! The greens are still
	 open, at least for the time being..."

They probably noticed that the courses were deserted, and now they are
wondering why nobody is playing... 

(Temperature right now is 4 �C ...)

-- Mr. Litby

    With the temp here in Phoneix in the mid 70's and the snow birds
   
    still up north it has been great on the courses. It was a little
    tricky for a couple of weeks as the replanted the greens for the
    winter. I am looking forward to playing once a week this winter.
    This time of year makes up for having to play in 110 type temps
    in the summer. Hope that you all have a good winter.
    

     My last round for the season was played during the Christmas holidays
     at Cape Ann (Essex, MA), and my clubs have been cleaned, polished,
     and stored until April '87. I'd never played this late in the year
     (December 27), and it was a challenge to share a 'Public' Golf
     Course with "rabbit" Hunters carrying loaded shotguns! While putting
     the 7th. hole, a couple of Hunters walked across my line of putt,
     then they proceeded to search for game in the marshes next to me.
     It's interesting to note that the Cape Ann Golf Course was officially
     open for business, and we payed the normal 'Green' fees that day.
    
    						regards,
    							Bob