I’ve never loved the summer. Growing up in a college town, June and July were dead as a door nail. As a guy who loves action, it was not my speed.
As life has evolved, lots of things have changed, but my lack of love for summer has not. I don’t need to go to the beach because I live 100 yards from one. I don’t need to feel that Florida heat, because Mississippi heat is Florida heat on steroids. I don’t need to go see the palm trees, because I have three in my front yard.
What I do love is when July ends and August begins. Though it’s still hot as blazes, soccer and football start percolating, as do my autumn thoughts and the most wonderful time of the year.
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Our summer crowds at the golf course are a little different down here. Mostly local. Mostly get out early, get in before the sun fries you. It’s hot. Brutally hot some days. The tourists love spring, fall, and winter, but not so much summer.
But this past Saturday, something interesting happened. As I started interacting with the day’s players early that morning, I immediately felt something different. This was a fall crowd. A football crowd. Lots of LSU fans. Some tourists. Some big groups. A couple of families. A bachelor party.
It got my blood flowing…
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August 1st to January 1st is my favorite time of the year. Every year older that I get, I enjoy this time of year even more. Traveling to new places. Attending new stadiums. Seeing fall leaves. Playing fall golf. Watching all the games.
It’s an incredible time to experience life and just feel wonderfully alive. This year, I am more excited than ever, which is a great measure of the effectiveness of the journey.
It all gets kicking in about two weeks’ time when I play in my first Assistant’s Championship at the old school Laurel Country Club. Soon after, one of my childhood buddies is coming to see what The Secret Coast is all about. Immediately after he leaves, I’ve got another tournament, albeit more laid back and fun than the first. As August comes to a close, the big man and I are heading north to Michigan, a five day journey with all sorts of cool stuff on the docket. Later in September, I may get way out of my comfort zone and try to tee it up with the big boys, though a part of me knows that’s still likely a few years away. I’ve got fun tournaments in October, November, and December, but I’m most excited about the November family fall trip that, as much as I like new things, will be at the exact same cabin outside of Chattanooga where we all stayed a few years ago. That trip was so bananas good that we all agreed it could and should be replicated. Fall leaves, fall temperatures, the hot tub, incredible golf, great food, a charming town, games on the TV, and the kids playing.
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One of the only hard and fast rules of the journey is to never wish away a single day, let alone an entire season. But I know where my heart lies, and I know how I start to feel when something amazing is just around the corner.
Have a great week.-Benj
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