December got here just way too fast this year and most likely for each of us it is a time when we must squeeze in a golf playday as we attack a greater number of “to-do’s” before the end of the year.  Though this always seems to be a hectic and rushed season, I ask that each of us pause and reflect about our abilities and our opportunities as golfers.

We are privileged to play golf.  Perhaps that statement sounds a bit absurd, but step back and think about it.  If we are able to play golf, we have not only the ability to do so, but we have a body healthy enough to allow us to do so.  We also have the financial means, even though the price of our fun has gone up, to play more than once or twice a year.

We also have the freedom and flexibility in our days to get in eighteen holes when Mother Nature entices us with one of her more spectacular offerings:  mild weather, a crisp blue sky, little breeze, and a day that just beckons, “Drop everything and go play golf.”

Yet, there’s not one of us who has no other obligations. 

Several of us take care of other family members or we put in volunteer hours with charitable organizations.  We also hold office in other golfing affiliations and clubs of interest.  We even hold down jobs or part-time jobs that are flexible in their work hours.  But we all make time for golf.

Golfing allows us to extend our active years.  It allows us to enjoy the beauty of nature on courses away from the usual touristy areas of cities visited.  We’ve stopped to see a gorgeous hawk sweep past with burnished gold wings glistening in the sunlight.  We may have paused to listen to waves pounding a shoreline far too close to where we hope that ball will land.  We’ve watched cottontails scurry for cover or deer graze leisurely as they’ve become accustomed to our being nearby.

Yes, we are privileged to play golf.  Add that to our list of blessings in this holiday season.  May you, too, experience peace and joy.

Jeanne Parsley
President 2009-2010