Six years ago, I was introduced to a new feeling that I had never felt before: the Winter Golf Blues.  How am I just experiencing this you may ask?  As a kid who grew up his whole life in California, the idea of a real “winter” was just something you saw on TV or dealt with for a weekend on a vacation somewhere cold.  You know, somewhere with real “seasons” (queue Daniel Tosh seasons joke).  The best part of living in a place that skips the miserable seasons?  Year-round golf.  Middle of December golf in shorts and a polo?  Count me in.  The only thing you had to battle was how early it gets dark (a whole other winter misery in itself).

The Typical Winter Golf “Itch”

Well, six years ago, I packed my bags for Chicago, and have had to deal with a “real” winter every year since then.  And every year for the last six years I get what I call the “Winter Golf Blues” followed by the massive golf itch that comes with it.  From December to March, I find whatever reason I can to play golf.  Heading to California for the holidays?  Bringing the clubs.  Temp cracks 40? Yeah, I’ll play.  Indoor golf? Yup.  Heck, Bill and I even tee it up at the Eskimo Open every year in sub-10° temps.  Why?  Because we are Driving Range Heroes.  Diehards who love the great game of golf.  Players play.  That’s what we do.

But Something Is Different This Year…

But this year, it’s been a unique and weird experience for me.  I honestly haven’t had much of a desire to golf, at all.  Now hear me out.  I’m sure come February, the itch will be back.  But to this point, I haven’t had any desire to play.  I headed to warm, sunny California for the holidays and didn’t even bring my clubs (although I did smack some old persimmon woods with my dad at the range so he can learn to golf).  We’ve even had some spurts of good weather here in Chicago, and yet I’ve avoided the course and/or driving range like the plague.  No indoor golf so far this year.  Nothing.  But why?

Well, I have a few theories.  For one, I got to play a pretty sweet course with the DRH team later in the year, and deemed that the “end” of my golf season.  I haven’t played since.  It was that good.  On top of that, I had myself a pretty solid round.  Maybe ending on such a high note has carried me through the slump of winter weather?  My game was also in a decent place, so maybe that has given me enough satisfaction to last through winter?  Or maybe it’s other hobbies I have picked up that I’d rather spend time on, versus aimlessly whacking away balls at the range in freezing cold temps.

Looking at this realistically, however, I think it’s two things.  A combination of the first scenario, mixed with the fact that I really hate winter.  I despise it.  I think it has gotten to the point where my hatred for the cold now outweighs my desire to golf.  It’s at the point where I no longer want to play when it’s less than 50° out.  That seems like a more logical answer.  I think they call it “seasonal depression” or something.  Or maybe I’m just a grump.

But, have no fear readers, for I am a Driving Range Hero.  Come my work trip to Orlando in February, the itch will be back and the clubs in tow.  I’m sure of it.  My love for the game will be renewed, and the addiction will resume.  Because you know what they say: once a Driving Range Hero, always a Driving Range Hero (or something like that – that’s definitely something people say).