THEY ARE CALLED "DIE-HARDS"

Every golf course has them. When the weather is terrible, many golfers actually call or come to a golf course, to see who is “crazy enough” to play in this kind of … conditions. These golfers are called, “die-hards”; those inside the shop, or those who stayed home, the ones who say are “sane”, are called “fair weather golfers”.

If a “die-hard” sets time aside to play golf, little, if anything, will deter him from enjoying the sport he loves. He will actually enjoy, and learn from the torture of playing in the middle of 40mph cross-winds, hole after hole; “Hey John! –that is if John actually had the courage of joining-, did you see how the wind took that ball across to the rough in the left? Man, next time I’ll aim farther right!” If they play alone, they don’t care. They are learning (Tom Watson, right, was always known to be a fierce competitior in bad weather, where he excelled. No wonder he won 5 British Opens!)

Conversely, “fair weather” golfers, who make up the majority of players (no secret here), only want good weather conditions or their round will not be as enjoyable. These golfers, only play in bad weather when they are forced to. For instance, if they signed up for a tournament and on “D” day, they don’t think they can come with an excuse good enough not to show up, they will end up playing. Otherwise, you have no idea how many times, we’ll have a tournament, and players will call in the morning, “hey pro, cancel me out please. I forgot I had some honey-do’s. If I play today, I won’t be able to play next Saturday either”. Sure pal, sure!

Using this logic, one would conclude that bad weather is good for family matters, and for that matter, not so good for golf course revenue. And, of course, the opposite would hold true once the temperature reaches 70 degrees and the winds stay below 10 mph. That is when you can rest assured that golfers with honey do’s will have an instant attack of morning amnesia or a sudden return to their teenage years, “Honey (mom?), remember that I stayed home the first two weeks of April?” (he did, but the leak in the kitchen grew worse because he was glued to the TV which was showing the majestic views of The Masters)... “Can this leak wait until Monday? Look at the weather! I can’t pass this up! Alex will be there making tee times and arranging groups for everyone! Next week Rosales, Ramirez and Gonzales will have an advantage if I don't play today, and it’ll be hard to beat them. Besides, remember that I said that this is my year and I intend to win the City Championship? You understand, don’t you?”

“Sure”, the understanding wife says, “but only with one condition: before you leave, at very least, call the plumber. You stayed home last week alright, but you did not even call the plumber. If someone does not come today, you’ll come back to the biggest water hazard you’ve ever seen, and I guarantee you that the penalty will be worse than stroke and distance, Capish?” Oops, there it is! I hope this really doesn’t really mean that good weather is bad for family relationships!

Any advice from the golf doctor? YES: “GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER, THEN COME TO THE GOLF COURSE!”