It's January 6. Not only is it not snowing, it's 65 freakin degrees. I was in Jacksonville for the Super Bowl 2 years ago and it wasn't this warm. I was one of a whole bunch of idiots, er, golfers who braved the harsh conditions 2 days ago at Nonesuch River in Scarborough. True, you couldn't get a tee in the ground without bashing it with a club but so what?

In some ways the conditions couldn't be better for great scoring. Not only do you get to call "Winter Rules" and roll your ball but you also get some good breaks when your ball sproings off ponds. The greens, while not very receptive, were fast and rolling beautifully. My 34 on the front needed only 13 putts as I knocked in 3 six footers. Believe me, that's freaky good for an 11 handicapper like me.

I'm not feeling like this is the start of 2007 so much as an extension of 2006. And while I actually like playing in less than ideal weather one of the reasons I do is because the crowds are thinned out by the fair weather set staying home. Well, the throng at Nonesuch on Thursday looked like the mall the week before Christmas and our tee time was delayed by almost 45 minutes as hordes of giddy men (no women) descended on the 1st tee. I saw one guy in shorts and that seemed a little extreme but the bar was open so who knows? Nonesuch is well known as the last stop of the year as well as the first and the crowd was decidedly leaning toward the hardcore yet cheery.

So, my hockey rink is nothing more than a rectangle of boards on my lawn. My cross country skis have cobwebs on them. If you live in Maine you really need to come to peace with winter and find diversions. Now that my diversions seem like a thing of the past it's time to embrace another truism about Maine life - the need to be flexible. If that means keeping my clubs AND my skis in the car, then I'm good with that. I may need a bigger ride but I have now golfed IN MAINE for 11 straight months. Who needs Florida? Here's to a round in February!

E-mail this entry to a friend