“Good-Bye Summer”

Today I realized the end of summer is here.  For me, I’m always sad to see it go.  August has slipped away, the summer heat is fading (thank goodness) and the air is cooling to a crisp autumn breeze.  My flip flops are getting pushed to the back of the closet and my golf tan lines are beginning to fade.

Seeing my golf tan lines disappear feels like

I am saying goodbye to a friend.

You see I love my golf tan lines and I do not consider it a tragedy at all that I have any.  In fact, the more defined my golfer’s tan lines are, the more triumphant I feel.  It means I have been outside soaking up the vitamin D while playing this game!

Some of my “signature” golfer tan lines include:

• My garmin watch and golf glove tan line on my wrist
• My golf shoe tan line that keeps my feet a ghostly white
• My skorts tan line that never seems to be the same length  

While these tan lines may look awkward and will take some time to disappear, they remind me to celebrate my love and joy for this great game of golf!

For me, my golf tan lines are a rite of passage, a membership card for a club united by suffering and exhilaration.

It’s a simple equation: The deeper the golf tan line reaching to the edges of a golfer’s arms and legs, the more miles they have logged walking the track and hitting the ball.

I am pretty sure if I show a local golf league my golf tan lines, they would gaze in awe at my deeply tanned lines.  

And when I see golf tan lines on fellow golfers, I recognize how dedicated they are and often wonder how many rounds they have completed in the last week or month.

But you know what?  Instead of succumbing to the end of summer blues and the loss of my golfing tan, it’s the perfect time to look back with gratitude at all the sweet, summery golf moments where I acquired my golf tan lines from the last few months. Because I believe if you’re going to get a tan, get it the right way – playing golf!

My Reads from the Reds:  Full-body evenly toned tans are just boring!

Fairways and Greens – We are 18 Holes and Counting!

Written by Kathy Festa