I just put my clubs away for a while. Not for the season, though. I hope to play sometime during the inevitable January thaw, — those magical days that come in the middle of a Cape Cod winter and last for about a week, when the temperature creeps up to the lo-50s and the snowbanks begin to shrink.

It’s time to clean the clubs, sort through the bag, toss the old towels that are ripped and soiled, and clean the spikes of my shoes. I found an old water bottle, one half of a Nature Candy Bars- Peanut Butter, my favorite, and a couple of old gloves that have seen many better days.

I wish I had the courage to play in the cold. But the balls bounce wildly against the hard ground. My hands freeze in spite of the winter gloves and the long underwear is never flexible enough to get in a full swing. And my hair? Under those wool caps, it just goes wild with static electricity. I’m dangerous to myself around metal objects! Zap! Kapowee!

Even the Massachusetts Golf Association stops posting golf handicaps. They know from experience that no golf score entered at this time of year is accurate. Frozen ground and icy air do strange and weird things to golf balls.

So I shall put my clubs away for a while, and read and watch golf videos and practice my putting in the living room with that automatic putter thingy I got last year. As the holidays approach I can only wish for the Golf Santa to bring me something fabulous.  Here’s hoping the same for you too.

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