Here's to the Organizers

Its late February and out here in the West the first hints of spring are starting to show. Longer days, a slight warmth to a winter breeze. Golf season is right around the corner. In light of that hope and expectation lets give a nod to those special people in our friend groups. The ones who can somehow juggle and email chain and 2 toddlers, who can remember when the final date to modify or cancel the Airbnb is, who can research golf course slope ratings against handicaps while on a zoom meeting. Let’s give a nod to our designated organizers.

If you don’t have a designated organizer, then I doubt very much your weekend plans, much less your annual golf trips ever leave to group chat phase and start to form into reality. You need that friend, the one who wont just send you memes of getting drunk on the course and hero pictures from Golf Digest’s top 50 but will send a well thought out, extremely early email with a course, time, destination, Airbnb, flight options, dining options, and a realistic budget. That person is a god send. That person does 10 times the work for usually half the enjoyment. They’re the ones who will pre-pay a tee-time and then stress about finding friends to fill it, the ones that hope everyone enjoys the course, that the restaurant is as good as Yelp purported it to be. They’re willing to endure the risk and responsibility to ensure hier own, and everyone else’s, enjoyment.

If you can’t readily identify your designated organizer, then guess what, become it for your group. Your own golf game and enjoyment will thank you. Start with baby steps, suggest a driving range session after work or grab a simulator bay for an hour or 2 and invite your golf buddies. Trust me, they’ve starving for it. Everyone wants to go but no one wants to be the eager beaver inviting friends to their self-made party. Its awkward but take that first step and be confident that they will follow.  Try booking a round next, most courses book at least 7 days in advance, some 10 or 14 with a pre-payment. Bottom line, take the risk, eat the responsibility, and play more golf with the people you love playing it with. I’ll be there, watching your long awaited, hopeful tee shot sail OB. See you out there.

-          The Starter