Having weathered the brutally cold and snowy opening months of the year, and then having been almost mired in the mud and melancholy of a March-madness rainstorm, we may have wondered if we’d ever escape from the clutches of old man winter. What to our wondering eyes should appear but, thankfully, the blessing of an early spring! March did indeed go out like a lamb, and as April ushered in the sights and sounds and smells of springtime, I could not withhold from conscious thought a Robert Frost poem I’d learned years ago, which kept echoing in my brain.

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower,

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf,

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

 

These verses may remind us to savor the sweetness of the present moment, however ephemeral and quixotic it may be. For if carpe diem is our mantra, we may consider a longer lasting satisfaction from our annual April exercise of teeing it up once again on route to a much anticipated season of coursing the links. To wit, permit me to “warm up the Frost” a bit with a touch of my own poetic imagination.

 

Golf’s first green is always tough

To hold when hitting from the rough.

An early round’s not easy

When April’s fairly breezy.

Then round gives way to round;

Alas! Your swing is found.

Go out, join friends, and play

Our great ASGA!

For sure, ASGA beckons you to “seize the day” (and evenings!) of the many and varied events we have scheduled for your enjoyment. In the past several weeks we have already relished a few marvelous gatherings whether with hors d’oeuvres, wine glasses, or golf clubs in our hands. On Saturday evening, March 27, fifteen of us ascended the escalator to GolfTec in Stamford where George Emmons had organized our annual, pre-season indoor clinic. The young pros there did a magnificent job in analyzing and adjusting our golf swings, be they for full shots, chips, or putts. The finger foods, pizza, and beverages only added to the fun and fellowship we experienced even before hitting the fairways. Masters Sunday, April 11, saw over twenty from our group converge on a spacious home in Southbury to watch the final round of the first and arguably most glorious of the PGA Tour’s four major championships. Each rooted for his or her favorite to win the coveted green jacket, which evoked cheers and knuckle bumps among us. What made the event extra special was the community-like effort we exerted in bringing a pot luck dish to share and in blending our otherwise cacophonic voices to the melody of “happy birthday,” much to the self-effacing surprise of our host, Nancy Clark.

Speaking of “exerting community-like effort,” a most important value of our organization, which requires all our careful consideration to keep on our conscious level and put into practice whenever we gather for events, is that of hospitable welcoming and inclusion of one another. In fact, it is especially incumbent upon board members in our capacity as leaders as well as upon past board members and other ASGA chapter veterans to be particularly hospitable toward newcomers and to make an extra effort at our events to mingle among those we see less often. It is only natural for people who are closer friends in our chapter to associate among themselves, though actions of reaching out to, mixing and talking with others speak volumes about the openness, friendliness, and accessibility of us all. I raise this sensitive yet significant issue because there has been some uncomfortable feeling concerning the perceived “cliquiness” of our chapter, which our board recently addressed and deemed worthy of all our attention. I reiterate a chapter policy that we are not accorded preference as to whom we play or not play golf with; pairings are designed so that we play with and get to know a variety of chapter members over the course of a season. Hopefully we will continue to carry that spirit of friendly “mix and mingle” into the clubhouses or restaurants where we socialize.

As of this writing, our first outdoor golf clinic on Friday, April 16 is a possible “go” yet a more likely “postpone” due to impending bad weather. If it turns out that the April 16 clinic has been cancelled, then in all likelihood it will be rescheduled on a later date. After all, who among us could not benefit from full shot instruction? So keep your eyes fixed on ever-emerging email reminders from our communications guru, Barbara Seiter. The headline of this month’s newsletter concerns our first 18-hole outing at Sterling Farms Golf Club in Stamford on Sunday, April 25. This same event and venue exactly a year ago boasted temperatures well into the 80’s and most golf scores well above that! May we hope for a similar reading on the thermometer but lower numbers on our score cards this time!

Our chapter’s biggest event this spring is the “Foxwoods Overnight” on the third weekend in May. Don Andersen has again organized two 18-hole outings: Friday, May 21 at Fenner Hill and Saturday, May 22 at Shennocosset. Friday night lodging is at the Bellissimo Grande Hotel, which runs limos most of the evening to and from Foxwoods Casino. This year members from the Hartford Chapter will be joining us for this overnight and two days of golf get-a-way. A mere few days later a number of our chapter members will travel to Pinehurst for ASGA National’s annual Memorial Weekend jamboree. To my knowledge, Aline Goetz, Cyndy Hofer, Mary Hudson, Jane Hughes, Tom Maniscalco, Maureen Markelon, Charlie Miller, and Bill Rilley will be participating from our Fairfield Chapter. If anyone else will be going to Pinehurst – or to any other non-Fairfield sponsored ASGA event in the future – please inform Barbara Seiter so that she can make it known to our membership at large. Sometimes folks from our chapter attend non-chapter ASGA events that others from Fairfield attend, but they’re not even aware beforehand that they will be at the same event. Keeping us all informed this way may contribute to increased connections and solidarity among our membership. Finally, the rest of our season’s outings and events are listed below (note some additions and minor changes since last month’s newsletter) as well as on our website: www.asgafairfield.org.

Just remember: if “nature’s first green is gold,” then golf’s eighteen greens are worth every penny of it!

Charlie Miller President