The Quiet Season Tom Olkowski, Ph.D. MTT Contributing Writer It seems like all it takes are a few blustery weekends, the first announcements for ski sales and the Broncos' opening day kick-off to convince many golfers to shelve their clubs and proclaim an end to the golf season. True zealots, however, feel certain there really is no such thing as an end to the golf year. In fact anyone willing to dress for the occasion and endure less than balmy temperatures knows you can play golf in Colorado twelve months a year. But rather than calling an end to your golf for the winter, you might consider the thought that those months when the weather grows colder, the hours shorter and golf courses less crowded actually constitute what might be called golf's "quiet" season. The concept of a "quiet" season offers us a number of pleasant possibilities. First, because fewer fair-weather golfers venture out, tee times become more abundant, the pace of play improves, and the opportunity for a more relaxed, less competitive style of golf emerges. And, with even the slightest it of luck, you and a friend could possibly play an entire round while encountering no more than a handful of other players on the course. Furthermore, golf courses are often at their prettiest in the late fall colors and golfers can take more time to enjoy the scenery. The "quiet" season also offers a time for reflection on the year past - on the courses you've played, the people you've met and the unusual things you've experienced while wandering the fairways. For instance, this season I played eight courses I'd never played before. These included The Sanctuary, which might just be the most beautiful golf course I ever lost a ball on. Another was Luana Hills, a rainforest course on the island of Oahu, where I not only caught a glimpse of a mongoose, not your usual golf course sighting, but also got to play with my brother Dennis, our first round together in over 25 years. On that same trip I arrived alone for an early morning tee time at the Kaanapali Resort course on the island of Maui where I was paired with the only other player in sight, a friendly fellow who just happened to be from Boulder. So by the luck of the starter's draw, there we were, two Colorado hackers who'd never met before, playing together 3,600 miles from home. Aside from golf itself, I worked on the Colorado Psychological Association Shrinks 'n Links Golf Tournament to help raise money for the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado. Two Sundays a month I volunteered as an ambassador at Arrowhead golf Course where I got to enjoy the gorgeous Colorado scenery that constantly bedazzles out-of-state golfers. Carrying my camera with me on my appointed rounds, I snapped photos of coyote pups playing in the high rough, herds of deer nibbling on scrub oak, and a red fox brazenly sitting on a tee box as players teed off less than 30 feet away. And while playing with friends at Coyote Creek in Ft. Lupton, I marveled at huge flocks of highflying sandhill cranes on their annual migration southward. Those are all images and memories that will remain a delight to me during my "quiet" season, not to mention the lifetime supply of errant golf balls I rescued from the weeds as each golf day drew to a close. Finally the "quiet" season provides us a time for some always-needed self-assessment, those casual moments when we can evaluate our games, determine the areas we need to improve in, and set our goals for the season ahead. As part of this process, I personally enjoy reading, not an instructional manual but golf psychology and fiction - Beyond the Fairway; Zen Lessons, Insights and Inner Attitudes about Golf by Jeff Wallach and Missing Links by Rick Reilly are just a couple of gems worth noting. And on a final personal note, my wife Jeanne and I recently moved into a new home that, through a stroke of good fortune, has a basement floor covered with a dark green carpeting on which I plan to spend snowy afternoons practicing my putting. So, you see there really is no end to the golf season, just the busy season and the "quiet" season, and I hope you enjoy yours. Tom Olkowski, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Denver who already envisions himself as someday being able to output Brad Faxon.