The arrival of spring -- nature's reminder to play golf

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John Maginnes says there's something about spring that awakens the golfer in him.

If you're like me, then you're ready for spring. If you are one of those people who lives in Arizona, Florida or Southern California, then you don't know what I'm talking about, and that is fine. But living in North Carolina for my entire adult life, I know joys that you will never know. Take last week, for example. After working the first four weeks of the season for the PGA TOUR Network, I finally had some time off. I saw snow at the beginning of the week and glorious 60-degree sunshine to end it.

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The first part of the week my kids were excited. The second half got me going and surprised me a little bit. I must confess something. I haven't really enjoyed playing golf since my career ended a few years ago. I enjoy playing with my kids, but going to a driving range or puttering around the club just hasn't been my thing. There are too many memories lurking in the shadows, too many conversations about then and now. Something happened this week, though, and I have to admit that I am more than a little excited about it.

To watch the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines on TV after having been there more than a dozen years and knowing that Pebble Beach is on the horizon stirs something within me. Now when I travel to those places, I bring throat lozenges and a computer instead of a club glove and dreams. But Pebble was always my favorite week of the year. Somehow, knowing that I will probably never play there again doesn't sadden me anymore. I can live with that because of afternoons like Friday.

I really hadn't thought too much about my own golf game for a few years. But Friday I decided to do a little experiment. I went to the driving range at Sedgefield Country Club, home of the Wyndham Championship. I was there just to make a few swings. I was there to have a little fun outdoors for a change. The range was busy as you would expect. The mercury hadn't risen out of the 40s in weeks, and here it was pushing toward 60 under perfect, sunny skies.

My first few swings were bad ones. I made a few more, and they weren't any better. Now, I have been known to give advice that I don't take. I have always told snow birds that they should start each new season on and around the putting green. This helps you find your tempo a little faster. Going straight to the driving range after a long layoff is not particularly productive. As a former PGA TOUR player turned working-stiff, all I can say to that last piece of advice is -- so what?

Going to the range and making three decent swings out of a hundred is still fun. To rip the driver that has been sitting lonely in the garage all winter and hear that sound makes the heart beat. The sound of a driver, especially the new ones, is distinct. What is interesting is how different it sounds when you hit it rather than when you stand next to someone else who is hitting it. I probably noticed that before but never paid attention. Back when I was a TOUR player, the voices in my head probably drowned out most of golf's great melodies.

If there is one thing about being a golfer living in a place with four seasons, it is the anticipation of spring that highlights the year. We know that in spite of our 60-degree weekend and the amazing forecast, winter will circle back around on us. We know it and, we don't care -- not on days like Friday.

There are at least a dozen TOUR players who live in some of the less inviting climates: People like Jerry Kelly, who lived in Florida for a time but moved back home to Wisconsin a few years ago; Steve Stricker lives in the Badger state, as well. Tim Herron is back in his native Minnesota after a stint in the desert. He must have missed the ice fishing. These guys could live wherever they want, so why would they choose places that spend a good portion of the year under a blanket of snow?

Some will tell you that they wanted to raise their kids where they grew up, and you can't argue with that. I would guess that they also missed that first day when spring was imminent, and the outdoor world began to thaw. That first day when golf became more than just the pictures on the office wall but also a real-life option.

Days like that are the reasons we play the game.

John Maginnes is a columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the PGA TOUR.