Late August and early September provide local workers an opportunity to relax for a couple of weeks – and for this local worker to relax enough to rant a bit about golf on this peninsula.

Throughout the Midwest, from now until leaves fall and hide balls from golfers who don’t carry battery-powered leaf blowers in their carts, it’s time to enjoy some of the best conditions and temperatures of the year.

Workloads wane in September in Door County, but workers who clock out at 4 or 5 pm find precious little time to enjoy the fairways and greens at their best.

To make matters worse, at least in the northern half of the county, the employee pool shrinks at the same time as the daylight hours, providing fewer workers to keep courses open and fewer hours for golfers to enjoy the courses after work.

Frankly, many local courses don’t provide enough after-work, late-afternoon and early-evening golf opportunities. More than one Door County golf course told me this year that the last cart had to be back at the clubhouse by 7 pm. Some courses close and don’t want any golfers walking or riding on the course after employees depart for the evening.

It’s aggravating, but it serves as a reminder of the high demand for services and entertainment and the finite amount of workers in comparison to residents and visitors who want to enjoy all this peninsula has to offer.

This avid golfer and full-day worker loves this place and its courses, but longs for 5:30 pm tee times and a return to the clubhouse at dusk.

The Mysteries of Golf

In a summer where I spent less time playing and practicing than in the previous 10 years, I put together one of the most magical rounds of my life – only to stink up the course the next day.

Too cheap to pay for lessons, last week I sidled up to Peninsula State Park Golf Course teaching pro Matt Stottern and asked, “Why is it, when I hit the ball better and farther than I have in my life one day, I totally lose my golf swing the next day?”

“It happens at the highest levels of golf,” Stottern replied. A touring pro might shoot 62 one day and lead a tournament, then fall back to reality and shoot 73 or 74 the next day, he said.

That bad day after a stellar one might result from what that golfer did or didn’t do the night after the great round. Or maybe that golfer hit one bad shot on the range in the morning on the course. Then the golfer’s mind might wander from thinking they had reached golf’s promised land to doubting their abilities or habits.

According to Stottern, pros generally can overcome doubts and correct flaws (from sheer practice and playing time) more quickly than amateurs and weekends-only golfers. A pro golfer can spend every hour of a day or a week correcting a flaw or rebuilding their confidence, but a once-a-week golfer might need two months to get over a bad habit or negative thoughts.

As for me, I always found that I could get over bad shots by playing and practicing with two balls for nine holes, or even three balls for six holes. I’d wind up with both an 18-hole score as well as nine-hole scores for the two different balls. I might see good results and break 80 on one ball and see poorer results on the other, but playing two balls and extra shots would show me that I could succeed on various shots and in various situations.

I have an older, more seasoned golfing buddy who believes his actual score matters much less than his phony score after hitting mulligans. Sure, taking mulligans is cheating, but hole after hole, when he hits a better shot on the do-over, he reminds himself of his potential. In turn, he winds up playing better golf when he keeps a real score and doesn’t take extra shots.

Frankly, pros do the same thing on Wednesday practice rounds, which help them gain confidence in their shotmaking and ability to handle difficult holes.

Nothing wrong with doing things to build confidence. After all, golf’s a mind game.