Legitimategolf Forum 2.0

That's right. After two years, the novelty of California living is wearing off and I am now relapsing into seasonal, uhh, affectedness?

The weather here is fine. I cannot complain about that. But the shortening days, the advancing darkness of night, these are affecting me harder than ever. I am feeling the darkness at both ends of the day. Every day begins in pitch black, and then sunset comes harder and sooner than I remember. All this is affecting my mood as well as my power levels in the gym; the effect is quite real, and quantifiable. I do not exactly love summertime but I am now realizing how it enables me to be my best, strongest self, physically at least.

Cannot wait for the f'ing solstice.

We got in a round on Pearl Harbor Day. I played like crap but it was nice to very occasionally hit a golf ball well on a cool December day. We were the first ones out so it was really nice to play efficiently. We hope to play again on 12/15. Weather looks to be acceptable (45 degrees, sunny, little rain for the week). I really miss my old haunt, Fox Hills. They left open 3 nines. The layouts were not too long and it was possible to bounce around between the nines if there was a logjam. Plus the cost was $15. Sigh.

Now I am forced to play a tough layout and pay $25. grumble grumble.

And the lights are back. It must be Winter.

The older I get the more I hate the four month period from falling back to springing forward. Just don't like the darkness, particularly at the end of the workday. I moved south to get away from the cold, but I still have to deal with the darkness. Not sure where to move next.

GBOGEY wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2023 12:22 pm I moved south to get away from the cold, but I still have to deal with the darkness. Not sure where to move next.

As far west as possible within any time zone. Further south in the time zone would help too, as long as you are in the northern hemisphere, which you would be anywhere in the States.

DougE wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2023 4:33 pm

GBOGEY wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2023 12:22 pm I moved south to get away from the cold, but I still have to deal with the darkness. Not sure where to move next.

As far west as possible within any time zone. Further south in the time zone would help too, as long as you are in the northern hemisphere, which you would be anywhere in the States.

El Paso, TX. No state income tax. As far west in the Central time zone as you can go. Hot and dry. Brown mght be the most prominent color found on a golf course.

Please nobody move to the very westernmost edge of your timezone just to get some extra twilight holes in. It is a devil's bargain. Not a lot of people know this. But whatever extra daylight you get at the end of the day, you lose from the morning.

legitimatebeef wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2023 4:06 pm Please nobody move to the very westernmost edge of your timezone just to get some extra twilight holes in. It is a devil's bargain. Not a lot of people know this. But whatever extra daylight you get at the end of the day, you lose from the morning.

Totally agree, as much as I hate the early evenings / darkness before the workday ends, the overall shorter days are an issue as well.

FWIW, I spent 20 minutes last night on a Sunrise/Sunset website that I use to plan golf tee times. Around Charleston, sunset bottomed out last week at 5:15. We are already back to 5:18, although we won't make 6:00 until mid-February. My old neighborhood in NJ was 4:31. Ojai, BTW, a miserable 4:45.

Looking around the country, Columbus, GA bottomed at 5:31. Hardly a golf Mecca and you might as well be in Hellabama. Florida is a total no-go for me.

The biggest surprise is that @bkuehn1952.2 , master of much information, was "WRONG." El Paso, in turns out, uses Mountain time. But near El Paso there is Odessa, TX, which bottomed out at 5:45. Again, not exactly a golf Mecca.

IMO, days that the sun goes down before 6:00 p.m. are generally sucky, at least in terms of daylight.

GBOGEY wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2023 6:21 pm FWIW, I spent 20 minutes last night on a Sunrise/Sunset website that I use to plan golf tee times. Around Charleston, sunset bottomed out last week at 5:15. We are already back to 5:18, although we won't make 6:00 until mid-February. My old neighborhood in NJ was 4:31. Ojai, BTW, a miserable 4:45.

Thanks for looking that up. It is even worse because this is a valley, and the winter sun sets behind a mountain. So it gets dark a few minutes before actual sunset.

However, don't want to get too morose right now, for today is the solstice. It has been an especially rough ride for me this year (perhaps owing to the aforementioned sun setting behind a mountain situation) but alas we have made it, friends. Now let us look forward to a literal brighter tomorrow.

Rained out here lately. But looks like next week we'll be in shorts again. That's right. I like wearing shorts now. I am as surprised as you.