Column by Ken Cohen
September 27, 2013 — September is without a doubt my favorite month of the year. And weeks like this past one only add to its allure. How perfect was it – daytime temps in the 70s, no humidity and the leaves starting to flaunt their colors. The only downside is that darkness sets in a little too quickly. But then again, the sunsets have been spectacular.
From a sports perspective, it’s everything you could want. The start of football season – high school, college and professional – always gets your attention, even the marginal fans. I always feel the sports season starts when football kicks off.
There’s the end of the baseball season – after 150 games or so, you can now watch truly meaningful games. Golf has the Fed Ex Cup playoffs to keep that sport somewhat interesting past the summer. (Though I still don’t like a playoff system where results from the regular season carry over to the post-season). Auto racing has its Chase Series, tennis the U.S. Open and even boxing this year had the highest grossing fight of all time.
It’s some spread –- if you want to stay inside and take it all in. But when the weather is this good, going to games and still playing yourself is as good as it gets all year. You can actually go to a football or soccer game in shorts and a t-shirt not flannel jeans and a down jacket. You can still run with a tank top, play tennis outdoors or golf without any layers. To be honest, the golf courses are always in their best condition in September when grass growth is stunted and there is little rain. The Villa Roma greens right now may be as fast and good as they’ve ever been. They are rolling at an 11 on the Stimp – the device used to measure green speed. That’s a speed usually found only at tour events or exclusive private courses. I’m sure other courses are strutting their finest stuff as well right now. Add in the vibrant backdrops and golf right now in this neck of the woods is pretty special.
Yes, it all comes with the clock ticking. That one or two minutes it gets darker earlier each night certainly presses in on you very quickly. I don’t need light until 9 like the summer time, but when I have to program my outside lights to go on at 6, it just feels like the game is ending.
That’s still weeks away so let’s not go there yet. Enjoy the rest of September and October. And who knows, maybe Mother Nature will deliver another mild winter and the greens at the Villa will still be nice in January!