September Used to Feel Different

There's a particular energy in the air this week that I notice every year without fail — the move-in-day chaos, the dorm shopping lists, the slightly frantic energy of people herding overstuffed cars toward campuses.

This time of year used to look very different for me than it does now, and for a long time I genuinely didn't know what to do with myself once September rolled around. Here's what I do know: I found the thing that filled it in, almost by accident, and it turned out to be golf.

The Part I Didn't See Coming

I did not grow up playing golf. I came to it the way I came to most things in my life — a little late, a little sideways, mostly because Mark wouldn't stop talking about it and I got tired of sitting out. What I expected was a hobby. What I actually got were mid-week games with new friends, a Saturday foursome I'd genuinely be sad to miss, and golf staff who ask about my trip to Newport before they ask about my swing.

I did not see any of that coming. I thought I was signing up for a game. I ended up signing up for a place.

Why This Time of Year, Specifically

There's something about September that used to feel like a countdown to quiet for me — summer wrapping up, a certain kind of energy fading out along with it. I don't feel that anymore, and I've thought about why. I think it's because the course does the opposite of quiet down this time of year. Our regulars start trickling back from vacation, right as the weather turns into the single best stretch New England has to offer. Cooler mornings, that first hint of color starting on the trees, air that finally feels like you can breathe it instead of wear it — if you've never played a round here in October, I genuinely don't know how to explain it to you except to say: come find out.

So instead of a countdown to quiet, I get a course filling back up right when it's at its most beautiful. Instead of an empty calendar, I get people who notice if I don't show up. The only real complaint I hear this time of year is that the crowds come back before the Jets lose enough games to be officially irrelevant for the season — which, fair, is a scheduling conflict I have never once solved for anybody.

An Invitation, If Any of This Sounds Familiar

I won't pretend everyone's version of this season looks the same. But if your own house got a little quieter this week — kids back in class, a calendar that suddenly has room in it you didn't have all summer — well, someone has to use those open tee times. Whatever brings you to the Rock, we're glad to see you.

What's your favorite part of the fall golf season? Tell us in the comments.

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Book a Tee Time at Shining Rock

Whatever brought you here today, the course is in some of its best shape of the year right now. Come enjoy the cooler fall mornings and book your tee time this week — the fairways are calling.

🍽️ Delicious Deserves a Taste

You don't need a tee time to enjoy Shining Rock — come by for lunch, dinner, or a table with a view. Reserve Your Table Here

⛳ Your Favorite Fall Event Returns

The Two-Man Invitational. 12PM, Friday, October 16. Grab a partner and get in — open to members and non-members alike. Lunch? Check. Gifts? Of course. Prizes? Big. Dinner too? Delicious. Registration closes September 18. Register Your Team Here