Roy Denning doesn't take a practice swing. A brief pause is all that separates the motions he uses to tee up the ball and then send it hurtling down the first fairway.
A few days after Christmas, Baywood Golf Course is windswept and empty. The only other sign of life on this Wednesday morning is the country music wafting from the radio belonging to a construction crew working on a distant house. Despite the bright sun, the temperature is still in the low 40s.
And nobody cares.
Denning, John Smith and John Videki are part of the Baywood seniors. At 69, with a tight white beard, a wide tan hat and an easy smile, Denning's the youngest of the three.
The group plays most mornings at the 18-hole course near Eastover and can swell to as many as 25 in the warmer months.
This time of year, it's down to a hearty few.
For them, exercise, fellowship and the desire to get out of the house trump the cold.
Videki swears that, as long as the sun is out and the wind stays calm, you barely notice the chill. They say the key is wearing layers. Packing an extra towel to wipe a runny nose doesn't hurt either.
You can buy hand warmers in the pro shop or coffee at the snack bar, but all three say they never do.
Sure, they'll spend time in the clubhouse, watching the morning news or telling stories. But they're usually just waiting out the frost.
"If it's frozen or anything like that, it breaks the grass," Smith said. "But we'd play if they let us."
William McArthur joins the group on the third hole. He had to run home. He usually keeps his clubs in his car, but holiday chores forced him to take them out. He remembered that only after he showed up at the course.
He said on frigid mornings he'll get strange looks when he tells people he's heading to the course.
"And I look at them crazy when they're working," the retired McArthur said.
Reality could soon intrude on the group's winter routine.
The course's out-of-state owners have been trying to sell it since 2004. If no buyer can be found in the next three weeks, it will close.
The Baywood seniors understand they may have to find a new home. But on this day, the future - like the cold - doesn't come up much.
Videki's windbreaker doesn't make it past the first hole. By the time the group hits the second green, Denning has shed his jacket.
"It feels nice out here to me," Videki said. "It's a perfect day to play golf."
Staff writer Stephen Schramm can be reached at schramms@fayobserver.com or at 486-3536.Source: http://fayobserver.com/articles/2012/01/02/1146680
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