If you're reading this instead of practicing your putting, there's a pretty good chance you fall into one of golf's largest and most passionate groups: the weekend golfer.
Weekend golfers aren't chasing tour cards. They're chasing one pure drive, one made putt, and one unforgettable Saturday with friends. They play because golf is the perfect excuse to unplug, compete, laugh, and spend four hours outdoors.
If these signs sound familiar, welcome to the club.
1. You tell yourself this is the round everything finally clicks.
It never stops you from believing.
2. You buy new golf balls before every round.
Mostly because the last dozen are scattered across three different zip codes.
3. You warm up by taking exactly three swings.
One practice swing. Two full sends. Good enough.
4. You have one club that somehow saves your round.
It changes every month.
5. You know every tree on your home course by name.
Some of them owe you rent.
6. You celebrate a par like you just won a major.
Perspective is everything.
7. Your scorecard has more circles than actual birdies.
Those circles are usually around the holes you'd rather forget.
8. You've convinced yourself the driver wasn't the problem.
It was definitely the wind.
9. You spend more time looking for golf balls than hitting them.
At least you're getting your steps in.
10. You own multiple golf towels but can never find one.
Somehow they're all in the garage.
11. Every bad shot comes with a professional-level explanation.
Grip. Tempo. Wind. Grass. Planetary alignment.
12. You hit one perfect shot every round.
That one swing keeps you coming back every weekend.
13. You always know someone who "usually shoots in the 70s."
Just not today.
14. You believe the next club purchase will fix everything.
Hope is a powerful thing.
15. You've taken a breakfast ball.
No judgment here.
16. You remember your best shot from five years ago.
You can describe it in incredible detail.
17. Your golf bag contains snacks from three different seasons.
Emergency trail mix counts.
18. You've apologized to your playing partners more than once.
"Sorry, guys. I'll pick it up next hole."
19. You've aimed away from trouble and still found it.
It's a talent.
20. You secretly enjoy talking about golf almost as much as playing it.
The post-round recap is part of the experience.
21. You've watched a swing tip online five minutes before tee time.
What could possibly go wrong?
22. You check the weather all week.
Only for it to change on Saturday morning.
23. You've blamed your score on "not playing enough."
You're probably right.
24. You own more golf hats than you need.
But somehow keep buying another one.
25. You say you're just playing for fun.
Then spend the next four holes trying to beat your buddy by one stroke.
26. You never stop believing the next round will be your best.
That's the magic of golf.
27. No matter how frustrating the round gets...
You're already thinking about the next tee time before you leave the parking lot.
That's Why We Keep Coming Back
Golf has a funny way of humbling everyone, whether you're breaking 80 or struggling to break 100. Every round comes with great shots, terrible shots, lucky bounces, impossible lies, and stories that somehow get better every time they're told.
Weekend golfers understand something that scorecards never measure: the best rounds aren't always your lowest scores. They're the ones shared with good friends, plenty of laughs, and just enough great shots to convince you that next weekend might finally be the one.
At The Next Fairway, we believe golf isn't just about the next hole. It's about the next chance, the next laugh, the next unforgettable round, and the next fairway waiting for you.
If you recognized yourself in more than a few of these signs, congratulations.
You're exactly where you're supposed to be.