First off, my apologies for being less than consistent with my articles lately. I’ve had people asking me why there have been some weeks with no Golfer’s Diary and I’m extremely flattered that people actually miss my writing. The answer is simple: I have newborn twins. In a decade or so, perhaps they can be part of these articles, but right now they’re pretty time-consuming.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get down to business.

Over the past several weeks (again, with some gaps in time), I’ve been doing course spotlights for some of our great local golf courses. The plan is to continue exploring the great facilities in Chautauqua County, but this project also got me thinking about what makes a course fun. I’m sure it’s different for everybody, but here are a few factors:

GREENS — Everybody loves a nice green. Some people prefer them to be lightning fast. Others like them a little slower. What we all like is a green that’s well taken care of. Truth be told, the main thing I look for in a green is that it’s true. I want it to break where I see breaks and be flat where I think it’s flat. There are few more frustrating experiences in golf than thinking you hit the perfect putt only for it to break away unexpectedly at the last second. I have little doubt that green maintenance is the hardest part of caring for a golf course, but it has to be the No. 1 reason players love or hate a course. Going along with this point is a practice green. This is especially true when it’s a course you’ve never played before. You want to get out there and see how fast they cut them and how receptive they are to lob wedge shots or a pitch-and-roll technique.

SCENERY — When you ask golfers why they play the game, a lot of them will include “getting outside” or some variation of that on their list of reasons. There’s no question that it feels great to get some fresh air in my lungs while I play golf, but it goes deeper than that. I need the surrounding area to add to the experience. I want to stand up on the No. 7 tee box at Cassadaga Country Club and look out over the entire course and Cassadaga Lake. I want to smell those sweet Concord grapes as I walk up the fairway of No. 6 at Pinehurst Golf Club or No. 7 at The Vineyards. I want to see a blue heron looking for a snack in the ponds at Rosebrook Golf Course in Silver Creek or Sugar Hill Golf Course in Westfield. These are all things that don’t necessarily make for better golf, but they sure add to day’s enjoyment.

CLUBHOUSE — Ah, the old 19th hole. Being able to sit at the bar and have a beer with your buddies is an amazing way to end a round of golf. Add a burger to that and you’re approaching paradise. A course doesn’t necessarily need a bar, restaurant or even a pro shop, but it does need to have a friendly face to greet you. Like with any customer service position, it’s important to be treated like a valued patron or even a friend. It’s never happened at a golf course, but I’ve certainly been to stores where the clerk treated me like an annoyance. Just give me a smile when I come in, maybe talk a little golf with me, tell me about any course conditions that are worth noting and let me get to having fun.

CARTS — I can’t be alone in thinking a terrible golf cart can actually ruin a round of golf, right? Please just give me a cart with some juice so I don’t have to worry about not making it up that slight incline. Several places I play often have invested in new golf carts recently and the difference is noticeable.

What else would you put on this list? One personal nitpick I have sometimes is with tee box grass length because I don’t tee my ball up very high at all. If the grass is long, it can make for an awkward vision of the ball. I imagine women and seniors are more aware of where the various colored tee boxes are at different courses. I can see how that might influence how likely you are to play a specific course.

It’s nice to be talking golf again and I look forward to hearing what readers feel is important to them.

Until next time, golf is great. Go get some.

Stefan Gestwicki is an OBSERVER contributing writer. Comments on this article can be sent to golfersdiary@gmail.com.