Warm holiday wishes for golfers

Well, the holidays are here and it's such a wonderful time of year. It is funny as I remember as a kid on Long Island all the Christmases it did not snow, I would go out and play golf, freezing cold, never thought about it, We had a blast.Then, add a new club you found under the tree and you couldn't race off to the first tee fast enough. The course I grew up at had an 18- and a nine-hole course. The first hole on the nine-hole course had a short par-5 to start with and there were two ponds on the hole. They would be frozen solid that time of year, as were the fairways. If you could hit a good drive over the first pond and it took a hard first bounce on the fairway and skipped toward the second pond, once it reached the ice it would take off! I loved chipping my second shot onto that par-5 green and tapping in for eagle.I have been down here in Florida most of my adult life and it stills seems a bit off, if you understand. Any chance it could snow , maybe just a flurry? What about one flash of really cold air sweeping through from the north ... nah, guess not.First, let me wish every one of you a happy and healthy holiday season. I wish each and every one of you a great new year, and may your families be safe, and sound. We are blessed in this country, no matter how tough the times we will endure. That is what Americans do.I have a few golf wishes for the upcoming season, and would like to share them with you.-- 1. I hope each and every one of you has that career round, the one with that special bounce at just the right time. The one with the long snake that finds the hole. The one with the chip-in out of nowhere just when it seems the tide had turned. Next thing you know, you're adding up the card, and can't believe your eyes.-- 2. I hope drug testing in golf is never an issue.-- 3. I hope we get to see Tiger show us more magic.-- 4. I hope we see someone show Tiger a bit of their own magic.-- 5. I hope more little girls try golf this year; not nearly enough junior girls in the game.-- 6. I hope golf provides each of you this year with a vehicle that brings you at least one new friend.-- 7. I hope you hit a miracle shot you'll never forget.-- 8. I hope you introduce a friend you already have to golf who has never touched a club before--9.. Help someone find their ball when they lose it.-- 10. Say a prayer for my friend Fred Couples, the back is not good at all.-- 11. I hope you get to play that course you have always wanted to.-- 12. I hope you spend more time on your short game.-- 13. I hope you get to see your favorite senior player win one more time.And finally, I hope you give back something to this great game we love so much .I hope all your golf and life dreams come true this season. We are blessed to know this wonderful game.(Tom Patri's teaching academy is at Lely Resort in Naples, Fla. Patri is one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers in America. His book "The Six Spoke Approach to Golf" is available at bookstores and online. He can be reached at tpatri@mindspring.com or go to www.tompatri.com.)(Golf World is a feature of the Naples Daily News in Florida at www.naplesnews.com.)