Shaking Hands at Tower Ranch GC

July 1st is Canada Day. But a more celebratory day for me was strolling into the clubhouse and seeing a server smile at me. No mask. You see, British Columbia entered a new phase and no masks were required indoors as our province reached a vaccination clip level. I had the mask on when entering, took it off and then headed next to the pro shop and the person taking my green fee had no mask. Liberating! I ventured outside to meet my friend Tony as he was in from Vancouver with his gang. I hadn’t seen him for a couple of years since meeting him on a fun golf cruise of Eastern Canada. He reached out with a smile and we shook hands. Hmmm…that seemed natural and was great to do after 15 months.

I was introduced to a stranger playing in his group on the first tee. He shook hands with me without hesitation. People have wondered if the clunking of clubs, fist bumps and elbow bumps would replace the handshake. I guess being a sales guy all my life, a handshake is a natural greeting. A golf round that starts and ends with a handshake makes a game whole. Now I will no longer take it for granted in our “new” world. Will you shake hands?