Great topic Dino !!!
I am one who has been fortunate enough to play around the world... Canada East Coast, West Coast, Quebec, and Ontario; New Zealand; The U.S. - California, Hawaii, Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, New York, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida; as well as Scotland.
I would have to say that in most cases, golf seems to be played very much the same way everywhere other than Scotland. New Zealand had some interesting terms for pull carts "trundles" and one of the courses we played we had to check in once we were done instead of before hand because the shop was closed for tea when we got there. The biggest difference between the courses I find is the vegetation mix and the types of grass both on and off the greens. However other than the agronomy differences, most places seem to enjoy the game the same way. Then comes Scotland. There, I played all but one round in a foursome, and whenever you were playing with locals you could count on no more than a three hour round :) If you happened to be last to tee off in the group, no sooner does your club make impact with the ball, and the other three are off trudging up the fairway to their ball. No time is wasted waiting for you to put your head cover on, and you are off running to catch up.
I do so love the game, and I have met so many many many wonderful people from all walks of life while participating in the sport at strictly a recreational level. To me the game is a never ending pursuit of "IT" but more importantly an opportunity to meet new friends and share good times with old ones.
Here in Barrie, Ontario, my favourite season is the early fall. I love the temperatures and the unpredictability of the weather. The courses are fully mature by then, just before the end of the season hits. The sad part (as you noted) is that it is a short season and when fall hits we are reminded that it will soon be time to retire the clubs to the basement for another pouting season.

Darius