Golfing In A Winter Wonderland

OK, so in the past I may have mentioned that I don't play golf once the temperature drops below fifty degrees. But now that I've been introduced to the likes of Peter Masters and Annika Ostberg, I realize that I'm being a pansy.

Most people likely have no idea who Peter Masters and Annika Ostberg are. Neither did I until doing a bit of research. But these people are some of the best in the world, as well as the first two champions, in their sport. What sport is that you ask? Well, Snow Golf of course! Actually, for arguments sake, it was known as Ice Golf at the time.

Modern snow golf is actually credited to Rudyard Kipling (yes, Rudyard Kipling the author) during his time living in Vermont. It is said that he played in the snow by painting his golf balls red and using red cups as his holes. Apparently, snow golf has been played in Vermont ever since.

But the Ice Golf World Championships have been played almost exclusively in Greenland (twice in Austria) since 1997 on the world's northernmost golf course which is actually an ice shelf that gets reshaped every year by nature. So you may be playing the same course, but you're never really playing the same course.

However, as cool as that may sound, the next fact may snap me back to reality. The fact has to do with where and when these tournaments are played. This year? The tournament was played earlier this month in Switzerland. Now, as desirable as a trip to Switzerland may be, whether for golf or not..., do I really want to be there in January? I'm having a hard enough time handling the snow and cold here in Connecticut! But Switzerland in January?!

I accept the fact that the people who play in these tournaments have a desire and, what I can only describe as, love for the sport. And these people make me feel like more of a pansy for not playing below fifty degrees. But I'll tell you what...you can call me a pansy. At the end of the day, I'll be the pansy in shorts and a polo.

Swing 'til you're happy...as long as it's warm enough!

Read more »

The Oldest Swinger In Town

"Golfer Richie McKay has been crowned the oldest swinger in town because he still plays his favourite game - at the age of 100."

Maybe I've had too much time to think with all of this snow we've gotten here in the northeast. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to reach 100 years old...nevermind still being able to golf! Stories like this make me look forward to getting out there and playing.

This is really something special. It's pretty cool to know that this game we love lasts a lifetime plus. Funny, he took up golf at 56 years of age and still has 44 years of hacking up the course under his belt. That means he has more years at golf than I do alive...I just hope to make it to 44...

I find myself relating to this story. Obviously, not in the age or years of playing category rather the passion for the game. Just get out there and have fun...

Hit em' long...live longer...yell FORE!

To read the full story click HERE.

Read more »

Golf Course Bankrupt? Blame Tiger Woods

In this recent recession, some big investment banks were rescued from a mess that company spokespeople claimed they didn't need to be rescued from. Nevertheless, they were labeled as "too big to fail" and were pulled to safety on the public's dime.

Meanwhile, golf courses have been buckling under current economic conditions those aforementioned banks had a hand in creating. The last five years have not been kind to courses in the United States. But recent data from the National Golf Foundation (NGF) suggests golf facilities in general are holding their ground fairly well.

A preview of The NGF's Golf Facilities in the U.S. report, 2011 edition (which will be released in February) reveals course closures from 2006-2010 represent just 1.5 percent of courses overall. In 2010, the figure was less than half of one percent. These statistics prompted the NGF to state the following: "Considering the severity of the recession, one could argue that golf has held its ground reasonably well."

However, despite NGF's positive spin, the raw numbers still reveal a glaring issue: Every year since 2006, more golf courses have closed in the U.S. than have opened. For example, last year saw 107 18-hole courses bite the dust, while only 46 were born. But does the recession deserve all the blame?

Remember the days (late 1990's and early 2000's) when new courses were sprouting up like daisies? And these weren't shabby municipal tracks either - many were high-end daily fee courses that featured sharp grooming and sweet facilities. I remember one such place in my area - Pistol Creek Golf Club. It was a great course (see photo at top) with a good layout, awesome grooming and a dandy club house. It opened in 2001 and closed in 2005. Why?

If you're observant, you'll note that the year it closed (2005) is well before the current recession even started. Even 2006, which is when course closures began outpacing course openings in the U.S., was a full year before the effects of the subprime market started taking hold. So it's obvious golf courses have been suffering for a while - certainly longer than the current recession.

The NGF gives a clue as to why in the headline of their press release: "NGF 2010 Openings/Closures Summary - Market Correction of Supply/Demand Imbalance Continue." Simply put, they built too many damn courses for the number of golfers out there! So the next appropriate question would be; why?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it has something to do with Tiger Woods. Now I don't have any data to back this up, but imagine it's 1999 and you want to build a golf course. I'd give good odds that Tiger would be mentioned somewhere in your business plan or your pitch to the city council: "It's this Tiger Woods, man! He's changing the game!"

But did the golf industry over-estimate the impact of the Tiger phenomenon? Sure, he was good for the game, but perhaps his presence caused too many investors, architects and designers to jump on the bandwagon and simply overdo-it. Of course, this is all just speculation, but it seems entirely plausible.

So if the juggernaut that Tiger Woods once was compelled shiny new golf courses to be stacked upon the proverbial camel's back, then the recession was only the proverbial straw. Golf, after all, is a luxury. And luxurious things are usually the first to go when money gets tight. Still, losing only 1.5 percent of courses over the past 5 years isn't terrible. But it sends a clear message: "Market Correction of Supply/Demand Imbalance" is just a nice way of saying the golf industry is shrinking, not growing.

Read more »

Home, Home On The (Indoor) Range

For anyone reading this who does not live in the northeast, you may or may not be aware that it's been snowing here recently. I could go ahead and say there's been a hell of a lot of snow...and that would be an understatement.

It has snowed so much, and been cold enough for very little of it to melt, that we are simply running out of places to put it! Honestly, the snow from two storms ago is still buried underneath the more recent nor'easters! And there's even more expected this week!

So with all the snow and tough driving conditions it creates, it's understandable that there seems to be a case of cabin fever spreading throughout the area. And it was never more evident than today at the indoor range.

Despite temperatures in the low to mid-teens, the weather was relatively nice this past weekend. So it seems, once the sun comes out, so do the golfers...myself included. Though it's certainly still too cold (for me anyway) to head to an outdoor range, even a heated one, I'm willing to brave the cold for my first opportunity of the year to hit the indoor spot. Apparently, I wasn't the only one. I guess it's due to the recent weather conditions, but I have never seen this place so packed! I'll tell ya...for five months out of the year, this place is a gold mine!

Now, not only is the trip to the indoor range an opportunity, obviously, to keep my game in relative order during the off-season, but it's also an opportunity to keep my boys interested in the game. Though it's certainly not the same as being out on the course, my boys love the indoor facility. And that's good news for me. For a mere $20, the three of us can spend as much time as we'd like, with a bottomless ball basket, driving, chipping, putting and hitting out of the sand. And if I can keep their interest during the off-season, all the better when the temps begin to rise.

But of course, it's on the way past the lobby and into the facility itself when they spot the golf simulators. Lucky for me, these things require a tee time, so I'm able to save myself a few bucks today, but not without the promise of a return trip.

Like I've mentioned previously, I'm not a big fan of practice (insert Allen Iverson impressions here). So I'm going to look at this as more of a mission to keep my kids interested in playing golf. I mean, I had fun, they had fun...we all had fun! So how could this possibly be practice? We'll see how I feel about it next time.

But seriously, for those in the northern half of this country who are frozen off the course for the next few months, I recommend looking for an indoor golf facility. You can work on all areas of your game for the price of about two buckets of balls at your local range...and it's warmer! Just don't think of it as practice and it's even better!

Swing 'til you're happy!

Read more »

Golf After Global Warming; It's Gonna Be Great!

As I sit here looking out my window at nearly three feet of snow, I can't help but wonder whatever happened to global warming? Remember that? Here in Connecticut, that soon to be extinct white stuff fell at an unprecedented rate over the last few weeks (separate storms produced 14", 11", 2", 22" and 4" of snow within 20 days).

I guess the reality is, as long as we're driving around burning the remnants of dinosaur bones and chopping down trees like Paul Bunyon, global warming is something that will eventually happen. Oh we may not be around to see it, but our great, great, great grandkids will probably be basting in warmer temps across the globe.

Sure, the glaciers will be gone; earthquakes will be rampant; and you'll need an acid-retardant suit to go swimming in the ocean, but I'll tell you this: The golf industry will have it made!

Think about that for a second. Once global warming takes hold, most golf courses will be able to remain open year-round. Do you know what that would do the economics of golf? Today, the sport basically has an economic impact of $80 billion a year. That number could easily double to $160 billion if courses say, in Minnesota, can remain open say, in January.

Let's face it, by then, people (especially the U.S.) will probably be so unhealthy, athletic summer activities like beach volleyball, biking, and anything involving running will be out of the question for most. That being the case, many would most likely gravitate to a sport where they can ride around on a cart the entire time (especially if the cart has a roof to shade them from the massive amounts of UV light that will be coming from the sun in the future).

Now then, with so many people playing golf, merchandise and equipment will be selling like hot cakes. For example, it may not be out of the ordinary for a drugstore chain like Walgreens to have an aisle dedicated to just golf stuff; "Golf balls? Yes ma'am, pass the sunscreen aisle and the water filtration aisle, and the golf aisle will be just after that."

The PGA tour will also benefit from mass amounts of people taking up the game. It will expand to have 10,000 players competing on courses all over the world! Many tour players will be as recognizable as Derek Jeter and Tom Brady (and make as much money as those guys too). Meanwhile, Hooters Tour players will actually make enough money to support their families!

Yep, golf will be so popular, the major networks will compete to broadcast the FedEx Cup in prime time! There will literally be so many tournaments, the Golf Channel will need three networks just to cover it all (unfortunately, the programming on all three will be so lame that most people will get their golf fix on ESPN's dedicated golf network, ESPiNtheHole).

Everyone will have at least one uncle who's a golf pro at some course somewhere. And instead of riding bicycles and playing catch, kids will practice putting and chipping for hours on end and swap golf trading cards of their favorite tour players.

Yes, golf after global warming will be the cat's meow for us golfers. Of course, until then, much of the world will have to settle for waiting for the snow to melt and the ground to thaw and the grass to start growing before they can enjoy this game again. But boy will our great, great, great grandkids be lucky.

So remember, just keep ruining the planet and one day your ancestors will be able to enjoy golf year-round! Of course, all the courses will be made of AstroTurf because no grass will grow due to the giant hole in the ozone, but what the hey...

Read more »

Golf For The Ages

I guess there's a lot to learn from our elder golfers. A couple times I was getting ready to tee off with a buddy when all of a sudden the inevitable happens...an old guy wants to join us. WTF! This guy is going to slow us down...or is he?

You know, some of the best stories, tips (who needs those, right?) and golf sayings I've ever heard came from the senior crew. It must be a stereotype derived from that old couple on "Caddyshack" that has branded the notion that every old golfer is slow. As with age comes wisdom and so does wit...here's a good one for you guys:

A young man who was also an avid golfer found himself with a few hours to spare one afternoon. He figured if he hurried and played very fast, he could get in nine holes before he had to head home. Just as he was about to tee off an old gentleman shuffled onto the tee and asked if he could accompany the young man as he was golfing alone. Not being able to say no, he allowed the old gent to join him.

To his surprise the old man played fairly quickly. He didn't hit the ball far, but plodded along consistently and didn't waste much time. Finally, they reached the 9th fairway and the young man found himself with a tough shot. There was a large pine tree right in front of his ball - and directly between his ball and the green.

After several minutes of debating how to hit the shot the old man finally said, "You know, when I was your age I'd hit the ball right over that tree."

With that challenge placed before him, the youngster swung hard, hit the ball up, right smack into the top of the tree trunk and it thudded back on the ground not a foot from where it had originally lay.

The old man offered one more comment, "Of course, when I was your age that pine tree was only three feet tall."

Hit'em long...yell FORE!!! Respect your elders...

Read more »

The Breaking of Golf's Color Barrier

Breaking down racial barriers. Isn't that what it was all about for Martin Luther King? So in celebration of Martin Luther King Day, why not take a look at the PGA Tour's breaker of the color barrier?

Contrary to what many believe, know, or understand, the PGA color barrier was broken long before Tiger Woods ever hit the scene. Over 35 years earlier to be a bit more specific.

In 1961, Charlie Sifford became the first African-American to receive full PGA Tour status (In 1928, Dewy Brown was the first African-American to play in PGA Tour events, but was not given full status until the mid 1960's). But it wasn't until after nine years of playing in qualifiers and non-PGA Tour events, even winning one, that he was given full status. Sifford went on to win two events in his career, plus a Senior Tour victory.

But here we are, 50 years later, and almost no progress has been made on the tour, especially when compared to the other major sports in the United States. Since the most famous sports color barrier of all was broken by Jackie Robinson in 1947, the result is that currently 1 in every 10 MLB players is African-American. The NFL color barrier was broken in the 1940's, and currently 65% of the NFL's players are African-American. In 1950, the NBA's color barrier was broken and currently 82% of the league is African-American. Even in the NHL, whose color barrier was broken (albeit incredibly briefly) in 1958, about 5% of the league is African-American.

But the PGA continues to lag. Of all current PGA Tour players, only one, Tiger Woods, is African-American...and he is actually bi-racial. So where is the breakdown? Why has no progress been made? Has it actually taken a step backward? These are all questions for another time. But I will say, it's tough to blame the PGA. Between organizations like The First Tee, among others, the PGA has certainly attempted to expand their brand, as well as the sport itself, among the African-American community.

But with February almost upon us, Black History Month would likely be a good time to spread the name of the PGA's first man to break the color barrier. If not to help promote the game and the tour, then to help more people learn about one of the most important historical figures in the games modern era - Charlie Sifford.

Swing 'til you're happy!

Read more »

Golf...Can't Live With It, Can't Live Without It.

Why is this game so complicated? In order to answer that question we need to take a look back at its roots. We need to understand the foundation it was raised on.

So, when you combine something like single-malt scotches, bagpipes and skirts...excuse me...kilts, there's your answer...just kidding! But I have an inkling that the scotch was fundamental in creating golf.

The complexity of this game always amazes me. You can run yourself ragged one day on the course and the next day it's a walk in the park. I guess all those sayings golfers have are true. Here's a few of my favorites:

The reason the pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can�t see him laughing.

I�m not saying my golf game went bad, but if I grew tomatoes, they�d come up sliced.

Golf is a game in which you yell �fore,� shoot six, and write down five.

Have you ever noticed what golf spells backwards?

You can make a lot of money in this game. Just ask my ex-wives. Both of them are so rich that neither of their husbands work.

Golf can drive me nuts and bring me joy at the same time and I guess it's this love-hate relationship that keeps me coming back.

Hit'em long...yell FORE!!! When's this snow gonna melt...?

Read more »

Prepping for My Golf Season (Not that it will Matter)

A brand new year. Yep, this is the time during the winter when I begin thinking about my upcoming golf season. Up here in New England, it starts to get pretty cold in November. By Thanksgiving there could be snow on the ground and by the holidays, you've already forgotten what the trees look like when they have leaves and what it feels like to step outside without a coat and scarf.

Come January 2nd though, I'm ready for the winter to end. As far as I'm concerned, two months of frozen weather should be good enough. I just ate my ass off, drank too much beer and champaign and used up all my vacation time. If I've gotta go back to work on January 3rd, the ground better be thawing out and the crocuses better be coming up.

Inevitably, the realization that we have 3 more months of this shit hits me while I'm scraping frost off my windshield at 7 AM Monday morning. But instead of slumping into a wintery depression, I begin thinking about what I need to do to get prepared for the upcoming golf season.

Keep in mind that very little of this involves me actually practicing. No sir. Every year around this time, I will finally remove my clubs from the trunk and bring them inside to warm up. Stupid, isn't it? It's like I've felt bad for them the past two months...out there freezing their grips off.

I'll bring them inside and clean them. I'll rummage through my golf bag, remove all the scuffed-up balls and throw away greens fee receipts. I'll check to see if I'm running low on tees and find a couple scorecards I wish remained unfound. When I'm finished, I'll set my bag down next to the table in the dining room and let it stay there. My wife will eventually ask why my golf clubs are in there and I'll tell her I'm putting them up in the attic. A few days will go by. She'll ask again..."Yeah, sorry. I'm getting around to it." A few more days pass. I'm looking at them right now as I type this at my dining room table. My new Burner driver is beckoning me to take it outside and smash one into the woods across the street.

Around the beginning of February, I'll finally put them in the attic. And right after I do, I'll head back out to my trunk and grab my two pairs of golf shoes. You see I've just returned from the golf store with brand new soft spikes (I had to bring one of the old spikes with me to make sure I bought the right ones). The ensuing two hours will be spent hurting my fingers with that stupid metal tool while trying to loosen the old spikes. Nevertheless, it puts me in a golfing mood.

Finally, around the end of February, I make my annual off-season golf purchase. Last year it was new grips and this year I need a new pair of golf shoes. Next year is the biggie and I hope I follow through on it - new clubs!

Sure, I may hit the indoor range once or twice between January and April, but it's all the little things that really get me chomping at the bit to play again. And though none of this will ever be reflected on my scorecard, it's nice to have something to look forward to after you realize the long, cold, winter has really just begun.

Happy January, February and March everyone!

Read more »

Off-Season? Golf Has An Off-Season?

Can someone please help me out with a few things here? Is the golf season officially underway right now? Are there actual tournaments going on? Didn't the 2010 season just end? I swear I just saw something about Steve Stricker tied for the lead in a tournament.

How is this possible? Why would this be happening right now? I think what I'm saying is, it's no wonder there are fewer and fewer people golfing or taking up the game of golf every year. Golf has just about everything going against it right now.

The first problem is; I had no idea there were any tournaments even happening! I'm sure many of you who are reading this were well-aware that golf was underway. But not me. I'm sure I've made it clear by now I am a very casual golf fan. Playing golf...sure! Watching golf...ehh....not so much. But when a golf tournament is competing with the NFL playoffs? I'm sorry, but out of 100 times, the golf tournament will lose 101. How can the PGA golf season kick-off during the most important time of the largest spectator sport (TV-viewer wise) in the country?! Seriously now...there is no possible way they are gaining any new viewers. Next thing you know, they'll have a final round going on during the Super Bowl!

Second; When exactly did last season end? And when did this season begin? Was there really even an off-season? If so, how long was it...a month? See? This is another problem. The season is just too damn long and filled with too many meaningless tournaments that don't get promoted properly. It's like baseball season: Is it really necessary to play for six months then have another month of playoffs? Does it really take 162 games to figure out who belongs in the playoffs? Couldn't the same be determined in, say, 100 games? You get kind of psyched up for baseball at the beginning of the year, then it's blah for four months before you get excited again for the pennant race. And even though the season is too long, the off-season is long enough to give you a break. In golf...there almost is no off-season! I'm sorry but, there has to be a break or you simply get golfed out.

Let's look at football again; This is my favorite sport and I watch the NFL at every opportunity. However, I don't want the season to be any longer than it is for the simple fact that I don't want to be footballed out! We've all heard the expression "Too much of a good thing." Well, golf is a good thing. But too much golf is not. Fewer tournaments make each one matter more. When the tournaments matter, they attract more attention. Therefore, more viewers and more fans.

So what could be done differently? Well, probably a few things. For starters, and I know it's not going to sound like a good idea to most but, having fewer tournaments could help. As mentioned earlier - fewer tournaments equals more meaning.

But what do you do with the down time? We've touched on this a bit before. Things that are fun and keep the fans interested are always a sure bet. Why not set-up some things such as long-drive tournaments and the like? It's not an actual tournament, but it's fun and certainly fan-friendly! And just a small exhibition here and there during an off-season of a decent length could do wonders to attract new fans, while still keeping the interest of current ones.

OK, so these are just a couple of silly ideas for the most part, but they are ideas nonetheless. And let's face it, with fewer and fewer rounds of golf being played each year, a change is becoming increasingly necessary.

Read more »

No Such Thing As Bad Press

As I watch the snow fall outside and gripe about shoveling, I received an interesting news feed - It looks as if Mr. Woods has lost another endorsement; This one coming from Golf Digest. CNBC reported:

NEW YORK - Tiger Woods will no longer be writing a monthly column for Golf Digest, ending a long standing sponsorship that adds to a growing pile of dropped endorsements for the golfer. "We have decided it's now time for a break," Woods said in a joint statement with Golf Digest on Thursday. The decision comes on the heels of Procter & Gamble Co's Gillette brand not renewing its contract with Woods at the end of December.

Accenture, AT&T Inc, PepsiCo Inc Gatorade have all ended sponsor deals with the golfer. Electronic Arts, however, announced this week it was planning to release a "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12" video game"

How 'bout them apples? At least he's got a video game going for him...oh...and his billion dollar net worth according to Forbes.com. And all that hoopla about his ex taking him for half is pretty much B.S. Rumor has it that The-Golfer-Formerly-Known-As-Eldrick has short arms and deep pockets*.

Hit'em long...yell FORE!!! Now where's my snowsuit...?

Read more »

You Beer-Drinking, Cigar-Smoking, Club-Throwing, Late-Arriving, Sorry Excuse for a Golfer!

From time to time, the Golf Stinks blog will attempt to take the pulse of our readers. We'll post about a golf-related topic and include a poll to get every one else's opinion.

Below, we'll examine the results of 6 different polls we conducted during 2010; and some of these findings may (or may not) surprise you!

In September, we reported on what nutritionists recommend eating during a round of golf. After reviewing what the experts said, we still wanted to know what ya'll were eating at the turn. While only 34 people took the poll, 44% of you said (in direct defiance of the nutritionists we should add) that hot dogs and beer are the way to go! Meanwhile, 17% said they ate some sort of energy/granola bar yet only 5% ate the recommended fruits and veggies. What may be even more surprising, 20% actually said they ate nothing at the turn. This just proves we play golf for fun more than anything else (and why we're overweight)!

In a post about how starters hate the Golfstinks foursome because we usually arrive for our tee-time with barely a minute to spare, we wanted to know when other people typically arrive at the course. Of the poll's 37 respondents, 72% arrive with enough time to take a few practice putts, while 37% have time to hit range balls to boot. Surprisingly however, 24% get there just in time to tee-off. So while in the minority, clearly we here at Golfstinks are not alone in making the starters sweat!

With all the fake grass mats and electronic ball returns out there, we decided to poke a little fun at the practice of indoor putting. After ranting a bit on the subject, we wanted to know your thoughts on playing putt-putt in your living room. Of the 51 respondents, only 17% said they do it to actually improve their putting. Instead, the most common answer (50%) was they putt indoors just to kill time! What's more, 13% said the practice was a complete waste of time! It should be noted that subsequent studies we've read do say putting indoors can produce a more consistent stroke, which can then lead to sinking more putts out on the links...of course, that's all predicated on the fact that your consistent stroke is a good one to begin with!

In July, Stinky Golfer Greg confessed that par 3 and executive courses didn't feel like "real" courses to him. Because he realized this was a rather pompous attitude, he asked our readers what they thought of these short tracks. Seventy people responded and the majority (38%) said par 3/executive courses are good for a quick round once in a while. Just 28% play them all the time, while 30% rarely play them - giving Stinky Golfer Greg the comfort of knowing he's not alone.

Smoking is a touchy subject these days. Everyone knows it's bad for you, but cigars and golfing go together like peanut butter and jelly. So when we learned about cities and towns attempting to ban smoking on public golf courses, enough alarm bells went off at Golfstinks headquarters to warrant a new post...and another poll! To date, 98 people have voiced their opinion about banning smoking on public golf courses, and an overwhelming majority (89%) said NO to the ban! Think town council meetings across the country would be swayed by this lowly Golf Stinks blog poll? Yeah, you're probably right.

Finally (and most recently), we posted about how someone's frequent club throwing can be annoying to others in the foursome. Since throwing clubs after a bad shot seems like a pretty common occurrence, we decided to ask y'all how often you through your sticks around on the links. Nearly 130 folks have taken the poll thus far and 41% of them say they would never throw a club in anger! Meanwhile, 34% say they rarely throw clubs. But, there are club throwers out there - 18% said they are occasional club tossers, while 4% said they fire their clubs around all the freaking time! Wow! Be careful out there!

I'm sure in 2011, we here at Golfstinks will offer-up more golf polls to voice your opinion on. Needless to say, we're looking forward to the results!

Read more »

A New Year's Golf Resolution

Do you know what I hate? New Year's resolutions. Aren't they the worst? Honestly, what's the point?! How many of you have actually made a resolution that you've stuck with? Actually, how many of you even make New Year's resolutions?

I gave up on resolutions long ago. I have come to the realization that I'm not going to join a gym, I'm not going to make a serious effort to lose weight and I'm not going to try to be "nicer" to people. As a matter of fact, the only resolution I have stuck with is to not make any more resolutions. It seems to be working out!

However, this year I've decided to make a special exception. This year, I'm going to make a resolution regarding my golf game. Am I going to work on my handicap? No. I don't even know what my handicap is, nor do I care. Am I going to practice more? Heck no! I'll practice a bit, but no more than usual. But what I am going to do is resolve to play more. That's it! Seems pretty attainable, right?

See, that's the key to a New Year's resolution - make it attainable. I'm not going to practice more because, well, I don't want to! And, quite frankly, I could care less about my handicap. I play to play. My score is my score. My handicap (or anyone else's for that matter) is meaningless to me. So that's out the window. But I sure do want to play more than I did last year! So there you go. Instant resolution!

Actually, I didn't play much last year and that was kind of a disappointment. I would really like to make the time to play more often. Even if it's just nine holes. Hey, half a round of golf is better than no golf! So I'm going to buck my normal trend and actually make a New Year's resolution. Simple, attainable and something I want to do. I resolve to play more golf in 2011! How about you?

Swing 'til you're happy!

Read more »