Keeping Snowmen Out of Your #Golf Game

Another winter, another test of our mettle on the golf course... ...donning winter gloves, hats, ear muffs and layering with long johns definitely detracts from our game during the chilly season, ergo northerners have a tendency to get a bit rusty and snowmen tend to make an appearance.

How can Northerners keep their golf games as fresh as the driven snow?

GolfOnline.co.uk recently forwarded Golf for Beginners an infographic designed to help golfers keep the game crisp through the winter. We have chosen several interesting tips for you to be aware of in cold weather.

1. The golf ball doesn't necessarily go as far in the cold as it does during the summer months (unless the ground is as hard as a rock). Learn the course before you play - make allowances by taking an extra (or one less) club, or playing with a golf ball designed for cold weather. Also remember to stay alert as the cold weather has a tendency to dull your focus.

2. Can't get to the golf course? Exercise at the Gym! Schedule one workout per week on golf-fitness. LPGA golfers build strength and endurance with weights, kettle and bosu balls. Also include using rowing machines and adding good old fashioned sit-ups, planks and push-ups to your routine.

3. Practice Your Putting! You've probably heard this saying repeatedly and, as short game guru Dave Pelz confirms, "More than forty percent of all golf shots are putts, and over half of those are short ones." 

The Grumpy Old Golfer mentions in his book of putting tips, "Touch is one thing very good putters have in common. Touch is the core ingredient for long term success.".

Is the final putt of each hole as important as the first drive? Probably more so as you can recuperate after a wayward drive but each putt is meant to finish out the hole so its importance becomes magnified. Practice your speed and touch around the greens and you'll be ready to roll at the start of spring.

What golf tips do you have to keep Old Man Winter at bay? Let us know on our Golf for Beginners blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Tiger Woods Making Major Comeback in #Golf...as an Announcer

Tim Finchem was only joking when talking to Tiger Woods about media reports of his demise. "I thought he was actually dying. Tiger, you're supposed to be dead."

Believable repartee after a woeful press conference recently held by Woods.

Still kicking, Tiger Woods will make an appearance for fans this weekend and will try to enjoy himself in the process.

A "Who's Who" of golf's top ranking players will converge in the Bahamas this weekend at the Hero World Challenge with Tiger Woods in attendance.

No, Woods will not be playing at this event; he will be announcing from the broadcast booth.

Although the press conference showed a sad, defeated Woods, the website of  the once-former-World's Number-One Golfer has "squelched" all rumors of retirement and mentions Tiger is working on a comeback to the game he misses.

"I'm hoping that I can get back out here and compete against these guys," said Tiger Woods. "I really do miss it."

At forty years old and with injuries and surgeries piling up, does Woods still have a tiger left in his tank and is that really his top priority or, as his XBox game reads at the end, is it truly "GAME OVER"...

A sidelined Tiger is not committing to play golf anytime in 2016 and, from his blog, he looks more eager to get back to scuba diving and playing soccer than having another go at the fairways and greens on which he took first place in seventy-nine PGA Tour events.

Without Tiger Woods on the greens but showing his face either in the broadcast booth or as a 2016 Ryder Cup Vice Captain, will golf lose it's viewership?

One opinion from a Marketwatch.com columnist is that, based on Nielsen ratings, Tiger Woods out of the scene brings viewership waaaay down and that, "when he’s not playing, TV viewers aren’t watching."

As Tiger Woods calls the action, a new generation of golfers will take to the Albany golf course, from the current World's Number One, Jordan Spieth, to Zach Johnson. Will you be watching for the golf or to see Tiger Woods calling the action?

Join the Conversation on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and comment below on our Golf for Beginners blog!


photos: sportsftw.com, youtube.com-PGA Tour