Can Winter Golf Be Enjoyable?

Winter Golf Is Best Played Indoors!

According to the National Weather Service, there’s snow in 49 states today. Even in the upper mountains of Hawaii on Mauna Kea Range. That’s  right our entire country is experiencing a deep freeze. Some states being hit harder than others, including Rochester NY  where I live.  So relish the good days golfers,  they’ll be back soon.  But for now, check out an indoor golf simulator at a place near you, or play EA Sports’ Tiger Woods P.G.A. Tour video game at home.  Too bad you have to wait a couple of months for the newest version.  I hear they got finally Augusta National as one of the golf courses on their menu.

However,  for the real hardy golf enthusiast who enjoy playing golf in the snow. There is snow golf which is a sport based on golf but played over snow or ice instead of grass. The greens are called whites  and have an ice surface. The origin of snow golf is thought to be the Dutch game of “Kolf” that was played since the Middle Ages.  Evidence for Kolf as a popular winter golf pastime comes from numerous 17th century paintings by renowned artists such as Aert van der Neer or Hendrick Avercamp.

Snow golf was introduced in Fife, Scotland in 1847.  Stuart Mackenzie,  Old Tom Morris’s illegitimate older brother who was fed up with all of the acclaim and recognition of his younger sibling who  invented professional golf the previous year.  Legend has it it that Stuart said, “Aye, what kind of pansies are ye to haf ta goff on greeeeeen grass. Ah reel Scotsmun would doot in da snow, ya nancieboy. And move that huge noggin of yers, it’s gargantuan, like an orange on a toothpick.”

Snow golf would blossom in Scotland for three strong years before Stuart was killed in a tragic and supposedly unprovoked penguin attack. It’s believed by some bystanders that the penguin was acting in self defense and Stuart had it coming. The trauma of this attack caused snow golf to languish and die out entirely for more than a half century.

The discovery of modern snow golf is credited to author Rudyard Kipling.  While writing his famous Jungle book, he would relax by playing winter golf. He would paint his golf balls red and black, and place red cups out in the snow. True Vermonters play snow golf every year and say things like ” Begad” in respect to Kipling,  one of Vermont’s few transplants that did not try to change Vermont.

The Annual World Ice Golf Championship has been held on the world’s northernmost golf course on the shelf ice near Uummannaq, Greenland since 1997. The course is shaped new by the moving ice every year and play is highly dependent on weather conditions. Competitors are allowed a handicap of 36 or below. Because of the extreme temperature,  clubs with graphite shafts are not recommended for play.

The first European Championship in Snow Golf will be held in Switzerland from Jan 13th – 16th 2011. 72 qualifiers are entitled to play the 2-day tournament.

Snow golf was brought back to life in Stowe Vermont in 1974,  by five local pioneers who resuscitated the Stowe Winter Carnival. Legend has it that the first round was played after much discussion at a local watering hole. Odds are good that wagering and double dares and perhaps a malted beverage were a part of this first challenge. These original competitors played on through rain, sleet and snow, much like golfing postmen. They would play until they started dropping due to over-consumption.  Today’s course stands at somewhere between the 10′th and 13′th  holes in homage to these brave inebriated warriors,  and too the the limits of their endurance, liquor supplies, foggy memories and bladders.

Here in the United States, there will be a four-person scramble on the Stowe Country Club practice area. Open to everyone to join the tournament this Monday. January 17, 2011 (Martin Luther King Day). Come on out, it’s a great day in the snow. You bring your favorite club.  We’ve got the the balls.

Entry for the team is $120. $30 per person, and singles and pairs are welcomed. The more the merrier. Walk-ins and Virgins are all welcome.  Entry fees go towards prizes and expenses of building the course.

The 2011 Theme is “There’s Always Snow in Stowe.” Creativity is rewarded and encouraged. All costumes will be judged in collaboration with the theme of the 2011 Stowe Winter Carnival. Those in costume will earn strokes off their scores, prizes, swag, and if you are creative enough, maybe even a huge trophy and some cash. The trophy is small and plastic, but the cash is real. Will be also judging on the best snow angels at least once during the day which is a tradition. Just listen for the calling from the Snow Angel God.  Snow Moons are also a tradition, so beware of them.

Always remember the number one rule, and that’s we’re here to have fun. While competition and prizes are a big part of the day, camaraderie is the biggest element. If you can’t make friends wandering through a snowy field sharing several drinks while dressed like an extra from the Rocky Picture Horror Show,  and laughing over spectacularly bad shots. Then you’re taking life way too seriously.

We will be registering at the Rimrocks, in the Baggy Knees Shopping Center in Stowe, Vt at 10:30 am.  If you have any questions, send to them an email at CarlSpackler@StoweSnowGolf.com  Some of the information for this post was obtained from: www.stowesnowgolf.com

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The Indoor Golf Simulator System allows you to use your own golf clubs (from driver to putter) and play a complete round of golf. Or maybe just practice, working on that swing fault.  Everything in the comfort of your own home or office. The views of the simulator golf course can be either projected onto a large screen set in front of the player or just viewed on your computer monitor set to the side.

Using your own clubs, you set up to hit the shot just as you would on a real course. The simulator system allows you to drive off the tee, hit fairway shots, pitch, chip and putt the ball into the hole. After every shot, the simulator system automatically flies along the ball’s trajectory to where the ball lies, ready for the next shot.

Install a simulator in your home, use a simulator for teaching and training, rent a simulator on an exhibition or event, entertain your guests on a simulator, install a simulator in a sports bar, start an indoor golf center with multiple simulators,.. Endless possibilities!

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