🥶 Winter golf

Hey there! And greetings from the bone-chilling Midwest.

Growing up in California, I never could comprehend that for three or four (or more!) months a year, some people "out there" didn't play golf because it was just too cold.

But here I am, living in Central Illinois. It's currently 31 degrees and on Sunday, it's supposed to be 8.

Life comes at you fast!

Still, I'm trying to stay positive, and I'm learning a lot from my father-in-law, who lives down the road and has been navigating this arctic weather for decades.

He's instructed me to turn off my outside water so that my pipes don't burst. And the other day, he brought me a snow shovel.

Most importantly, though, he’s taught me that when there's a break in the weather — even when it's borderline bearable — you should do everything you can to go play golf.

Before I lived here, when I would visit around the holidays, I used to wonder why my father-in-law was always so anxious to play. Pacing around the house, he would spend most mornings refreshing his weather apps and calling the local courses to see if they'd be open that day.

But now, I'm starting to understand. In cold places, sometimes golf is the only way to snag some fresh air during the winter.

I've played a couple of times recently in temperatures just above freezing and some takeaways include:

1) Gloves (that fit over your golf glove) and hand warmers (in each pocket) are essential. Keeping your hands from going numb is objective number one.

2) A quick nine is almost always preferable to a full 18 (and not just because that's the name of this newsletter). It's also usually best to tee off around noon. If you go out any later, you may be okay at the start, but finishing when the sun goes down — in the freezing cold — is no fun.

3) The score never really matters (mostly because of the sheer number of layers you have to wear). Just getting out is a win.

I also really love that no matter the temp, there's almost always other people out there, battling away. Who are these crazies who, like me, need to do something totally insane to feel normal again? Winter golf brings out a certain type, and I think they are my people.

When the ice thaws and spring hits, I wonder how I'll feel. I expect to be more thankful than ever for the warmth. But I'm also starting to think that I'll miss these cold afternoons with my father-in-law — when we zipped around the course and were just happy to be outside.

Hittin' the links — News from around the world of golf 

🏝️ The PGA Tour's second event of the year (and its final stop in Hawaii) starts today at the Sony Open in Honolulu. 

• Big names teeing it up this week at Waialae Country Club include Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Åberg, Brian Harmon, Will Zalatoris, Sahith Theegala, and Gary Woodland, who's making his first start since undergoing brain surgery less than four months ago. 

🐯 Tiger Woods announced this week that his 27-year-run with Nike has come to an end. 

• The news set off a barrage of posts remembering the best ads from the Tiger/Nike era. 

• I love this one:  

🗺️ Rory McIlroy told Golf Digest that his "dream scenario" for the future of men's professional golf is a world tour, where national championships are more elevated than they are today.

• "The Australian Open, for example, should almost be the fifth major," McIlroy said, adding that the PGA Tour needs to "think internationally and spread their wings a bit."  

• McIlroy is playing this week in the Dubai Invitational — the DP World Tour's first event of the year.

✌️ The R&A — one of golf's governing bodies, alongside the USGA — announced Wednesday that its CEO Martin Slumbers will step down by the end of this year. 

• Also announced this week, DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley is resigning to run the sports and entertainment group that owns the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors. 

• Did I miss anyone else? 

And finally…

Speaking of winter golf, here’s an example of what not to do. 

Stay safe out there, y'all! 

That's all for today! Thanks so much for reading and have a wonderful weekend. I'll see you back here on Sunday. Until then, Nick B. ☃️