Hi From Manitoba, Canada

[ColinMB]

I feel pretty lucky to have found this forum. By outward appearances, it seems quite friendly and mature.

I don't think I can ever get enough 'golf chat' into my day so I figured I'd take the plunge and join in here.

A bit about myself;

I am 36 and only started playing 3 years ago. Half of a season I almost went into permanent retirement due to a terrible (unfixable slice). However my wife convinced me to take some lessons and I'll never underestimate the power of having a pro look at my swing again....

I live in a province loaded with courses for every skill level. I wouldn't be surprised if we had the highest courses per capita in Canada...we do have a lot of open land here.

My own experiences are limited to 'medium' skill level courses, including a few 9 hole courses which I love for iron play. Don't take my limited skill level for granted though, I assure you I play at least once a week, and I still see the range 1-2 times a week on top of it, and fit in a lesson about once a month. I can also assure you I am hopelessly addicted to the game, whether it be in real life, TV or even Tiger Woods on the PC.

I'm hoping I can share experiences, good and bad, and maybe grab some seasoned vet's advice. Like many others I also really enjoy checking out new product. I have some of my own mixed reviews I may share one day as well.

Anyway, that's enough about me for now, I just wanted to say 'hi' and check out some more of the posts.

Colin.

[muskegman]

Welcome Colin. I'm assuming that your golf season is shorter because of the winter. If so, that leaves plenty of time to pine away in the winter. I've been fortunate in the Pacific Northwest to be able to golf most of the year. Sometimes we'll have long rainy stretches where you can't play but for the most part its pretty nice. Much better than where I moved from: Ketchikan, Alaska.

Enough about the weather, I'm 34 and have been playing for just over two years now. Learning golf in our 30's presents some interesting challenges. Tough too when we're raising two kids (4 and 1 year old).

Look forward to seeing you around. Things will be kinda quite this week as the Sand Trap Staff is off to the Newport Cup on the weekend.

[ColinMB]

Thanks for the welcome. You're right, the weather definitely plays a huge factor. It shocks me to know that someone from my province is actually a ranking PGA member.

*This time* I refuse to let winter destroy my progress. I'm doing everything I can. My local 'Golftown' is offering winter sessions which I'll probably look into in December.

Also we have a few indoor ranges including one that's outdoor but has heated shelter over the tee boxes. I even picked up a Golf Launchpad (which I'll be pulling out again tonight) with Tiger Woods '06. I'll basically do what it takes to not fall into the funk I did this summer.... being so dissapointed with setbacks that I nearly gave it up.

I see you're a fan of Titleist and forged irons? That's some nice product, I'm still trying to find myself, but I think I'm doomed to a real mixed bag.... and definitely product that is more oriented towards 'game improvement'. ;)

[muskegman]

As far as irons go, I'd probably be better served using a more forgiving iron but I think that they force me to swing better than a more forgiving iron would. My ball-striking has improved since picking them up. I love that forged feel too.

Yeah, winter is good because it provides a change in pace but its so easy to forget those critical things I've been working on when I'm not swinging the club as much. Having said that I think golf is somewhat like riding a bike. Once you learn basic swing mechanics you have an ongoing understanding of what makes a swing work.