For many golfers, January-February is a down-time for the game.  As a youngster growing up in southeast Massachusetts, my Dad and I used to play golf as much as we could during the winters with some fun modifications that bring back great memories...

1.  Each night we used to putt 3 sets of 10 putts on the cement basement floor (15' putt, slight break which you could take out with more speed on the putt).  We had to record how many times we hit a skinny brick against the wall and after 2,000 putts, he was just 1 up. 

2.  Dad was a remarkable tailor and clothing designer. He designed a chipping net for us to use in the basement and drew some circles on it so we could try for different targets. He sewed it so the net would catch the balls in the bottom and we could later clean them all out at once.  In his later years, he tried working on his full swing and to avoid the overhead beams, added in a little squat so he could finish his swing.  As a teaching professional, I had to later help him undo his...