Here's what Wisconsinites 16 and older do to enjoy the winter, according to recreation participation surveys done every five years.

Activity

% Participating

# of Participants

Sledding

29.3

1,218,000

Snowmobiling

18.3

761,000

Ice skating outdoors

16.6

690,000

Cross country skiing

11.4

474,000

Ice fishing

11.4

474,000

Downhill skiing

9.7

403,000

Snowshoeing

8.0

333,000

Snowboarding

4.7

195,000

Ice hockey outdoors

2.4

166,000

Dog sledding

1.1

99,000

Q: What’s your best advice for Winter driving?

A:  Winter can be beautiful and the snow covered countryside can make for great photos.  But it also can be the most dangerous time of the year for drivers.  Snow, ice, sleet and high winds are just some of the dangers that often leave many drivers unsure of how to navigate winter roads.  My  first and best advice?  Slow Down!  Keep in mind that the posted speed limits are for dry road conditions. Knowing the roads as well as the area you are driving in is also important.  Keep yourself updated on the weather conditions by watching the news before you head out,  or tuning into the radio for weather reports.

Online road conditions for Wisconsin are at:  http://www.dot.state.wi.us/travel/road/winter-roads.htm Michigan’s online road conditions are at: http://www.ohsp.state.mi.us/rw/home.htm   Don't rush to appointments or work, make sure to take your time. It's better to arrive late then not to arrive at all. Make sure your vehicle is clean of snow as well as ice from your windshield, windows, headlights and taillights.  It is also safe to always carry a cell phone

Some say the game of golf started with a Roman sport called paganica, where the ball was hit with a bent stick.  Others claim it originated from a Chinese game called chuiwan. There is evidence that chuiwan was a target game involving hitting a ball to a target which may or may not have been a hole. However, neither of these is a very likely direct source, as more people believe  it was the Dutch who invented the game.

Many different club and ball games were being played in Europe in the early centuries of the second millennium, and the game involved hitting the ball with curved stick or club towards a specific target. It is also credible that the game was passed on to the Scots, because there was a lot of regular trade between Holland and Scotland. It has also been demonstrated that many of the early Scottish golf balls were made in Holland.

Various Acts of Parliament in Scotland prove that golf was played in the country earlier than 1457, when the first Act was passed banning golf in the country. The pretext was that it was a game with no useful purpose and that the population would be better off practicing archery, so that they would more able to defend their homeland.

Whatever the early origins, Scotland gave us the game that we play now. It was that nation which dug holes for targets, and hit the ball from point A into the target. It was the Scots that originated the 18 hole round, a strange number probably due to a restriction in the area of land available for the course.

So, although many countries from China, to Italy, to Holland claim the game as their own, it is the Scots who made it what it is now, and who are rightly given the accolade as 'the inventors of golf'.