Golf rounds are up? Go figure

Rounds played in January were up 7.7 percent over January of 2008, according to PGA Performance Trak, a joint venture of the PGA of America and the National Golf Course Owners Association.

The report said that 2,600 golf facilities checked in with their results, and the increase in rounds came despite the fact that the number of days the courses were open was flat from a year ago (down 0.6 percent).

January rounds represent a miniscule percentage of annual rounds, but suffice it to say it was a pleasant surprise in a difficult economy.

-- John Strege