Happy New Year!

I hope yours will be joyful, prosperous and filled with all that brings happiness and passion to your life. Can you believe it is already 2012? Mike, Ava, Will, our wonderful nanny Johanna and I have had a nice time in Tahoe over the holidays, despite the lack of natural snow. It hasn’t snowed here in nearly two months, but luckily Northstar Resort has one of the best snowmaking systems around so we have still been able to enjoy a lot of the mountain and the beautiful views from the top. As any of you parents know, it is quite hectic trying to get the kids bundled up to go out and play, but eventually it’s all worth the struggle. We take turns skiing and playing with the kids, but one thing we are able to enjoy as a group is the village. We have a snack at Starbucks and Ava loves watching the Apex Bungy bouncers and ice skaters. This is a time to look ahead and improve. What are your goals and resolutions for the coming year? A lower golf score, healthier eating for you and your family, improved physical fitness, or maybe helping others through volunteering or giving back? I look forward to having you along on my journey in 2012; thank you for reading and for sharing my passion.   ~   Annika

New Year, New e-News!

Many of you know I am always looking for more efficiency and improved processes in my game, my business and my life. And to kick off the new year, our January e-news launches an updated look and more comprehensive communications each month from my ANNIKA brands, businesses and organizations. To help streamline our communications to you (and prevent cluttering your in-box with too many e-mails from the different groups within the ANNIKA family!) we’ll now send one expanded e-newsletter—typically the first Thursday of each month—and a second, shorter e-news update—called “The Turn”—at mid-month. Our goal is to give you fun, informative, timely and relevant updates on all that’s happening with the ANNIKA Academy, Foundation, Course Design, Wines, Apparel, partnerships and my personal and family life, in a consistent format and on a twice-monthly schedule. I’ll still check in regularly through daily Twitter, blog, and Facebook updates and via my website, but I hope you’ll like the new format and appreciate more consistent communications with fewer e-mails to open each month. We’d love to hear your feedback. And if you know someone who would like to receive this e-mail, please forward it on.

ANNIKA Invitational

For the fourth year, in partnership with the ANNIKA Foundation and the AJGA, Reunion Resort will host the ANNIKA Invitational Jan. 13-16 at the Independence Course in Florida. This annual event was created for 72 of the top female junior golfers from around the world and is an opportunity for talented golfers like France’s Celine Boutier (last year’s winner, pictured at left) to compete against world-class competition and experience the off-course elements of playing collegiate and professional golf, such as media training, time and financial management and the importance of health and nutrition. The ANNIKA Invitational holds a special place in my heart, and I’ll be there once again to work alongside these amazing girls and young women. I can’t wait to share some great stories with you of the memories we’ll make. Look for #AJGAANNIKA on Twitter or follow our page on the AJGA website.

ANNIKA Academy

From all of us at the ANNIKA Academy, we wish you a very successful 2012 on and off the golf course. We have several new programs and packages to help you play better golf, and we’ll update you and announce them on our website in coming months. Spring is just around the corner; for those who need a refresher but have limited time, we’re pleased to announce that our Player’s Package is now available for one or two days; click the link below for details and we hope to see you at the Academy in 2012. In the meantime, here’s Annika's Tip of the Month on How to Sweep Your Woods: Amateurs tend to hit their fairway woods thin, even top them, because they stay back and swing up on the ball. On these shots, I focus on getting to my front side and extending my arms through impact, which creates a long “flat spot” at the bottom of the swing. That lets me put a sweeping hit on the ball. A good image for me with fairway woods is making a U-shaped swing. To do that, you have to keep the club low to the ground for a couple of feet on both sides of the ball. A lot of golfers get the backswing right, but then flip the club upward through impact. To keep the clubhead low through the shot, you have to be moving forward and straightening your right arm. Don’t worry about loft: If you sweep the ball off the grass, the club’s loft will send the ball nice and high.

Humana Challenge

As part of the 2012 Humana Challenge, the new PGA TOUR tournament designed to honor the namesake host of the former Bob Hope Classic, I am honored to be part of a national conference on Jan. 17 that focuses on health and wellbeing. Humana and the William J. Clinton Foundation have teamed up as part of an eight-year agreement to sponsor the tournament in La Quinta, Calif. President Clinton will deliver a keynote address and I’ll participate in a panel as part of an effort to promote healthy, active lifestyles at the “Health Matters: Activating Wellness in Every Generation” event. Read More Here.

Keep Driving

I am so excited to announce that I’ll continue my partnership with the Golf Channel this year and my visits each Thursday with my friends on Morning Drive. In addition, I look forward to expanding my role through various feature stories that I will cover during my travels throughout the year. Keep an eye on my e-news, Twitter, blog and Facebook accounts for updates, times and details on my upcoming programs. Read More Here.

The A List

This month, let’s call it “Little a’s List.” Growing up in Sweden, I never played much with dolls as a kid, but I must admit that as a parent, I am a big fan of the products from  American Girl. Ava has a doll she named “Nikki;” she goes everywhere with us, helping to keep Ava active and creative. Whether it is feeding her, packing her little bag or pushing her in her stroller during our walks, Nikki helps Ava be engaged, imaginative and playful, and she keeps Mike and I quite entertained, as well. I feel like the American Girl folks really got it right, and I guess maybe I’m just a late bloomer when it comes to enjoying dolls. Read More Here.