How do you fantasy

• By Win McMurry
• Jan 9, 2011 10:31 PM ET

Whether in boisterous bars or on cozy couches across the nation, NFL fanatics are huddled in front of flat screens with the arrival of Wild Card Weekend. Playoff pools, betting sites and sports fan blogs lit up this week with chatter as the countdown to Super Bowl XLV got underway in the USA.

The 32 PGA Tour players who’ve been teeing it up for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Kapalua have been flying just a bit more under the radar (even if Dustin Johnson and Natalie Gulbis don’t feel that way at the moment).

But for the golf fanatic, a year-long game is kicking off this week as well.

Just like the myriad ways to wager on football there are practically as many ways to play fantasy football. We have the standard draft leagues, auction draft leagues, dynasty leagues, keeper leagues, IDP leagues and survivor leagues. And when it comes to fantasy golf, the types of pools and bets are just as diverse.

If you are anxious about how you are going to spend your weekends and downtime at work after Feb. 6, no fear, you can be proactive even if you’ve procrastinated. If you haven’t joined a fantasy golf league yet, it isn’t too late.

This week I burned Stuart Appleby in my friendly 'one-and-done' and in the GolfChannel.com Fantasy Challenge (which I’m new to this year) I took Jim Furyk as my A player, Ernie Els as my B (yes, shocked that’s the group he fell into at No. 12 in the world), and Stuart Appleby from the C group. Yep, none of my guys look to have any chance to take home the year’s first title.

The first full-field event of the season doesn’t begin until Thursday, and even if the pool you’ve been eyeing commenced in Maui, the golf season is L-O-N-G (no matter whether it ends with the PGA Championship, the Wyndham, at East Lake or Disney). And hey, you’re bound to have a few Appleby-esque weeks anyway. Let’s just hope the season doesn’t turn out like it did for the Dallas Cowboys!