tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-117875172024-03-09T02:15:19.966-08:00The GolfchickDocumenting my thoughts as a golfer since I started playing in August 2004. The golf blog of a seriously addicted golf chick.Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.comBlogger220125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-69605298561687236162007-06-19T16:39:00.000-07:002007-06-19T16:40:44.825-07:00New home for my second anniversaryThis blog has moved to the <a href="http://www.thegolfchick.com">new golf chick site</a>.Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-64023735502284475182007-06-18T12:33:00.000-07:002007-06-18T13:07:14.858-07:00Golfchick sighting on ShakesvilleAdmittedly, I don't read too many non-golf blogs. It's a time issue, mostly. One I do like to read is <a href="http://www.shakesville.com/">Shakesville</a>. While its success and readership dwarfs that of this humble blog, I only discovered it recently, thanks to the addition of contributor William K. Wolfrum, the strapping golf blogger I also read over at <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/william.wolfrum">Worldgolf</a> and on <a href="http://www.williamkwolfrum.com/">his own site</a>.<br /><br />Wolfrum recently posted a brief Q&A on Shakesville featuring yours truly. In it, I talk about how I started golfing, blogging and attempt to make my own little contribution toward promoting women's golf. <a href="http://www.shakesville.com/2007/06/interview-with-the-golfchick/">The Golfchick on Shakesville</a>. I'm honored.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.shakesville.com/2007/06/interview-with-the-golfchick/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ18mZfkVEQ4TmWU5qkGHuJNtAt8l2OfVKmyX5XrsK7WgHceovoT2RTlsQrF8K7YXeehJLtuUb2XmbA5F6ZyVJTYn70rzsdpRqKtWmWPIa2aZCGYGTzw91HWRzZo6eNZg88RbyGg/s320/wkw_gc_shakesville.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077497625021800418" border="0" /></a>Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-37057669801056457702007-06-14T10:44:00.000-07:002007-06-18T13:07:43.264-07:00Apparently there's some big golf tournament going onSports writers and golf bloggers are covering the U.S. Open and Oakmont Country Club with the same fervor of CNN covering Paris Hilton. No detail left unreported.<br /><br />Of course the difference is sports writers and golf bloggers are <span style="font-style: italic;">supposed </span>to write about golf. It's right there in their titles. The <a href="http://www.cbs.com/latenight/latelate/comedy/video/20070116.shtml">Cable News Network</a> is supposed to cover the <span style="font-style: italic;">news</span>. Even if they could somehow win an argument that Paris Hilton <span style="font-style: italic;">is </span>news, that doesn't excuse them from failing to report on all the real news going on while they spend 24 hours on Shawskank Redemption (thanks, <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/index.jhtml">Jon Stewart</a>).<br /><br />But since this isn't the Shmaily Shmow, I'll get back to golf.<br /><br />There is so much being said about this tournament and the golf course that I really don't feel I have much to add. Just like I do, you can get all the latest from the fine bloggers in my links list as well as the journalists on the commercial sites. I'll just watch and root on my favorites like the fan I am. And I'll be checking in with <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker">Brandon Tucker</a> for live bloggerage from the event. Congrats to Worldgolf for getting media credentials for their bloggers at recent events!<br /><br />Speaking of Worldgolf, they're conducting a <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/magazine/survey-newsletter.htm">survey</a> and if you complete it, you're entered into a drawing to win a set of Ping clubs and bag.<br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/06/golfchick-sighting-on-shakesville.html"><br />Next post</a>.Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-34156132441502758892007-06-14T10:00:00.000-07:002007-06-14T11:21:41.243-07:00Another one bites the dustWell, here is a case of a golf blogger popping up and then quickly disappearing. Usually, I like to wait until a new golf blogger has been around for a little while and looks like they're going to stay and keep posting before I link to them.<br /><br />In the case of Elizabeth Jones, I guess I just got so excited to see such a skilled female player joining the fray that <a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/05/theres-new-golf-chick-on-scene.html">I jumped on it</a> right away. That was three weeks ago. Two weeks later, her site was gone... vanished! Email communication ended abruptly.<br /><br />Was it too good to be true? Could there have been a Liz Jones? A woman with a plus three handicap who was so perfectly adorable that she photographed like a pro right down to the detail of a subtle nipple poking at her cute, pink golf shirt? Perhaps we'll never know.<br /><br />Maybe she will pop up again somewhere and we'll be able to hear more from her.<br /><br />Until then... bye bye, "Liz Jones." Good luck selling your instructional golf books.<br /><br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/06/apparently-theres-some-big-golf.html">Next post</a>.Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-32564630672143946042007-06-06T15:14:00.000-07:002007-06-14T10:36:11.742-07:00Gotta weigh in on WieExactly what does it mean to be non-competitive? Well, the LPGA has put a number on it: 88.<br /><br />If a non-member shoots an 88 or higher in an LPGA tournament, she is banned from LPGA events for the rest of the year. Golf writers have been typing until they're blue in the hands about Michelle Wie's withdrawal from last week's Ginn Tribute.<br /><br />In case you've somehow managed to miss the coverage, the gist is that she withdrew from the event after playing 16 holes including five bogeys, a double, a triple and even a quintuple-bogey (!) leaving her just two bogeys short of reaching that dreaded 88. However, she claims she withdrew because her previously injured wrist was bothering her. (Like, I tweaked it, you know?)<br /><br />Would they have allowed her to withdraw if the reason was avoiding the 88 rule? No? So if that was the reason, she <span style="font-style: italic;">had </span>to lie. What? Dishonesty is frowned upon in golf? It shows a lack of respect for the game, its rules, and your fellow players? Like, whatever. I guess it's the truth, then.<br /><br />There have been <a href="http://www.golfdigest.com/newsandtour/index.ssf?/newsandtour/gw20070608sirak.html">implications </a>of a conspiracy involving LPGA officials and agents that warned Wie to drop out despite the rules on giving and receiving advice except from a caddie. Speaking of advice, there was a questionable situation in that same round in which she might have received those dreaded two strokes in the form of a penalty because her father gave her advice on that triple-bogey hole (they didn't assess the penalty because she didn't ask for the advice - though I agree with <a href="http://www.golfweek.com/commentaries/baldy_053107">Beth Ann Baldry</a> that perhaps the "didn't ask" clause isn't meant to include parents or coaches).<br /><br />Yet another rule she gets away with not breaking - this time because she's a non-member and it doesn't apply - is that she played the golf course the week before the tournament, something members are barred from doing.<br /><br />Learning how to avoid these types of mistakes (and learning that they <span style="font-style: italic;">are </span>mistakes) can be done by players as they work their way up the ranks, playing in events in which they can compete and getting accustomed to the rules, etiquette and decorum expected of a professional golfer. This isn't to say that Wie can't be competitive in LPGA events. Of course she can, but her camp of marketers has launched her into a spotlight where every misstep is highlighted and must be defended.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYb9iArWObohs3qbVBoDmnxOSqmmmIJPhBcg4TtMsAPsEq8BpSW07T2S_UQfap6HcDRaZGvStgkltUA0dBReUmsYytB1Y0aDubdIvgc9ge0wOnKDQbfR5pTpI35qsW-najodZaA/s1600-h/michelle_wie_yawn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYb9iArWObohs3qbVBoDmnxOSqmmmIJPhBcg4TtMsAPsEq8BpSW07T2S_UQfap6HcDRaZGvStgkltUA0dBReUmsYytB1Y0aDubdIvgc9ge0wOnKDQbfR5pTpI35qsW-najodZaA/s320/michelle_wie_yawn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5073123037622067154" border="0" /></a>The controversy surrounding her, plus her lack of experience leading to many of the blunders (like needing advice from a parent in the first place), plus her entire camp's superstar attitude as if golf should be a laissez-faire system (but only for her) just eats away at my brain like the buzz of a casino when I get back to my hotel room. I think it leaves a bad taste in the mouths of anyone who cares about the rules of golf.<br /><br />So what do we have here...<br /><ul><li>Possible dishonest withdrawal<br /></li><li>Receiving advice</li><li>Pre-playing the course</li></ul>All this in one tournament - no, one ROUND - on an LPGA Tour event. Funny thing is, sponsors are going to be chomping at the bit to give her more and more exemptions to LPGA and PGA Tour events <span style="font-style: italic;">because </span>of all this. Just look at all the attention it generates.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">So what about PGA Tour Events?</span><br /><br />After conducting <strike>exhaustive research</strike> a quick google, I was unable to find any specific score associated with non-competitiveness on the PGA Tour. I guess that rule is a little more subjective over there. And Michelle Wie, Inc. excels at exploiting subjective rules.<br /><br />I'm currently reading John Feinstein's book <span style="font-style: italic;">Tales from Q School</span>, from which I learned that in that tournament (the qualifying tournament for the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour), players will be deemed non-competitive if they don't "come close to breaking 80" in four rounds. The PGA doesn't just ban these players for a year, they maintain a list of non-competitive players and make them prove that they can compete, essentially qualifying to qualify. The idea is that it's not fair for players to be distracted by non-competitive players in a tournament that can make or break their careers. Q-School is grueling and a rite of passage that most players on the PGA Tour have had to endure, many of them several times. To go through all that just to be distracted from a PGA Tour event by a non-competitive player (or even sideshow) when they know they'll have to go back to Q-School if they don't produce... well, that certainly can't be fair.<br /><br />Remember Casey Martin, the golfer with the degenerative disease in his leg that took the PGA Tour all the way to the Supreme Court for the right to play in a cart and won? All the attention from that case made him into something of a sideshow as well, but he had the respect for the game not to exploit the system with his star power. Martin went back to Q-School year after year and played on the developmental tours in between, trying to work his way up to the PGA Tour. He did not use his stardom to apply for exemptions and try to make some cuts and maybe win enough money to stay. According to <span style="font-style: italic;">Tales from Q School</span>, Martin "thought it pointless to take a spot in the field from someone else when he was likely to miss the cut." I guess that's because he knows how hard it is for those guys to earn their way there. No matter where you stand on the cart/no cart issue, you have to respect him for that.<br /><br />Some people may blame the sponsors for giving Wie exemptions in the first place. I'm sure she doesn't even have to apply for them, they're just thrown in her lap. But that doesn't mean she has to accept them. Some poor schmuck is going to have to go back to Q-School because some non-competitive player took up a coveted spot in the field in one too many tournaments. Of course, there is no way for a female player to earn her way to the PGA Tour. Not officially, at least. But maybe the next time she plays on an exemption and doesn't "come close to breaking 80"(the standard for Q-School), maybe she should get a letter of non-competitiveness and be kept on file. Would they let her attempt Q-School? Even if she qualified to qualify? I doubt she'd dare if they did.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Oh, and... pssst.... Ms. Bivens... over here. How about a golf blogger's exemption? I've been known to break 88 and who knows, I could string together a couple of miracle rounds and possibly make a cut. Okay, probably not, but think of the publicity we could generate!<br /><br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/06/another-one-bites-dust.html"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">Next post.</span></a><br /></span>Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-13652719894463358812007-05-31T14:19:00.000-07:002007-06-06T18:29:54.956-07:00Ron Mon's playing 100 for charity<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/ron.mon/2007/05/27/chip_in_for_carly_s_club_update_golf_fun"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtoBpP126eDF5_wtLfw6wVQSZOPGY0MRg9hY4XmMAIpthJPPZMSNF-4JbBYogGVVuVLdxLehSTv6GMsHgFwNFqmvde6-6eAuTycoyB2KARVLA3q6wUUn-AHoeB-0OsOtevpr-NA/s200/ron+mon+big+stick.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070841481116308642" border="0" /></a><br />Golf may not be reserved for the elite like it once was but let's face it - it can still be an expensive hobby and we're privileged enough if we have the luxury to play. That's why I love it when people use golf to give back.<br /><br />Long time travelgolf blogger, <a href="http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/ron.mon/2007/05/27/chip_in_for_carly_s_club_update_golf_fun">Ron Montesano</a> (wasn't he killed off in the Sopranos?) is playing 100 holes of golf on June 18 and seeking sponsors to benefit the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation and its fight against cancer on behalf of "Carly's Club."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://register.roswellpark.org/site/TR?px=1003426&pg=personal&fr_id=1300"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqDqhXAWsox5Q5kRjLHmMz3b7pByeKX6L_PIWWtO8591JsX7_7buGF81i6b_MGFw_s3sle7dqb7BthLLhRxR6vB1rsPDPGMrPFMyD1PdcVDBVoaJfb9aAOMaDt_2sd_trBr4Irw/s320/help+ron-mon-fight-cancer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070841330792453266" border="0" /></a><br />Please visit <a href="http://register.roswellpark.org/site/TR?px=1003426&pg=personal&fr_id=1300">this site</a> and contribute what you can for this great cause.<br /><br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/06/gotta-weigh-in-on-wie.html">Next post</a>.Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-27678930424099773142007-05-30T13:51:00.000-07:002007-05-31T13:40:58.046-07:00Women's golf week June 2 - June 9<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.playgolfamerica.com/index.cfm?action=wgw"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WeRd6eA-t3UD7SxG0V5xsKHHekPmwNkRXwJFSFIZVa881A_CLh4XfVu7tKtYqidZ16Ybnno1VvhZf8HO1341O3OdsjvtFJoElX2JfpQZip9FDpTq865qfQ_ePSw-IvUPaafoCg/s320/logo_wgw_2007.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070460869704471618" border="0" /></a>I wrote about Women's Golf Week in <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/column/play-golf-america-womens-golf-week-2007-5466.htm">my Worldgolf column</a> this month. Also, check out the <a href="http://www.playgolfamerica.com/index.cfm?action=wgw">Play Golf America</a> site for more information.<br /><br />I suppose that's a better name than Golf chick's week, but either way, let's get out there and play.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Honorable mention: it seems the photo Worldgolf used for my column was taken by "Christ" Baldwin. Has Baldy's ego reached new heights or does it just mean I've been blessed?<br /><br /></span><span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Update: The photo credit has been edited to read "Chris" instead of "Christ." Just to prove I'm not insane, here is a snapshot of it before the adjustment. I may still be insane, but this won't be the proof. Unless I'm crazy to prolong this but that's another story.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjozgYulbZ4I31KEcJRjuIi5qJbkQeeDhYqxbhvLHYb80Xor7gO4D_QMZg42CyHmkDQPBd5DsEdl15qOl4UWAGb8RFfR0bLoWPyEBoIutlviVqnIdkf82-VD-opja0nYzoTJRbqw/s1600-h/christ+baldwin+credit.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjozgYulbZ4I31KEcJRjuIi5qJbkQeeDhYqxbhvLHYb80Xor7gO4D_QMZg42CyHmkDQPBd5DsEdl15qOl4UWAGb8RFfR0bLoWPyEBoIutlviVqnIdkf82-VD-opja0nYzoTJRbqw/s400/christ+baldwin+credit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070826371421361266" border="0" /></a>Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-68943463889747213932007-05-24T18:38:00.000-07:002007-06-15T11:00:32.104-07:00There's a new golf chick on the scene...... and she means business!<br /><br />Her name is Elizabeth Jones, and she's a +3 handicap. That's right - PLUS 3! I'm only a plus ONE... in my dreams.<br /><br />As a recent college grad, she's struggling to make ends meet while working two jobs and fitting in practice time so she can work towards her ultimate goal of playing on the LPGA Tour.<br /><br />She started a new blog where she writes about golf stuff like many of us do, but her site also promotes her products that are instructional books to help people improve their golf games. She's just trying to earn enough money to help her pay for the tests she needs to become a pro and start her golf career. She recently wrote about some pink golf shoes she got, and as an Imelda myself, I can appreciate that. I think I'm gonna like this girl.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUtVnUvJvXRH7Lyq1caPsqFAJr_9omcps5Wh9nximdarEfuBeUBom3sT9dFELBHRk8Exxnh2FvKGEB1x4vl0pxwaomU8QKKx4iFglGKGI2aDTYjHEP04AXReIrq46pY5-MXxS85A/s320/liz+jones.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068309928607798322" border="0" /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;" >Not only is she adorable, but she can really play golf!</span><br /></div><br />It's always nice to welcome another female golf blogger to the scene, but it's a rare treat to have one who plays so well - I guess the same can be said for the guys, right? Check her out and let's hope she sticks around awhile (where have you gone, <a href="http://www.megangolf.com/clubMegan.asp">Megan</a>?).<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Update: broken links removed.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/05/womens-golf-week-june-2-june-9.html">Next post</a>.Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-51816863716909267382007-05-19T12:09:00.000-07:002007-05-24T18:57:26.386-07:00I am a Birdie Girl - with a minor in OgioI'm also giving new meaning to the term "bag lady." I guess when a girl obsessed with handbags develops an obsession with golf, it's only natural that she will start to collect golf bags.<br /><br />Awhile back, I <a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/01/birdie-girl-more-fabulous-than-blogger.html">posted about Birdie Girl's great looking bags</a> and especially lusted for the orange stand bag. It was still in production so I had to wait but in the mean time I got my hands on the pink and white tour bag. Because I was still traveling for work quite a bit, I also got their travel bag. I don't think these two items were meant to go together, but I'll get to that later.<br /><br />The tour bag is gorgeous and adds a powerful, feminine touch to any golf course. (No, guys, that's not an oxymoron.) But it is a tour bag and is meant to be carried, not carted. It's a touch too bulky and the pockets aren't the most accessible from a cart position. Much to my chagrin, I'm not on any tour, don't have a caddie and wouldn't dream of carrying this baby myself. The bag lady in me just thought it would be cool to have a tour bag.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.birdiegirl.ca/site/product_detail.asp?ColorID=32&id=93&ab=203"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgTLxXg1wEKaC9FlP0DSqVVotLjmmAzjmzWVzl09BU0dFhfWCa3LwNmtQzuM_j_DxmR1zC90uyjmTqIz64d-ZL40DGolKiU5YqsZuHNZSqKH57nHST2VugHuPmprkNZX7Yu5nEw/s400/bg+tour+angles.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067502333022229490" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.birdiegirl.ca/site/product_detail.asp?ColorID=32&id=93&ab=203"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNa2RnjN1cK9GCb_hF_hW9qqYQW94Gp117lRw0k6zIuHI4HlbP5RiPpMrA6rP0I2lx49B3aFqUDsWTdJ_dEprdKIeirIlJGugSpEzW96h4o9A4Wo0fTkiWJeat4CeIzMp2yOgCg/s200/close+up+bg+tour+detail.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067502814058566674" border="0" /></a><br />Here it is pictured in action - providing some much needed brightness at a miserable 5 1/2 hour round at the rock hard <a href="http://www.knollwoodgc.com/golf.cfm">Knollwood Country Club</a> in Granada Hills, CA where it was a wrist-breaking risk to try to take a divot on approach. Ugh - but at least my Birdie Girl bag made me smile. You can see the beautiful detail work in the close up shot. The side view shot was at <a href="http://www.blackgoldgolf.com/">Black Gold Golf Club</a> in Yorba Linda, CA. This golf course certainly didn't need any dressing up but the bag still stood out - far more than my performance in that tournament.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">Throwing some Ogio in the mix</span><br /><br />Since the tour bag is a bit unwieldy and much of my golf is played on courses that aren't too walker-friendly, I knew I needed to revert back to an actual cart bag. I love my <a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2005/10/my-utility-club-dilemma-new-toys-good.html">chocolate Ogio</a> and think Ogio makes the most tricked out bags designed from a planning perspective based on what golfers need. From what I've seen, some other bag manufacturers are catching on, but <a href="http://www.ogio.com/products.php?category=23">Ogio</a> innovates and the others seem to follow. I decided to upgrade from my chocolate bag to the latest and greatest.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ogio.com/product.php?product=178"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0J-5PDtVHLXfK26AE1zxskk2zwNdBQ4WMQtWEA_jqhE0wxUzjSgb2boJiCMQnE5vGwkuI8hXmzC_mTZYgkUob8gol1Lb7g6CV005xT6jL3IPzYjDK4r92ikQyaroZwYYGZaFFA/s320/ogio+cart+bag.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067473028460368690" border="0" /></a><br />I chose this cool bag, the <a href="http://www.ogio.com/product.php?product=178">Atlas</a>, in the indigo color scheme. Ogio thinks of everything but my enjoyment of the handy pockets, ball dispenser, individual club dividers, and sleek look only lasted for a short while. Why? Because Greg liked it just as much as I did and it turned out that indigo would have been his color selection as well. He doesn't lust for products too much, so I took the opportunity to make a sneaky trade along with a friendly couple's wager (the details of which shall remain private) and he is now the proud owner of this bag. We both ended up winners in this deal.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">Back to Birdie Girl</span><br /><br />Then the long awaited orange stand bag was off the Birdie Girl production lines and on my doorstep. I was giddy. It's even better looking up close and personal - and with my stuff in it! The attention to detail of the designers isn't evident in the photos of this bag on the <a href="http://www.birdiegirl.ca/site/product_detail.asp?id=112&discount=&ab=203">Birdie Girl website</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.birdiegirl.ca/site/product_detail.asp?id=112&discount=&ab=203"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIK8FHH3PiLQySmXAtqqbthowQug0ZJ_651lvt-gGXHNVleN8xCiaSJr0LTtHGM8pywef7vHH9lvoYga168m7oGH0rJJix1l1LZ3aCKsxs7REa0CSWIeTHiPjSyTcqg2kKdSxT5A/s320/IMGP1626.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067485256232260418" border="0" /></a>When I first opened the package and saw the tiny pink and white polka dots on the stand's legs, I thought "whaaa?" Then I set it down on its stand and noticed how the white mesh on the orange side pockets almost looks like pink polka dots and it all made sense. It's even hard to tell with the lights and shadows in this photo, but trust me, this is such a cool touch!<br /><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-csf6wsU-SB9o3ePhthnJcPCC9g8FY9U-LW5e8Z4yhSDiDjyHpmwxLzGpCfZHBlDG3j45lrDML6ncOsuIGiam_H0tVKZTq0zb_Fm8vnphWTh3hXhyzE9hyEopM5xo3YyeYRGwA/s320/IMGP1629.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067485269117162322" border="0" />If you zoom in on this photo, you'll see the neat splashes of other colors in the detail work on the logo and handle. I never would have thought of the polka dots or putting all these colors together, but I love the way they work together! Kudos to the Birdie Girl designers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.birdiegirl.ca/site/product_detail.asp?id=112&discount=&ab=203"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINEe-X4eh2p_uKiV1A2T9LBu1aNZTB-1A-lh-3aLZt1yVGaqnsFPXiMdDXSoydet34CKZrMVPrrzHTjX0uHqpvtYnyeG3NkDlsJLZAl9VSC1FpL3U5ZDQeAQW3CDnXhuYH1_ZCA/s400/birdie+girl+orange+stand+bag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067488571947012994" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Here it is on the course and on the cart. Again, I love the brightness!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTtMJOD0HDTuECQ8UhmUBkpgYdQsbLP3ilhiWfPTJxsFiTFeMXG6hGPdk-9uTDP2hiqoBRUOAiAcHsrNbu8W0sfBjvYJGzMAK4AGipfzdOwoBXKFv3WPX3PDzORoHTLLwRh9oDQ/s1600-h/IMGP1607.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTtMJOD0HDTuECQ8UhmUBkpgYdQsbLP3ilhiWfPTJxsFiTFeMXG6hGPdk-9uTDP2hiqoBRUOAiAcHsrNbu8W0sfBjvYJGzMAK4AGipfzdOwoBXKFv3WPX3PDzORoHTLLwRh9oDQ/s320/IMGP1607.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067488417328190322" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Here it is with Greg's new Ogio bag. What a cool looking pair!<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.birdiegirl.ca/site/product_detail.asp?ColorID=42&id=128&ab=203"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzlF5v8MU9K9R1oW7aPf8UHGD7MpEj-ImxJsfmeXy3RHfiY27pRPDmAaukQV0duXVAJtYjYkrqpzE77YmPS0VM0e03xybHOG-pSa7QezHnqq7SM1WV1pbcLJsDYxSUEZBC8h3K4Q/s200/brownblue+stand+bag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067490199739618194" border="0" /></a>Yes, I'm using it as a cart bag. My chocolate Ogio just looks so dull after having my Birdie Girl bags out there. Oh yeah, something else after which to lust. I guess now I need this powder/chocolate Luxe Cart bag for my collection! We play walking rounds with our friends Lou and Leslie on Friday afternoons in the spring and summer so my orange bag could still see some action. Well, I play other walking rounds but I use my push cart for those so I can strap on either kind of bag and I'll be able to mix it up.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">Now to the travel bag</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.birdiegirl.ca/site/product_detail.asp?id=116&discount=&ab=215"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFN9Ft3S07kvRMBegmzmhDzSuRt4-AvAHs5MF0XHfUMht-yX1B3d1h7m10mxDmIuxA8_GgbvTYJmBHnmsZHYXtGHx9xdvpm089FP4NGx1fqrdMFgxAm3iEcGxRLAILC9ZyJMgH5A/s200/bg+Travel+bag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067493296411038626" border="0" /></a>My one complaint with Birdie Girl is about their travel bag. It looks smart and is easy to spot on the luggage carousel - I'll give it that, but then I'd expect that from Birdie Girl. It's the size that bothers me. Of course I never expected the tour bag to fit in there, but I did expect it to accommodate my golf clubs in any other golf bag with ease. No go. I understand that it is designed with women in mind but even if I had shorter golf clubs, that's only another inch or so of room. After taking off the club head covers, it was a really tight squeeze to get my golf clubs in this travel bag. I worried that when TSA searched it and tried to repack they might damage my stuff. And I worried that such a tight fit might cause a snap with a rough throw. Thankfully neither happened and my clubs made the trip unscathed, but I won't risk it again. How about just a couple more inches of leeway in the length, Birdie Girl? Maybe it would be good for a junior set of clubs.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">Accessories</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.birdiegirl.ca/site/product_detail.asp?ColorID=40&id=130&ab=214"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwAf_9n-SWSXiVBMKtqB4357mNt_bSBvPgrAbwRIhnx8imZp154wwEOdbWJKhKu7yORI3Q_AU3y25fp_mASZmCq1nPf36qxDJtHpKtXa6y-_CFtYRc9QevjxJozdJMsiz9JS1Vg/s200/orangehead.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067496285708276658" border="0" /></a>The club head covers I got with the orange stand bag are nice, but not for me. First, they're too big. I don't like it when club head covers are too tight and difficult to take off and put on, but I also don't like them to be too baggy and loose. I know, I'm hard to please size-wise. Many women are. They're also orange and black instead of orange and white, which, unlike their other color surprises doesn't work for me. Besides, though it might not be hard to displace my Ruger and Taylor Made headcovers on my 3- and 5- woods, nothing's going to take the place of <a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2006/01/my-new-inspiration.html">the Goose on my driver</a>.<br /><br />My accessories of choice by Birdie Girl are these <a href="http://www.birdiegirl.ca/site/product.asp?discount=&ab=216">snazzy umbrellas</a>!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.birdiegirl.ca/site/product.asp?discount=&ab=216"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG7f7zxliCeTRTBW90qvTe-cPrC3gt-y2aHtAdeUuhHoYXNdX4C6c8KsKRks4FIJTfNjWpRLvnOxwAVpXHMkDU3V-dSZbwzJUmpGyFJ1vhvwWuy-nMDrGgV4k3ihHbqg_0GGQqtQ/s400/birdie+girl+umbrellas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067503282210001954" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51); font-weight: bold;">Yes, I am a Birdie Girl</span><br /><br />So what if I miss a lot of birdie putts? So what if the most birdies I've had in a round is a whopping 2? I'm a Birdie Girl - my bags say so! <a href="http://www.birdiegirl.ca/">Birdie Girl</a> makes the cutest stuff and keeps me stylin' on the golf course whether I'm making birdies or not.<br /><br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/05/theres-new-golf-chick-on-scene.html">Next post</a>.<br /></div></div>Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-4220121328898255702007-05-18T13:42:00.000-07:002007-05-22T14:42:48.702-07:00Ask the Goose - question from DavidI'm channeling <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Kess</span> today so I went into her inbox and found this old question that she never got the chance to answer. So, in her first column since her passing, the ghost of the Goose takes this question from David Joseph:<br /><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Dear Goose,<br /><br />I have been golfing for a long time. I have been living for a long time too. As I get older I am getting faster. I need to get where I am going before I go croak. As golf gets older it is getting slower. This incredibly slow play is driving my friends away from the game.<br /><br />I would like to know if there are any rules governing pace of play at public golf courses. I (and my quickly disappearing friends) need to be able to play a round of golf in less time than is currently possible. Can you help us out here?<br /><br />David Joseph</blockquote><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;" ><br />Dear David,<br /><br />If you haven't already, I recommend going ahead and "croaking." The golf courses are wide open and you can reunite with all your friends and play at whatever pace you like on any course you choose.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGvNIIggTPxfgOSmMIuS4V_aEtapim4YWKhc9cYTrTTvnUSNHcsO8JTlEV6KJp2dtiKnf2N10hIM0GLwTdzPz_oh4k5ZtKUuiiTPpI2hHK9ngxPn6G94zzmJu4wHOLrjdWVm0aA/s1600-h/kess+027.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGvNIIggTPxfgOSmMIuS4V_aEtapim4YWKhc9cYTrTTvnUSNHcsO8JTlEV6KJp2dtiKnf2N10hIM0GLwTdzPz_oh4k5ZtKUuiiTPpI2hHK9ngxPn6G94zzmJu4wHOLrjdWVm0aA/s320/kess+027.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066010274268500610" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;" >If you're still circling the drain, try going to your favorite local <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">muni</span> on a weekday when the non-retired people are too busy in their offices to be on the golf course. Also try the more expensive courses where you can enjoy the senior rates and the faster pace of play (because the greens fees are too high for the young whippersnappers).<br /><br />Maybe even join a senior league so you can share your common concerns like creaky hips and slower swing speeds. Stepping up to the forward tees might also speed up play for you and your friends. Make sure you all watch each other's tee shots for a better chance at finding them with all those old eyes. Spread the word so that others do the same (especially the groups in front of you).<br /><br />Good luck and I'll see you soon,<br /><br />The Goose<br /><br /></span><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/05/i-am-birdie-girl-with-minor-in-ogio.html">Next post</a>.<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;" > <br /><br /></span>Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-77029769981530157972007-05-16T10:55:00.000-07:002007-05-18T14:11:23.195-07:00Once again - beware of rattlesnakes!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuG579QEvg7ibfPcFWBZDnMJSOV24iZcUlisfFG5GP_YhVxSybkdPiZnlXV_7971rsuv86GCktzVN0J9DxlcKI9fc2-zdcJd2Sg7rSYjvZ5MTti1aYHvWTro-RQazDGJCg_Im28A/s1600-h/rattlesnake+sign.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuG579QEvg7ibfPcFWBZDnMJSOV24iZcUlisfFG5GP_YhVxSybkdPiZnlXV_7971rsuv86GCktzVN0J9DxlcKI9fc2-zdcJd2Sg7rSYjvZ5MTti1aYHvWTro-RQazDGJCg_Im28A/s320/rattlesnake+sign.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065221460574917218" border="0" /></a><br />It's rattlesnake season again, so be careful out there!<br /><br />If you're daring (or stupid) enough to go into the brush looking for your golf ball, at least take a club with you and make lots of noise as you go about it. For me, that $3 ball just isn't worth the risk of a bite.<br /><br />Sure, they rattle to warn you, but you might come across one without the time to warn you because they hide and camouflage themselves so well. A friend of mine saw his playing partner get bit on the arm as the guy just reached in for his ball. End of round, hospital visit and about a week of agony. I think he learned his lesson.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0FaZ0f6xbRDcbRfLBEMNlsQYTbJnE-ddzO8JCX7x1qo08CM8fcAJt7_JtII7P2PAQ-HMZQC-nXGesIeDPkBdWm-wBAled716tPIzu0SnRt-cXvRFWN27Kdz4rkAy-TeAhhEKtQ/s1600-h/IMGP1555.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0FaZ0f6xbRDcbRfLBEMNlsQYTbJnE-ddzO8JCX7x1qo08CM8fcAJt7_JtII7P2PAQ-HMZQC-nXGesIeDPkBdWm-wBAled716tPIzu0SnRt-cXvRFWN27Kdz4rkAy-TeAhhEKtQ/s320/IMGP1555.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065219330271138370" border="0" /></a><br />Here's an ambitious little snake that wants to be a rattlesnake when he grows up. He was stretched out on the cart path, blocking my way down a hill last week. I touched his tail with my toe to get him to move along and he got all badass on me. From then on, I treated him with the respect he was seeking. I managed to just squeak the cart through between his tail and the tall brush on the side of the path at top speed so he didn't have time to strike. Sure, he might not have the venom of a rattler but I'm sure a bite would still hurt. I even let out a little squeal as I drove by - but only to make him feel better about himself.<br /><br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/05/ask-goose-question-from-david.html">Next post</a>.Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-63295765618342645272007-05-16T10:14:00.000-07:002007-05-16T11:12:11.463-07:00The Armchair Golfer's new digsThe <a href="http://www.armchairgolfblog.blogspot.com/">Armchair Golfer</a> has a new gig. The people over at <a href="http://mvn.com/">The Most Valuable Network</a> have wisely chosen Neil (evidently that's his name) to write their golf blog, "<a href="http://mvn.com/golf">Down the Middle</a>."<br /><br />He has been blogging steadily about golf since September 2005 - almost as long as I have. Like he says on his new site <a href="http://mvn.com/golf/author/neil.sagebiel/">profile</a>, golfers persist!<br /><br />Congrats and good luck, Neil. I'll be reading.<br /><br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/05/once-again-beware-of-rattlesnakes.html">Next post</a>.Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-88137244624059995862007-05-11T18:48:00.000-07:002007-05-16T10:31:02.676-07:00"New" rental clubs?!?!?Mom needs some golf clubs!<br /><br />My mom has only played golf a few times but she really enjoys getting out on the course with me and swatting the ball around. The last time we played, I was impressed with her as she thwacked some really good ones from the tee, the fairway, the rough and the bunkers and made some really good putts. And she did all that with a beat up set of clubs she rented.<br /><br />Before they brought out the rental set, I inquired if they had any used rental sets for sale (since Mom's in the market). He said they didn't sell (or have) demo clubs. I repeated that I was actually asking about <span style="font-style: italic;">rental </span>sets and explained that I thought maybe when they upgraded their rentals they sold the old ones. He told me that all their sets are still quite new and they weren't ready to be replaced. Then he brought out the golf clubs in question. I laughed out loud.<br /><br />I know rental sets see some abuse, but to describe these as NEW and to sound so proud of them was ridiculous!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBtAwJHYEbm1rN1LdHCheJL-0JMsEUtWKpPyLg14HuTc4erUnWyfnhVroKT5Rm3zv7-Pi2EvpxJAxsU6NVUnBG7FT4LSrkw6z0jSx9Kl26Dmu7L3s5vZmIjui4OS6oJuKla5owg/s1600-h/rental+clubs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBtAwJHYEbm1rN1LdHCheJL-0JMsEUtWKpPyLg14HuTc4erUnWyfnhVroKT5Rm3zv7-Pi2EvpxJAxsU6NVUnBG7FT4LSrkw6z0jSx9Kl26Dmu7L3s5vZmIjui4OS6oJuKla5owg/s320/rental+clubs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063485391989276242" border="0" /></a><br />The photo doesn't even really do them justice. Each and every club in the set (including the putter) looked like it had been through a few good rounds of street golf. And if they <span style="font-style: italic;">hadn't </span>been used on asphalt, they had seen hundreds of hard rounds with hackers in the weeds and rocky, dried-up hazards. However many times they have rented out this set, I'm sure they were paid for many times over and they were ready for retirement.<br /><br />I later looked up the set online and found a brand new set of the same model (Aspire M3) for $80 - with a bag. I'm no math whiz, but at $20 per rental, which is what they charge, I think they can afford to get a few new sets with what they've brought in from this old bag of nuts and still have enough left over to pay the water bill.<br /><br />Time for Mom to get some golf clubs of her own, 'cause she's got skillz! Hmmm... if only there was an occasion for a gift, like a day celebrating all things Mom. Oh, wait.<br /><br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/05/armchair-golfers-new-digs.html">Next post.</a>Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-10072928407437818622007-05-03T14:48:00.000-07:002007-05-07T12:47:29.416-07:00Charity Event at Moorpark Country ClubOn Thursday, May 17, <a href="http://www.moorparkgolf.com/home2.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Moorpark</span> Country Club</a> will be the site of the <a href="http://www.pkcigar.com/">Phillips & King</a><a href="http://www.pkcigar.com/"> International</a> annual charity golf tournament.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUySRfXap0W4upHFLFv1Z0_X4VzODSTGfg2xtJ7bsluGCuu2027SKXB9PYeBS8lKVWMlY7Ui03AbS5JSQE95K0SCucYL4x7s_sK6Cufyfah8BPut5lcegwRSRvj3j6BTk6Oqx7Q/s1600-h/moorpark+photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUySRfXap0W4upHFLFv1Z0_X4VzODSTGfg2xtJ7bsluGCuu2027SKXB9PYeBS8lKVWMlY7Ui03AbS5JSQE95K0SCucYL4x7s_sK6Cufyfah8BPut5lcegwRSRvj3j6BTk6Oqx7Q/s320/moorpark+photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060491894273244738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cigarfamilycharitablefoundation.com/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXK8dNSWQH6dejwGKyeyuRXA4CkLUUFSoa2UUtq9BKcFiKvnsEClX44icB442gAFzu_f_if_GBzL4PxsHLx-diZI3Hwhy0rD9QuEiKkJptAAV74nWsz4WND7avB33Wjg-xVQq0LQ/s320/cfcf+family.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060479619256712754" border="0" /></a>This year, Phillips and King has chosen the <a href="http://cigarfamilycharitablefoundation.com/">Cigar Family </a><a href="http://cigarfamilycharitablefoundation.com/">Charitable Foundation</a> as the recipient of the proceeds. This foundation is working to improve the lives of families in the villages surrounding the town of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Caribe</span> in the Dominican Republic. They do this by helping to build much needed schools, health clinics, recreation facilities, a safe drinking water network, youth programs, adult training and much more. Last year, the tournament raised almost $19,000 and would love to make that same kind of contribution to this year's recipient.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">The details</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">When</span>: May 17<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span>, 2007, 12:00 PM shotgun start.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Where</span>: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Moorpark</span> Country Club (I'll post an update when I find out which two of the three nines they will use)<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Update: The tournament will be played on the Ridgeline and Canyon Crest nines.</span><br />Women: White tees, Men: Blue tees<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Entry fee</span>: $225<br /><br />The entry fee includes lunch, a full course dinner, a gift bag and lots of cigars.<br /><br />Prize opportunities include a new BMW or Harley Davidson, airline tickets, a Caribbean cruise, rounds of golf, trophies and more, and are awarded for Hole-in-one, Long Drive (Male and Female), Closest to the Pin (Male and Female), putting contest, 1st and 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">nd</span> place and a raffle. There will also be a live auction.<br /><br />Since this event is only two weeks away, sign up soon using the registration form below (click on it to get a larger version) or by calling (805) 744-4188 or (800) 532-4427 x 188.<br /><br />I know it can be difficult to get out to play at noon on a weekday, but I hope to see you there! (You can also just come for the dinner, auction and raffle for a $100 contribution.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAZTtv7sS5CaRf1BdgfiRr4eRUrmd6P_RbYN3x1EUBbvW4qRxwVHuqKR_AmUcxf_-9ExiLLf65N0Ey7naV1X05zn3s_AEQqzElvdrGWRx-jE5rPxQVNUUBBP8MBdXawPPxWLKlQ/s1600-h/pki+reg+form.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAZTtv7sS5CaRf1BdgfiRr4eRUrmd6P_RbYN3x1EUBbvW4qRxwVHuqKR_AmUcxf_-9ExiLLf65N0Ey7naV1X05zn3s_AEQqzElvdrGWRx-jE5rPxQVNUUBBP8MBdXawPPxWLKlQ/s400/pki+reg+form.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060469002097556946" border="0" /></a>Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-29240564553207860732007-05-01T06:33:00.000-07:002007-05-01T06:52:09.489-07:00The Dreaded "Y word" at WorldgolfWell, it's that time of month again. No, not the time when I get all cranky and roll around in chocolate - my latest column is up at Worldgolf. Since their disaster of a new site design isn't just ugly, but a navigational nightmare, you might want to use my link below if you want to read it. Hmm... maybe it is <span style="font-style: italic;">that </span>time of the month after all. I hope I don't get fired for voicing that opinion.<br /><br />Anyway, the column is about <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/column/understanding-and-talking-about-the-yips-5278.htm">understanding the bizarre phenomenon called The Yips</a>. WAIT - hear me out: as a <span style="font-style: italic;">super</span>stitious person myself, it was a daunting topic for me at first. But the more I learned about it, the more comfortable I was talking about it without fearing that I'd catch it. <br /><br />Unfortunately, I have a small word count range in these columns so it's difficult for a long-winded writer such as myself to turn in anything substantive. I plan to follow up that article with more about the topic here on The Golfchick blog. I have a very cooperative friend named Neil who is suffering from the putting yips and I hope to include video clips in future posts. I guess the column could be considered an introduction to what might become a series here. We'll see!Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-66069226388127609722007-04-30T11:20:00.000-07:002007-05-01T06:52:42.796-07:00For the victims and families at Virginia Tech<a title="One Day Blog Silence" href="http://www.onedayblogsilence.com/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXZuIIB2IYde10ctJVH1nmvwSBxmb6Ek2j6r22rNJ-Mgol6KJqWdYSmv_VZfeNb0cn5u7ZII_drH63Yj7mNpzvRbjWPvCxNm6SBw6nuX4-qdlZgXDPzjuzrUjtQaCW0oGiy94Og/s320/one+day+blog+silence.jpg" alt="one day blog silence" id="one day blog silence" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/05/dreaded-y-word-at-worldgolf.html">Next post</a>.Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-85466671154330493002007-04-27T00:47:00.000-07:002007-04-30T11:30:14.381-07:00The bird putts better than I doSaw this darling bird on Letterman tonight and had to share. He three putted on the show but he didn't let it get to him. I wish I had his skills!<br /><br />AJ the parakeet can also dunk a basketball, do gymnastics and bowl - also all better than I can do. Damn bird.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/V6Fxclwdfxc"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/V6Fxclwdfxc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/04/for-victims-and-families-at-virginia.html">Next post</a>.Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-71171831791436963702007-04-23T09:13:00.000-07:002007-04-27T08:54:21.361-07:00Interview with Geoff Shackelford - Part TwoLast week I posted <a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/04/interview-with-geoff-shackelford-part.html">Part One of the Geoff Shackelford interview</a> in which we discussed his <span style="font-weight: bold;">golf gam</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">e</span> and some thoughts on <span style="font-weight: bold;">golf course architecture</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.geoffshackelford.com/biography/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJaI7ywkstVze-qIVY0QYVYQHhTcb-XAkUdBvsrsoVNMqKvFaRHY-PbTWNaHWV5LzqovIEc93U0VkhW2Zs28ILZe2GBQg0FIhVMpFfmrJuZVXNmta7An-ryn3R32L_-riX1thbA/s320/geoffshackelfordcopyright06.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056690157047784066" border="0" /></a>As promised, here is the rest of the interview which covers <span style="font-weight: bold;">his writing</span> and some <span style="font-weight: bold;">personal topics</span>. For some background, you can check out <a href="http://www.geoffshackelford.com/biography/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Geoff's</span> bio on his website</a>.<br /><br />You'll notice a couple of times he references the Masters as though it hasn't happened yet. He actually submitted these responses back to me while I was on a break from blogging, right before the Masters took place.<br /><br />Once again, <a href="http://www.timeforetee.blogspot.com/">Scott Tesar</a> provided a few questions, which are denoted with his initials (<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">ST</span>) in place of my own (<span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>).<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><br />Geoff Shackelford interview - Part Two<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 51);">Writing<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: When did your interest in writing begin/how did it develop?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: I edited my high school paper and have always loved reading the newspaper. Though I rarely opened a book until the age of 20.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Who was the first person who acknowledged your talent and encouraged you?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: My parents.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Does the insecurity even end?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Of course not. I can't stand to read stuff I've done that's more than 2 weeks old.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Clearly you have a creative mind. Have you ever pursued any other ways to express it in addition to architecture and writing?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Well besides my work as a male stripper and my "Def poetry" rants on postmodernism as it relates to the life and work of Leroy Neiman? Oh, sorry. Well, I wrote a couple of movie treatments and a novel, both with some golf in them. Not sure if those count.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Do you write about other subjects than golf and golf architecture?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Nope. I should, but golf has thankfully been keeping me busy and paying the rent.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: When and where were you first published? How did it happen?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Riviera Country Club hired me to do a club history in time for the 1995 PGA. That was privately published. After that <a href="http://www.geoffshackelford.com/masters-of-the-links/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Masters of the Links</span></a> was the first actual book bought by a publisher. As for magazine and print stuff, Golfweb on the Internet.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: How have your writing pursuits progressed since then?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: I wrote and compiled several more books since the early ones. Lately I've been doing more blogging and magazine writing, a lot less book writing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Do you ever write a book without a publishing agreement in place (now that you're established)?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Every book but <a href="http://www.geoffshackelford.com/alister-mackenzies-cypress-poi/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Cypress Point</span></a> and <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.geoffshackelford.com/grounds/">Grounds for Golf</a> has been started without an agreement in place.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: When you write a book, what approach do you use (methodical, outline first, type away and edit later, etc.)?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Depends. Most of my books involve several components, so I've started with an outline and then it evolves. Sort of like a golf course design: start with some ideas on paper, and then it all goes to hell from there and you hope it comes together at the end.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: How much of your time is spent on writing and how much on course design? Is it the ratio you want it to be?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: It's 50-50 right now.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: What inspired you to start your website/blog?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: I wanted to follow up on the <a href="http://www.geoffshackelford.com/future/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Future of Golf</span></a>'s many topics covered related to the health of the sport. So that's why I continue to blog on the things I do. It all still goes back to that book. Though I would love to have more course design projects to post about! I also started doing it because I think it's the future of journalism and communications and allows me to share my clipping files online with the rest of the world. Which can be a bad thing when I start getting too snarky.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">ST</span>: With the massive amount of content on your site and the frequency of your posts, you seem to post to your blog 24/7. There must be an established income stream to support that. Can you tell us about it?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: An established income stream? Did Tim Finchem submit this question? Just kidding. Actually, there isn't one. It's what Finchem would call a loss leader. It costs me a small amount per month to maintain thanks to a great host site called Squarespace (that I highly recommend). I don't have too much bandwidth use because I don't post a lot of photographs or video, so that keeps the costs down (though I'd like to post more photos and video if available). The site promotes my books and hopefully will be - big MBAspeak word here - a platform to write about and obviously promote my golf course design work as well. I'd like to think it has also helped me get in the door at some magazines I wasn't writing at before, so it's paid for itself.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">ST</span>: How much time do you spend reading the online world's resources?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: I spend about an hour a day and generally do most of the posts in the evening with a few follow ups the next morning if there's something I feel like commenting on or a story worth sharing. That might be a lot to some, but as far as looking for material, it's stuff I was already reading and looking at for ideas because of my other interests in writing. During the majors it's more than an hour a day, obviously, but that's where blogging is most fun. I'll be live blogging from the Masters so that I can make sure to document every silly thing Peter Kostis says.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: What are your favorite sources of current golf information, online or otherwise?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: <a href="http://www.golfobserver.com/">Golfobserver.com</a> online and of course in the print world, Golf World, Golf Digest and Sports Illustrated Golf Plus. I don't get Golfweek anymore. I got tired of their publisher, Jim Nugent, shilling for the manufacturers both in print and behind the scenes. But now that he's spending more time with his family and pursuing other opportunities at the PGA Tour publishing that bastion of journalism, PGA Tour Partners, I may re-subscribe because they have people like Brad Klein, Scott Hamilton, Adam Schupak, Rex Hoggard and Jim Achenback doing some interesting stuff.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: What peeves do you have about blogs/bloggers/blog writing?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Not very entertaining or surprising. I want to be entertained and enlightened. That's what I hope to do with my stuff.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Can you give any advice to aspiring writers - specifically golf writers? (i.e. What to focus on, what to avoid, how to get published, how to make the transition from self-publishing, what to expect, other helpful hints, etc.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Don't expect to make much money in books. I'm not sure about blogging yet, but probably don't expect it there either. Outside of that, and it's a cliché, but cliché's are just truths that everyone gets tired of hearing about: find a "voice." Even if it's a pithy, sarcastic voice like mine, it's me and I'm not pretending to be someone else. It will serve you well in all fields of writing and lets you sleep at night. When I read the golf columnists today in the magazines, there aren't too many like Dan Jenkins who you can honestly say have an original voice. Bob Verdi, Jaime Diaz and Alan Shipnuck, in the magazine world come to mind (whether you like their work or not), while John Huggan, Lawrence Donegan and Steve Elling are really distinctive voices in the newspaper world. That's not to say that the many others doing great work in golf are no good because they may not be getting the chance to strut their stuff writing a game story.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Personal</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Where is your home base?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Santa Monica, CA<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: How much do you travel?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Not too often. Though I hope that changes with the golf course design work.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Is your office at home or in a separate location?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: In the east wing of my mansion.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Are you married, in a relationship, a playa, live alone, co-habitate/Is your - if there is one - significant other in the golf industry or even play golf?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: I actually wear a diamond-encrusted necklace that says PLAYA and my mom asked why I was paying tribute to the beach. I had to explain to her what it means to be a playa.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">ST</span>: Describe your typical day?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Jeeves wakes me around 8:30 with breakfast in bed along with the L.A. Times, New York Times and the Journal, then we spend the next half hour debating how to bring peace to Darfur and sobriety into Britney's life. No wait, that's Bertie Wooster's life. Sorry.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Why Pepperdine and not UCLA?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: I wasn't good enough coming out of high school to play golf at UCLA, and my grades definitely weren't good enough!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">ST</span>: What is/was it like being <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=5&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.basketball-reference.com%2Fplayers%2Fs%2Fshackly01.html&ei=7essRvmTOJO2igGcg5WNAw&usg=AFrqEzecAxVxfnP5XTLFQHsQFOGyRU9Zxg&sig2=djvRfT7W46jOJNnniGG2Tw">Lynn</a>'s kid? What opportunities did that afford you (i.e. doors opened, contacts made) or did it put up any barriers, challenges or assumptions you had to overcome?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Well once I stopped playing basketball, there were no barriers to overcome. It was great though because I got to travel with him a ton when he was announcing, so I had seen much of the world by the age of 18 and met so many interesting people. And that was when flying was fun.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Do you have any time for other hobbies? If so, what are they?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: I try to spend as much time at the beach as possible. I like to work out, read, watch movies and when we aren't in the middle of a drought, I love hiking in Southern California and taking in our unique environment, especially in spring when the wildflowers and sage scrub look so great. I've even started to get into bird watching, something Ben Crenshaw has taught me a little about and which I've really grown to appreciate in my old age. I also love music and concerts, and love discovering new artists.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Name one specific thing that makes you smile?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Knowing that Bobby Clampett has been reduced to a fill in announcer for CBS? Oh sorry. Actually with the depressing state of our world, of late <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/index.jhtml">The Daily Show</a>, Stephen Colbert and 30 Rock really make me laugh, which, therefore, makes me smile.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: What makes you the happiest?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Good food, good wine and laughing with friends about this mad, mad world. Oh, and knowing that the Masters is just about here.<br /><br /><br /></span>Thanks again to Geoff for his time and effort in answering all these questions and for sharing himself with all of us. I don't know about you, but I certainly learned some things. Like who knew a <span style="font-style: italic;">male </span>stripper could be so pithy?<br /><br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/04/bird-putts-better-than-i-do.html">Next post</a>.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 51);"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 51);"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"></span></div></div>Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-61325487169406060112007-04-20T12:52:00.000-07:002007-04-27T08:55:16.123-07:00Butts on golf coursesI often find myself saying - either aloud or in my head - "What is WRONG with people?" Sometimes it's for more serious actions, but I also use it for the stupid little things people do.<br /><br />Like leaving cigar and cigarette butts all over the golf course. I mean, come on! Presumably, you'll repair your divots and ball marks in an effort to clean up after yourself and keep the course nice. So what's the difference? Do you have to be <span style="font-style: italic;">told </span>to pick up your trash as well? Well, if you haven't yet, here goes...<br /><br />I hereby dub it official golf etiquette (because I have that power) to keep all golf courses free of your own litter, including butts!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Just remember...<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NsW985V8Z9QdAZcVXzFsTx5H04AEjIQjNEjd87vEC0TsDweGu87G1pw5kSvfBAJoZlLbERhqub6x8CfXJS9k5GJcpwHK0_Bh8dvWDQW-TkTEReRBStzFSrZUcDZ8-j_LKwiYWg/s1600-h/cig+litter.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2NsW985V8Z9QdAZcVXzFsTx5H04AEjIQjNEjd87vEC0TsDweGu87G1pw5kSvfBAJoZlLbERhqub6x8CfXJS9k5GJcpwHK0_Bh8dvWDQW-TkTEReRBStzFSrZUcDZ8-j_LKwiYWg/s320/cig+litter.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055621478990226018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">BAD Litter</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2AwkX9T7yXSIy6axAWYLYDG5kFb02fNjdcXl-Wme9zarW1JNtOiYjVcJhYwYR0ZYc3t-VCBuJFDnind3F2pzzbgtjjCgTc9f7OU5US2m7DM77SqzR3qNKfl886QKOW6jrWV1_w/s1600-h/great+dane+puppy+litter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2AwkX9T7yXSIy6axAWYLYDG5kFb02fNjdcXl-Wme9zarW1JNtOiYjVcJhYwYR0ZYc3t-VCBuJFDnind3F2pzzbgtjjCgTc9f7OU5US2m7DM77SqzR3qNKfl886QKOW6jrWV1_w/s320/great+dane+puppy+litter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055621478990226034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">GOOD Litter!<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/04/interview-with-geoff-shackelford-part_23.html">Next post</a>.<br /></div></div>Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-36158247268434473862007-04-17T15:50:00.000-07:002007-04-20T14:18:03.873-07:00Graphite shafted irons and custom fittingFor awhile now I've been thinking about trying some graphite shafted irons as part of my experimentation. I know a lot of women use them but I've been a steel shaft girl from the beginning. While I'm at it, I should probably get them custom fitted and do it right. At first I didn't think it was necessary because my swing wasn't well defined. Now that I'm a little more established, it's probably time.<br /><br />I figure if I go with graphite, they should be stiff flex and men's length, but it'll be interesting to see what a professional fitter would say. Out of curiosity, I just tried the <a href="http://www.golfsmith.com/ps/oem_ocf.php?tcode=GWHSE">SmartFit custom club fitting</a> calculator on Golfsmith.com and came up with the following recommendations:<br /><br />Shaft Model: Mid launch<br />Shaft Flex: Stiff<br />Club length: Men's standard<br />Lie angle: +1° Upright<br />Grip size: Men's + 1/64 Inch<br /><br />I wonder if the results will be the same when I actually go in and get my swing speed calculated and all that. I should probably go ahead and do it for my current set of steel shafted irons since I'm not quite ready to take the leap on graphite shafts.<br /><br />While I'm mulling it over, I'd be happy to hear recommendations on makes and models if you feel like sharing.<br /><br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/04/butts-on-golf-courses.html">Next post</a>.Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-12996353596551639692007-04-16T13:26:00.000-07:002007-04-17T16:30:12.712-07:00Interview with Geoff Shackelford - Part One<a href="http://www.geoffshackelford.com/">Geoff Shackelford</a> is one of the most prolific golf bloggers out there. His popular blog is a constant source of informed commentary especially when it comes to history and golf course design. He often posts observations on "MBA speak" and I particularly enjoy his hilarious series <a href="http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2007/4/15/iming-with-the-commissioners-vol-v.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">IM'ing with the Commissioners</span></a>. SportsIllustrated.com's Gary Van Sickle named GeoffShackelford.com one of the <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/gary_van_sickle/09/13/underground.golfer/index.html">10 "essential" golf websites</a> along with the likes of ErnieEls.com, GolfObserver.com and Golfweek.com.<br /><br />Even when I disagree with him, I find his opinions intelligent and thought provoking and he elicits some of the most engaging discussions you'll find in the comments section on a golf blog.<br /><br />But he's much more than a blogger. He is a golf course architect and has authored multiple books on the subject and he writes for several online and printed golf publications as well. I personally admire his writing, style and career, and figured if I wanted to know more about him, so might others. When he agreed to participate in my e-interview, I went a little crazy with my quantity of questions. Knowing that my friend <a href="http://www.timeforetee.blogspot.com/">Scott Tesar</a> (best friend I never met) was also an admirer of Geoff's, I even threw in a few questions he wanted answered.* I never expected Geoff to answer as many as he did, and I am truly thankful for all his responses and the time he put into them.<br /><br />Since there are so many questions, I have broken them down by category and will post them in two parts. This part covers his <span style="font-weight: bold;">game</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">golf course architecture</span>. The second part will cover his <span style="font-weight: bold;">writing</span> and some <span style="font-weight: bold;">personal tidbits</span>, so stay tuned for that!<br /><br />*Scott's questions are indicated with "<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">ST</span>"- mine are "<span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>".<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Geoff Shackelford interview - Part One</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 102, 51);"><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);"> Your game</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:times new roman;" >KW</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">: When did you start playing golf and what were the circumstances?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:times new roman;" >GS</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">: I tagged along with my dad and granddad when they played Valencia, home to the Champions Tour event. That was back when it was private, and not to sound too old, was surrounded by nothing. You could stand on the 14th tee and see nothing but open fields and farmland. Now there's a Hyatt, movie theaters and a really neat putting course/restaurant called The Greens.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Was it love at first sight or how did it develop?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: It developed slowly, more tagging along and then gradually got more into it as I got older and realized I had no jump shot, nor any ability to jump.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: What are your top five courses to play and why?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: If I had to pick in one of those desert island kind of ways, it'd be Valley Club of Montecito, St. Andrews, Riviera, Royal Dornoch and Armand Hammer. They're all fun. In fact, I've had more fun golf experiences at Armand Hammer, a $2 pitch and putt in Holmby Hills, than just about anywhere else. My Pepperdine teammates and I used to go there after playing Bel-Air and it was by far more fun than the round at Bel-Air!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: What's your favorite local course (in which you're not personally invested) and why?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Riviera. Masterful design. Though it's slipping away quickly. I'm glad I got to enjoy it before Tom Marzolf got his hands on it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: What's your handicap?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: No idea. I rarely play. The last handicap I carried I was around a 2 index, which cost me a lot of money. I'd be thrilled to break 80 today. Bum wrist really took the fun out of it, as does the time it takes to play. Though I've had some desire lately. I found a chiropractor who adjusted my wrist and have graphite shafted irons that help.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Lowest round score?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: 67 twice at Riviera from the white tees.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Any holes-in-one?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: One, at Pismo State Beach par-3 when I was about 15. I also double-eagled No. 1 at Riviera with a 2 iron.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Ever compete?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Tried. Played at Pepperdine where I started for a little while, had a whopping two top-10 finishes in a four year career. Also played various amateur events, U.S. Open and Am qualifyings. Don't miss it even a bit.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Do you belong to a club?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: No. Though I'm sure there are many honorary membership committees reading this and wondering how to reconcile their oversights.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: What's in the bag/do you have a favorite club?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: These days, as it's been since the first Bush administration, it's my trusty Ben Crenshaw Cleveland putter, an 8802 knock off. I had one I liked better, but it got stolen out of my car along with my other clubs. I am an all Taylor-Made guy now, with graphite shafts in the irons in hopes that it will take some of the pain out of hitting shots in cold weather. Finally got rid of my lousy Titleist irons and driver. What junk. Just kidding Wally!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 102, 51);"><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);"> Golf course architecture<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: When and how did you first get interested in course design?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Growing up at Riviera and reading George Thomas's book as a teenager.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Did you/do you have a mentor?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Ben Crenshaw, Dan Proctor and Dave Axland were very kind to me during the Riviera greens reconstruction in 1993. I learned a lot from them and they encouraged me quite a bit. Bill Coore just thought I was some spoiled brat. Now he tolerates me!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: How and how quickly did your involvement grow/What was your first big break?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: I've had many, but I guess the first real break was doing a redo of Sinaloa with Dan and Dave when my dad operated it. I learned a lot. Meeting Gil Hanse was the next one.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: What do you consider the single most important aspect of a good design?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Whether it's fun and interesting.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Are you a consultant now/what is the state of your business?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: I'm consulting at a few older clubs looking to restore some of their old style design character, and doing that either on my own or in one very special case, with Gil Hanse. I'm also hopeful that a few new projects with Gil are going to start soon. We have just gotten a job on Vancouver Island in Canada. The Prairie Club in Nebraska is still on the drawing board and inching toward a start date in 2008, and there are a couple of others we're hopeful about.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Do you/have you done course "makeovers" or do you stick to new course development?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: I'm interested in new stuff and restoring great old designs. Makeovers are tough, but I'd be interested if it's the right project. There surely is no shortage of bad architecture built in the last 20 years in need of help. I'm just amazed how many courses call back the architect who messed up the first time around!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">ST</span>: When you first start a new golf course project, what is your first step?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Routing the course. It sets the stage for everything else in the planning process. It's all about routing. And that's the most fun too. Trying to solve all the issues and walking the land, discovering great land forms or interesting quirks in the landscape that you want to build around.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Do you have particular grasses and sands you prefer to use and do they vary based on region and climate?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Varies. But as a lover of links golf and rugged looking courses, fescue grasses are my favorites. I can only imagine what Rustic Canyon would look like with more fescues and less rye. With sand, anything but the blinding white stuff.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: When you design a course, do you base playability on the average player or professionals?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Both. I tend to be overly concerned with the average player since they're the ones who ultimately make or break the course. But the design concepts for a hole start with figuring out a strategy for the good player, then placing tees, bunkers, greens based on that.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">ST</span>: What steps do you follow when designing the layout? What is your strategy/thought process for challenging the golfer?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: I'm interested in what is going to make them think. What is going to make them stand on the tee and want to place a shot on a certain side of a fairway based on the green design and day's hole placement. It's sad how rarely this occurs in golf course design. Yet most of the great holes have some meaning where the player has to take factors like hole location and hazards into account before teeing off.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: A lot of the newer courses that are built to challenge the longer hitters and their new equipment have plenty of room for a couple sets of forward tees yet it seems strategies and playability from there are barely considered. How much consideration do you put into how a course will play from the forward tees?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: A lot. It's so tricky now with such a divide between long and average players. And then of course most golfers look at certain numbers on a card to determine the quality of the course, and that usually is just a number with little meaning about what the design has to offer. But you have to address it or else people will write off a course if it doesn't meet certain "standards."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Do you see course design mentality starting to reflect the influx of female players?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: A little. Alice Dye's formula for forward tees is really getting used a lot and has helped get some better forward tees in place. But we have a long way to go.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: Do you ever consult with/work with female designers when developing a course?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: Never have. I've talked with Amy Alcott a fair amount about design. But other than her, I've met very few women who have even the slightest bit of interest in golf course design. Why that is, I have no idea.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">KW</span>: What's your biggest peeve about modern golf courses? Any peeves with the classics?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GS</span>: With modern courses, they're boring, overbuilt, ugly, drain poorly and little thought is put into the actual placement of hazards. Classics? Not really. They did some amazing things with horses and road scrapers!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">To be continued... </span><br /><br /></span>And that concludes part one of the interview. Geoff really gave some interesting answers and I wish the interview could have been in person so I could have followed up on some of them! Thanks to Scott for for providing some great questions and of course to Geoff for his responses. And again, stay tuned for part two about Geoff's writing and personal tidbits!<br /><br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/04/graphite-shafted-irons-and-custom.html">Next post</a>.Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-11560504356035098882007-04-12T15:15:00.000-07:002007-04-16T15:52:09.084-07:00Updating my golf bag - Golf Research in PlayThe contents of my bag have been changing lately. Of course, the bag itself has been as well, but I'll talk about that in a future post. I'm also not talking about the crushed chips & crackers, tees I'll never use, gadgets I forget about or the orgy of heterogeneous golf balls I have collected from my forays into the weeds to find my originals.<br /><br />No, this long post is about the guests of honor in the bag - my golf clubs.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;">Brand and designer names</span><br /><br />I have mentioned in several previous posts that I'm a <a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2006/01/am-i-taylor-made-for-golf.html">Taylor Made girl</a>. Despite TaylorMade's apparent lack of interest in my endorsement of their products, I continue to give it. I draw the line at pimping, though, and don't wear or carry items advertising their logo. Or would that be whoring? Either way, I never saw the point or taste in wearing a designer item with the designer's name emblazoned on it and why would I do it for golf gear manufacturers? Unless, of course, they <strike>paid</strike> sponsored me. That being said, I'm still quite happy with my now nearly three-year old set of Taylor Made irons, wedges, fairway woods and driver.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">New clubs, golf research</span><br /><br />I have TM's RAC OS Pitching (45 deg) and Sand (55 deg) wedges. Awhile back, I decided to try out some new wedges because so much of my game is played from 100 yards and in and I wondered if carrying a couple more wedges might improve my precision. So I ordered some wedges from <a href="http://www.gogrip.com/">GRIP, or Golf Research in Play</a>, which is exactly what I intended to conduct. I went with the Gap wedge (52 deg) - to fill the Gap between the P and W, and the Lob (60 deg) looking for a 75 yard club.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.gogrip.com/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YFcCk-xhVTUdf0_FDXyNUNIzmchfzIDK8qEjNNDQWvhrCXL_9ZtOIRwW19gMJsgZY9AZ6m1X1q-7rkkO2OS2P-sRwW-ErTmAZo7DpCM3405yfl5kbubbRVOTpeJatdpLHURUeA/s320/GRIP+logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5052719431132862754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);"><br />The dilemma that shouldn't have been</span><br /><br />The trouble was, in order to really conduct this research out on a golf course, I'd have to remove two clubs from my bag (following the 14 club rule) in order to carry all four wedges to get a good comparison. Then, to add to my dilemma, GRIP threw a hybrid in the shipment for me to try. Well, I removed my left-handed club without a blink, but to remove two more would be difficult! The hybrid is a 5-H, which should theoretically replace my 5-iron, probably my favorite iron of all. See, the 5-I is my ~160 club, and I find myself in a lot of situations that require that yardage. I wasn't about to remove it for an untested replacement. I decided to take them all to the range, where the 14-club rule doesn't matter. I know, I'm such a stickler. Like I couldn't have just taken them all out and played a few rounds that I didn't post, right? Or replaced some clubs and played a test round and posted whatever the results were. That score would have been thrown out anyway. Stickler or idiot. You decide. ANYWAY...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">Experimenting - the plan</span><br /><br />Not <span style="font-style: italic;">that </span>kind of experimenting, you dirty, dirty chipmunks! That's supposed to be done in college and I skipped that semester. Of course I'm talking about experimenting with new golf clubs.<br /><br />I was excited to try my new wedges but not so much about the hybrid. (I bought a TM 3H over a year ago and hardly ever use it. I've thought about going back to my 3-iron.) For the wedges, my plan was ambitious and was meant to determine exact yardages for each and had something to do with vectors. As for the 5H, I was just going to take a few swings and kind of get a feel for it.<br /><br />I need to find a better practice range. Tom Barber is a fine establishment and a quick stop on the way from anywhere, just off the road. Plus, I just load up my micro-key with credits, keep in on my key chain so I can just pull up, grab my clubs, pop it in the ball machine and go straight to a station. Trouble is, the stations are all mats. I hate mats. And it's almost always super windy there so it's hard to get an accurate read on distance. That and the fact that it's all downhill. I never said my plan wasn't faulty.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">Funny how things turn around<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.gogrip.com/p-15-wedges.aspx"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uXBX-jY0RMp0JOMRrtVSKjdujnoxWrW5Su5XdohxWGDpl2OAwVr_h_fSaEMw0YYj3zShMZje2m_dKVmKoCGMdc7cte-UafZxGULTYJetK8a6dzPr5VkNy-EPFw6JMeoDtPf-Kg/s200/GRIP+wedge+bottom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5052720796932463090" border="0" /></a><br />The GRIP wedges felt okay - at least as good as any iron can feel off a stupid mat. Difficult as it was to judge distance, I went ahead and decided that the 52 degree Gap wedge was too similar to my SW in distance to justify its place in my bag. And I guess I have to face facts - I'm just not that precise. The jury was still out on the 60 degree Lob wedge, and I clearly needed some grass time with it.<br /><br />What really surprised me was the GRIP 5-Hybrid. I was immediately impressed with its feel. It has a weight and balance that is extremely comfortable - natural, even. Every shot felt pure, even when my execution wasn't. Still, I felt that way about my TaylorMade 3 rescue at first, too, so I knew to take a wait-and-see attitude with this one.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">The real test and the results</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQjyaKIfLxX2PbJd0EfC9WLLVosmR0CkNSwbLnofjrGV6y0vaxJFqKgiGYqQ4kI6YTmPUIMH-87kmLd-oqlnlgT1sJH9QTHeblgtLYZplB0eOF0hbjw2f7Bel1Mtt3nHbgd9tyA/s1600-h/GRIP+wedge+top.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQjyaKIfLxX2PbJd0EfC9WLLVosmR0CkNSwbLnofjrGV6y0vaxJFqKgiGYqQ4kI6YTmPUIMH-87kmLd-oqlnlgT1sJH9QTHeblgtLYZplB0eOF0hbjw2f7Bel1Mtt3nHbgd9tyA/s200/GRIP+wedge+top.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5052784194944719362" border="0" /></a>I went ahead and exchanged my 5-iron for the hybrid and the left-handed club for the Lob wedge in my bag for a few rounds. Of course I never had even one 75 yard attempt, let alone several in order to determine if the Lob wedge was the club. I usually use my PW for 100-115 yard shots and my SW for everything inside 100. In order to give the LW a chance, I decided to use it in place of my SW for everything under 75. I think it was all psychological, but I just couldn't get comfortable with it. I guess I'm just too loyal to my SW.<br /><br />The wedges will probably get another shot at a place in my bag, but for now they're resting quietly. I have to say, they look really sharp. I like the smoke plating (even though I could do without the big white logo on the back) and the sharpness is also literal. The bottom edge is a lot sharper than the edges on my TM wedges, which might be why I couldn't get comfortable with them right away. The grip feels great and the shafts have a strong, confident feel (I got the men's clubs because I'm used to playing with steel shafts).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">And now the good news</span><br /><br />This all took place in January. My first round out with the clubs was in the bitter cold at <a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/01/true-winter-golf-isnt-for-sissy-babies.html">Los</a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.gogrip.com/p-14-hybrids.aspx"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJH93IkHL7mwRm0zRS-1UQQMi2jrSb61vqnoppG-8Z5rxNHh8iIEJ5ZEAw7odDp4ITvO-rNpuV019n34l9CyFAsUG0rF9XIsFbKqOeH9Yy-6ivf4kt1oXlD4YtqO3HBWZeBXomQ/s200/GRIP+hybrid+top.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5052720775457626594" border="0" /></a><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/01/true-winter-golf-isnt-for-sissy-babies.html"> Robles Greens</a>. The new GRIP hybrid made its debut on the #1 handicap 3rd hole. A good drive would have left me with less than 100 yards to the flag, but good drives were scarce that day. So, after a less than great drive, I was in some ugly rough on the right, about 155 from the green which was guarded by a bunker from that angle. In the past, I'd probably have used my 4 iron in that situation because of the rough and the bunker at the end. From the fairway, it would have been 5 iron all the way. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try the new 5 Hybrid. Blammo. Nailed it clean, sailed over the bunker and ended up about 12 feet from the pin, whereupon I made the birdie putt. That was the beginning of my love affair with this new club that is still going strong.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DuhlfqQiHUFf8KLi084iqgelzqHTW2REuKVYv1BKxkMifXVk_5InpcoFK_CsPvyQufSYRYm-kmJI03jDFgYP9-FrPjk1liz68vi6_zsZpVXIcSJgNjWsBkmJjyVPf07w1nHFyw/s1600-h/GRIP+hybrid+bottom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DuhlfqQiHUFf8KLi084iqgelzqHTW2REuKVYv1BKxkMifXVk_5InpcoFK_CsPvyQufSYRYm-kmJI03jDFgYP9-FrPjk1liz68vi6_zsZpVXIcSJgNjWsBkmJjyVPf07w1nHFyw/s200/GRIP+hybrid+bottom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5052784478412560914" border="0" /></a>Physically, it's not exactly my type with its blue color and its bumpy lines, but love isn't all about looks. Besides, as our relationship matures, I'm even starting to find it attractive. I use it from the rough, I use it from fairways, I use it from fairway bunkers and I'll use it off the tees on the right par 3's. After my initial skepticism, it has become my "go-to" club. Yardage-wise, it replaced my 4-iron instead of my 5 (probably because I hit it cleaner more consistently), so my 5 is back in the bag. I keep my 4-iron for low punch shots, but maybe if I get <strike>kinky</strike> creative with my 5H, it will handle those, too.<br /><br />It's not like this is my first square-dance, either. Many people have great responses the first time they try a hybrid club. I did with my TM 3 rescue but it faded. I guess it's all in the design of the club. I think maybe that bulgy slot on the bottom - if you'll pardon my technical jargon - helps keep the club in its groove through the swing no matter the lie and provides the forgiveness that allows me to keep hitting good shots with it more than any other. As for the weights, I'm sure they play a part as well. Maybe I'm supposed to adjust them or something but it seems to be working for me the way it is. Anyway, I don't need to know how an engine works as long as I like the way the car handles.<br /><br />Ironically, the amazing forgiveness also concerns me, because I can get sloppy with my swing and not worry about it. The rest of my clubs aren't that forgiving and I worry that I'll get sloppy with the rest of my game. Maybe I'll have to get as many GRIP hybrids as possible!<br /><br />And to think the whole idea was to get new wedges. Why am I always wookin' pa nub in all the wrong places?<br /><br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/04/interview-with-geoff-shackelford-part.html">Next post</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.gogrip.com/p-15-wedges.aspx"><br /></a>Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-40931887793726137692007-04-09T12:35:00.000-07:002007-04-12T23:04:21.497-07:00Commentary on The Masters and a proposed new PGA Tour sloganThese Guys are <strike>Good</strike> <strike>Pretty Good</strike> Better than You.<br /><br />Whether it's all part of <a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2006/08/my-theory-on-tiger-woods-you-heard-it.html">the hoax</a> or not, Tiger Woods looked almost human at The Masters.<br /><br />In fact, Augusta National Golf Club made a bunch of professional golfers look silly this year. The combination of the weather, the rock hard course conditions, insanely slick greens and magnitude of the event made for unprecedented high scores at The Masters this year. The more it gets to you, the more it'll get to you.<br /><br />The shot that doesn't fly as far as you'd expect and spins back into the water starts you thinking.<br /><br />Now that you're thinking, you miss a putt by less than an inch and it ends up 10 feet away from the hole which makes you nervous.<br /><br />Now that you're nervous, your next tee shot finds the trees and forces you to lay up (if you can get out) and now you're scared.<br /><br />Now that you're scared, you remember where you are and you try too hard instead of just playing your game.<br /><br />Now that you've abandoned your game, you'll be lucky to shoot even par.<br /><br />Don't try to tell me these guys made bad swings, poor decisions and squeaky putts because their skill sets weren't strong enough. They should be able to adapt to difficult course conditions, formulate sound strategies, club up and calm down. They got rattled on that first demanding day and their mental games failed them.<br /><br />The strangest thing about it all for me is that every golf writer or blogger I've read is complaining that it was no fun to watch! Au contraire!<br /><br />Now it's not that I enjoy watching people suffer (not that anyone who gets invited to play at Augusta - in The Masters, no less - should be considered to be suffering at any time) but watching them struggle a bit allowed me to relate a little better to the players.<br /><br />Of course, if in some parallel universe I actually got to play that course in those conditions from a special set of tees at a reasonable distance even without the added pressure of the event, I'd be lucky to break 100. But the point is, their struggles were recognizable. I am very familiar with punching out from the trees and hitting from drop areas and three putting. I could practically feel myself there doing it.<br /><br />Unlike Zach Johnson whose dream of playing in The Masters was realistic, most of us will have to settle for watching others do it. Perhaps a realistic dream for mere mortals is to watch them do it in a recognizable fashion.<br /><br />For me, this tournament was not only not boring, it took entertainment to a new level for golf. Even if my skills could improve enough so I could play more like the pros, this may have been the closest I'll ever get to playing Augusta.<br /><br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/04/updating-my-golf-bag-golf-research-in.html">Next post</a>.Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-35729915027328401722007-04-03T14:03:00.000-07:002007-04-03T15:47:34.678-07:00Latest submission up at worldgolf<a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/column/kristen-golf-chick-williams-column-comfort-confidence-5147.htm">My latest column</a> is up at worldgolf.com. Well, most of it is.<br /><br />In light of my recent circumstances and the strong feelings I have about my <a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/03/new-putter-grip.html">personalized golf gear</a>, I thought it would be nice to do a column on the personal nature of such items and the impact they can have on a person's golf game.<br /><br />I wanted to bolster the article with some thoughts from someone in the business. Since Scott at <a href="http://www.tartangolfgrips.com/">Tartan Golf Grips</a> provides such comfort items (including my putter grip) and knows a little bit about what they can mean to a golfer, I included a quote from him in my original submission. <a href="http://www.worldgolf.com/">Worldgolf </a>removed that portion of the article, probably because it was essentially free advertising and they make their living on selling advertising. Can't blame them, plus I tend to come in over the desired word count anyway. They were also nice enough to retrieve the photo of my gear from my site (I didn't submit it with the article) and include it in the story, so I give 'em props for that. However, the cut paragraph lended itself to summarizing my thoughts on the topic and segued nicely into my closing sentence.<br /><br />So if you read it, please mentally insert this blurb in the article right before the closing line:<br /><br /><blockquote>Scott Tesar, owner of TartanGolfGrips.com, finds it rewarding to provide such a distinctive product that enhances people's enjoyment of the game on such a personal level. Speaking about his Artan(TM) grip designs and feedback he has received from customers, he says "Many people derive a sense of identity, pride and comfort from their family heritage and history... It's just basic human nature to enjoy seeing your name and when it's incorporated into a piece of golf equipment that you use on every hole, <span style="font-style: italic;">and </span>it looks attractive, it creates positive energy and differentiation that contributes to a feeling of confidence on the course."</blockquote>Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11787517.post-79959862427472830552007-03-31T11:13:00.000-07:002007-04-03T15:48:18.897-07:00New putter gripI mentioned in my last post the grip I received from Scott at <a href="http://www.timeforetee.blogspot.com/">Time Fore Tee</a> (also <a href="http://www.tartangolfgrips.com/">www.tartangolfgrips.com</a>). I just installed it on my putter and it looks great! I'm psyched to use it in my round tomorrow. The thrill I got in slicing off that heinous red Cameron grip with the stupid lettering and crown design was a bonus. I couldn't stand that grip and now I have the perfect grip to replace it!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNh0HJw6JZF_cyLlhYV2HIomVWb6mjxPqZb-GXSMqj6SfB8GvtAdjYlTsxUmMyuYi1YjYDCbMR03wO2BxNwllKQ9yhbUqKAYmG3H0YzJM38U3kpqfoCmyP6Wny2fU3jCyXtoTnqQ/s1600-h/IMGP1548.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNh0HJw6JZF_cyLlhYV2HIomVWb6mjxPqZb-GXSMqj6SfB8GvtAdjYlTsxUmMyuYi1YjYDCbMR03wO2BxNwllKQ9yhbUqKAYmG3H0YzJM38U3kpqfoCmyP6Wny2fU3jCyXtoTnqQ/s320/IMGP1548.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048154275425882114" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Now I have The Goose represented on my big stick AND my little stick.</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Scott does a great job designing these gorgeous grips and I'm honored that he designed this one just for us in Kess' memory. It is one of the nicest, most thoughtful gifts I have ever received and I can't thank him enough. He also writes an interesting and detailed golf blog, so check him out at the links above!<br /><br />Bring on the one-putts, Kessy!<br /><br /><a href="http://golfchick.blogspot.com/2007/04/new-article-up-at-worldgolf-sort-of.html">Next post</a>.<br /></div></div>Golfchickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15210647031286298869noreply@blogger.com2