Happy News from the Bright Golf Company

Last week I posted about the uber-adorable Japanese golf accessory line, Como!Come! and got tons of emails from readers here in the US who instantly fell in love with the colorful creations ... and wanted to get some...STAT! Well, happily I also got an email from The Bright Golf Company. They're the UK golf distributor who carries the Como! line. Their on-line shop is great too. I mentioned them in my post but thought they were UK/Europe only. Well, it turns out they DO in fact ship to the US...and all over the world... at very reasonable expense. So head over to their site for your fix of color and cuteness. You can be sure it won't be long before you see me with mine.

Golf Girl Gifted With Hi-bore Driver

As you may have noticed, I've been pining for a new driver for several months now, But what you probably don't know is that when I pine, it's extremely annoying for those around me. I debate the pros and cons of the lusted-for item endlessly, in minute detail. I'd also been borrowing Nick's Hi-bore driver constantly quite regularly, and frequently occasionally I would even return it to my bag instead of his...by mistake, of course.

Well it looks like Nick finally got fed up with my ongoing monologue and his disappearing driver, because yesterday, as we were having drinks after a cold blustery round at Ridgewood Country Club, a W-Series HiBORE™ XL Driver was delivered to me at our table. Now everyone just assumed Nick had misbehaved and was trying to make some points with me, and who knows perhaps that's true. If it is...it worked.

More about my new driver in the coming weeks. Can't wait to play with it...and now I can start pining for something else...the W-Series HiBORE™ Hybrid for example.

Corona Golf Girls

This golf girl is the defending champion at the Corona Championship in Morelia,Mexico.

If Lorena Ochoa wins it'll be her first successful title defense and her first victory as the No. 1 of women's golf.

(I just love her Mexican flag putter grip!)








This golf girl is currently in the lead at the 2007 Corona Championship in Morelia,Mexico.

Amazing Stacy Prammanasudh shot a 6-under-par 67 yesterday to take a one-shot lead after the first round.




This golf girl drinks Corona at Down the Hatch in Brookfield, CT.

In the summer Patricia Hannigan spends many apres-golf afternoons drinking Corona at this popular lakeside watering hole. (...and that's as close as I'll ever come to being a Corona Golf Girl.)

There's a New Golf Girl in Town

...and she's a blogger too! She's the Fairway Flapper and she's been golf blogging since the beginning of the month. I discovered her blog yesterday during work during a break from work, and read it from start to finish. She blogs about golf shopping, golf celebrities and golf news. Her graphics are cute and her content is rendered in the unique voice of a dainty, refined lady who's ready to pick up her clubs and play with the boys. So check out Fairway Flapper and meet a new Golf Girl.

Another Athletic Annika S.

Currently, our Annika S. is busy off course, opening her first Annika Academy, and working with physical therapists on her back injury. She's determined to be healthy enough, come June, to defend her U.S. Women's Open title at at Pine Needles. Her doctors told her last week that she had already improved by 50-60%. That's great news for Annika... and for those of us who love to watch her play.

But...there's another sporty Swedish Annika S. on the scene, and she's finding success in a decidedly different domain. She's Annika Svedman and she's the "babe of the day" on gaming supersite, ign.com.








Surfing seems to be the preferred sport of this Annika S. but actually, she's an actress/model by profession. She certainly looks athletic though, and it makes one wonder whats going on way up there in Sweden to produce so many fine physical specimens. Wow.

Kawaii Golf - Wonderful Things from Japan (updated)

My JapanObsession continues.

See the thing is, I love cute stuff, and nowhere is cute more coveted than Japan. In fact, in Japan cute is a national obsession. There's even a Japanese word for this collective culture of cuteness. It's "Kawaii" (Ka-wuh-EEH) meaning love for all that's cute. OK, occasionally they go a little overboard, but for those like me, with a really high cuteness threshold, that's a rare occurrence, and not one to worry about.


So anyway, recently I was perusing the Golf Punk website, (which I'm wont to do of a lonely Saturday night) and I came upon something that made me really happy joyous ecstatic. In their blog was a post about The Bright Golf Company,UK marketer and distributor of "the coolest gear in golf". They represent and distribute several really interesting and innovative companies, but the one that caught my eye, for reasons that will soon be obvious, was Japanese manufacturer Como!Come! (I know, cute Japanese-y name too, right?) So anyway, their core product is putter covers. And these putter covers actually go way beyond cute. They're adorable! Festooned with jelly beans, teddy bears, darling little gender-neutral Kewpie dolls and baby sumo wrestlers...in an orgy of Japanese candy colors...with names like Red Riding Hood and Cherry Blossom and Rebecca Bon Bon.







But wait a minute, This line is not for girls only. There are awesome styles for guys too. Even fierce manly guys!

In addition to their putter covers which come in special sizes for different types of both blade and mallet putters, they've got coordinating head covers and capclip markers and apparel items ...and their golf bags are way on the other side of awesome.

They've even got this very unique little gizmo called baby tail. It clips to your putter cover to your bag or back pocket. The one problem I encountered was ordering. Bright Day only serves the UK and Europe as far as I could see and the Como!Come! online shop is pretty much exclusively in Japanese.

But when I really want something I usually end up getting it, so I'm confident I'll find away to get my share of Como cutness. And when I do you'll be the first to know. Update: The Bright Golf Company ships worldwide so order your fix of Como! cuteness at their on-line shop.

What does GOLF actually mean?

Golf - A sport that was is interesting enough to have a category on urbandictionary.com.

In fact, there are actually 32 different definitions of golf on urbandictionary.com. The above is among the... cleanest.

OK, I knew that Golf was a car made by Volkswagen, but did you know that Golf means the act of having sex? Yep. It also means marijuana. And lots of other stuff.

The things you learn on the internet. Pretty amazing

Revealing Responses from The Golf Girl Sex Survey

Note: A couple of readers have told me they're having trouble seeing some of the responses...that is: the images are not appearing. I apologize for this and I'm in the process of trying to figure out why it's happening. All of the images are JPEGs, so I don't know what's up. Will try to resolve it ASAP.

I know...it's been almost a month since the Golf Girl Sex Survey. As I told you earlier, the response was great...so great in fact, that it's taking me a bit longer than I anticipated to get my arms around it (so to speak) and summarize the wealth of feedback and opinions. One of the most fascinating aspects of the survey results were the comments...which were copious and clever and often quite candid.

I hope to have the full summary for you by the end of the month but In the meantime, I thought it might be fun to share just a few of the comments I got from the golf girls and golf guys who participated. Girls are pink, guys are blue, obvs:

According to one golf girl, guys on the golf course can be a bit... scary:








One golf guy had a novel idea for fitting golf into his busy life:










There were varying opinions on the calendar controversy:








And rants on sexist tee times. He gets it, and isn't afraid to say so:








A golf girl expressed her enthusiasm for the joys of golf... & sex:















While this frank and thoughful view was expressed on how men react to women on the course:





A girl weighs in on playing with an unattractive, excellent golfer vs. a sexy, bad golfer:














What one guy... thinks girls think... about guys on the course:












A girl who feels guys take it too seriously, says:
















One guy wonders if he's weird:






A girl reminds guys that when presented with a sexy Caddy Chick there are options:











The concept of Caddy Chicks didn't bother everyone however:











One girl suggested an interesting alternative to girls playing PGA events:
















Guys are not going to be receptive to all girl golfers:













There was some anecdotal evidence that golf dating sites work:






...and finally one more comment. A rather pragmatic view of playing with the sexy, bad golfer vs. the unattractive excellent golfer. I've got to say it makes sense:








So, I hope this wets your appetite, because there's a lot more where that came from, and I'll be laying it all out very soon.

Le French Golfer and Le Daly Disaster

Right now it looks like French golfer Raphaël Jacquelin might soon be kissing another cup as he leads at the BMW Asian Open. He's currently got a three-stroke lead over Lee Sung of South Korea after the second round. 2005 champion Ernie Els is seven off.

Meanwhile, disaster struck Daly as Long John missed the cut today. Disaster not so much for JD himself, as for his sponsors, who paid him an undisclosed appearance fee in the hope he would attract huge crowds. In the end, John seemed almost indifferent, explaining that "...the golf course doesn't suit a guy who hits it long," and adding, "It's one of those courses where you have got to go out and hit four and three irons... that's just not any fun for me." - OK, I can relate, I hate three and four irons too, but I never rarely get paid an appearance fee. - To add insult to injury insolence, Daly four putted on the second to last hole, when he carelessly knocked a one-inch tap-in five-feet past it and later quipped, "It didn't really matter then. I was out of it anyway" Not the attitude the sponsors generally hope for in such circumstances, I would guess.

But back to Raphaël. He's been playing really well of late, in fact, he got to this same stage last week at the Volvo Open, only to have a weekend meltdown. I'm hoping he'll pull this one off. As you may know, Nick, my caddy/photographer/husband is French so I'm a bit partial to those who wear the blue, blanc, rouge. Check out Rapha's site to get a little glimpse into the world of a French golfer. Like me, it seems he enjoys Côtes du Rhône and it's très cool to seem him hitting golf balls in front of the Eifel Tower.

The Beautification of Coastal New England

In true golf blogger fashion, I'll take any opportunity I can get to post a photo of Natalie Gulbis in a bikini. Now that I've made that clear, the context here is that, for the first time...ever...there'll be a women's team competing in the CVS Charity Classic, and Natalie will be half of it. The extraordinary Julie Inkster will be the other half... and together they'll be a force to be reckoned with at the Rhode Island Country Club in June. Newly minted Masters Champion, Zach Johnson will also be there as will my fellow Connecticutian (and Ryder Cup team member), J.J. Henry. Gregarious Lee Trevino will provide the legend factor and young fashion-forward internationals, Jesper Parnevik and Camilo Villegas will make sure there's plenty of style on the scene. There'll be tons of other great players too and the venue is simply gorgeous. Costal Rhode Island is an area I know well, I'm there every couple of weekends during summer. Needless to say, I've already made plans to be there this year on June 17.

Aging Golf Guys - JD inspired by VJ

As the pros head east to Shanghai for the BMW Asian Open, an optimistic, and seemingly re-energized, John Daly declared that he would be taking his inspiration from Vijay Singh from now on. Looking towards his 41st birthday on April 28, the troubled golf star sited the fact that Vijay had "won 28 times in the four or five years since he turned 40".

Well, there's nothing wrong with being inspired by Vijay Singh, but his legendary work ethic implies torturous workouts and endless hours of practice. Does that sound like a lifestyle John could embrace? Frankly, I don't see it... any more than I see Vijay writing country songs and making albums with Willie Nelson. As unrealistic as it seems though I think it's a good sign that JD is not giving up on golf. We'll just see how he does over in Shanghai this week.

...And who knows, maybe in twenty five years or so, when Vij has given up golf, he'll take up country music. With his unrelenting tenacity Vijay Singh would probably become Vijay Sing and he'd probably win a Grammy.

Sexy Back Singer is Mobbed at Carnoustie

I've written about Justin Timberlake here before, and the response hasn't always been good. In fact, to quote Golfchick, a fellow golf blogger and GGD reader, "The kid's got as much sex appeal as a Q-Tip".

Well it seems he still has plenty of loyal and lustful fans across the pond, because couple of days ago, as J.T. was over in Scotland trying to enjoy a relaxing round at Carnoustie, he was mobbed by dozens of young fans, mainly adolecent girls. (yeah, who'd a thought there'd be adolescent girls hanging out at Carnoustie by the dozen, right)?

A spokesman for for the fabled course said (presumabley in a thick Scottish accent), "With it being a public course, there was no way of keeping fans away from them like you could at a private course." he might have added, "...and anyway, that's what you get when you try to bring sexy back."

In the end, there was no word on how Mr. Timberlake played, but it seems the studly singer happily signed autographs and chatted with his golfstruck fans.

Golf Girl's Monday Funnys

Mondays can be pretty crappy unpleasant. I think we all agree on that. So I thought I'd start this one off with something light...An original Golf Girl cartoon! It illustrates a few of the inappropriate swing thoughts that frequently occasionally plague me.





















1.Equipment Lust. In the middle of my back swing it occurs to me that I'd be hitting much better (longer, straighter)if only I had that driver I'm lusting for.















2.Golferazzi Distraction. As I begin my downswing I become aware of Nick snapping photos of me (because I ordered asked him to)















3.Wardrobe Worries. As my club is about to make contact with the ball I'm struck by the realization that the skirt I'm wearing is just a bit too short and a wardrobe malfunction is imminent. This usually results in my reining in my swing to such an extent that I miss the ball entirely.










4.Anatidaephobia. The fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching me.

Saturday Night in Golf Girl World

Nick and I played a cold and blustery round at beautiful Richter Park today. Wearing lots of layers, we braved the windswept fairways and rolled our putts on stark, gusty greens. The course was in fairly good shape, considering that nature is still largely dormant here in CT. The scattered, barely blooming crocuses are the sole sign of spring as yet. It's late this year. Easter's come and gone and there's not a single bud or blossom on any of our trees. The upside of this extended winter is the absence of a crowd. A crowd that would surely have been near capacity had the day been balmy and springlike. That'll come soon enough, so for today we just enjoyed the solitude and the still sleeping nature.

News Flash: it looks like I won't have to be my own photographer anymore. Yes, Nick has his old job back. He promised to be more cooperative if I promised to be less of a demanding, difficult bitch diva. So, we're going to give it another try. Many thanks to all who graciously inquired about this (Nick would say, "thankless") job. Now I've got to get Monsieur working on the Golf Girl Swimsuit Blog.











Tomorrow, Sunday, I'll be finishing my report on the compelling results from last month's Golf Girl Sex Survey...be sure to check here on Monday for the full story.

And speaking of surveys, I urge you to participate in an excellent one taking place now at Business Golf. Business Golf is an engaging, always on-topic blog that focuses on Golf for Business. The brief survey (only 10 questions) will explore the ways in which we play, or would like to play, golf for business. Definitely an interesting an useful topic for many of us. So go weigh in, the more participation there is, the more illuminating the data will be.

So, here I am at home on a Saturday night, writing. I'm kind of exhausted, in a good way, from that blustery round, and I'm really glad I played today, because at this moment a major nor'easter is bearing down on New England. Massive amounts of rain, and high winds are expected and flood warnings are in effect. Yes, I can definitely feel my SoCal golfer friends gloating right now. They just don't understand all the good things about living here in New England. Sometimes, neither do I.

Fairway Feline - Hello Kitty

I guess it had to happen eventually.

I saw my first Hello Kitty golf bag today. I had heard about them, but hardly believed they existed. Well, maybe in the furthest reaches of the far east, in cartoon friendly places like Tokyo or Seoul or Taipai, but surely, I thought, they'd never make it out of quarantine here in the US...would they? Well, this one did. It was the pinkest golf bag I'd ever seen. (and I've seen lots of pink golf bags) There were pink club covers too, like in the photo above, and each one bore the image of the annoying mouthless feline who's become the global symbol of girly cuteness. Now you know me, I have nothing against girly cutness. But Hello Kitty takes it just a little too far and makes even girly cute me want to vomit.

To make a long story short I'll probably be seeing quite a bit of the bilious bag this summer because... guess what? I became practically best friends with it's adorable owner, Mila, a Russian beauty who plays golf at almost the same pathetic level as I do. Turns out Mila fell in love with Hello Kitty (and with a vacationing retiree from CT) in Hong Kong, where she worked as a pole nightclub dancer. Now she lives here and has been desperately seeking a golf buddy.

On an ominous note, as we were leaving the range Mila hinted that she was looking for additional items of Hello Kitty golf gear. That concerned me. And when I got back to my office I did a quick search. Turns out I had reason to worry:











I found Hello Kitty golf balls.







...and ball markers... In Japan they even have Hello Kitty Cars.










...and how about...A Hello Kitty Airline! Yes, it really exists.










But let's not even go there. This summer I'm just going to do everything in my power to ignore the cloying cuteness of it all and concentrate on improving my golf game. The alternative being a summer in Hello Kitty Hell.

Has Anyone Played Pangya?

Yes, Pangya...the Korean on-line fantasy golf game.

I don't know much about it myself, and I'm trying to decide if it's worth downloading. Pangya is described as ..."a casual golf game that takes difficult rules of golf and transforms them into cute and easy to understand format so that everyone can enjoy it together." Doesn't that sound like fun? And I'm thinking it might be just the game for me because supposedly, ..."this is the game for those who didn't fit in with the "gaming" crowd". And I've got to admit I didn't...don't. In fact except for a brief and guilt ridden addiction to Grand Theft Auto that I developed when my nephew was over from France, I've never done games much. But considering my love for golf combined with my fascination for all things Korean I'm thinking this might be kind of fun. So if anyone's played Pangya...let me know what you think.









Oooooh yes. Looks fun!

The Poulter Poll - Is Ian on the Right Track?

Personally, I think he is.

Rather than his usual "Austin Powers meets Sid Vicious meets jungle fauna on steroids" look, in Augusta last week Ian Poulter put his own spin on casually elegant golf style. He seemed inspired by the likes of Bing Crosby and Sam Snead, however his color choices and the addition of complimentary racing stripes to his pants assured that there was nothing dated about his style.

In the past Mr. Poulter has amused, offended and annoyed golf fans with pernicious plaids, putrid patterns and patriotic peccadilloes that have resulted his being thought of as something of a couture clown. No longer.

Now, not everyone loved Ian's new look. Some thought he was still trying too hard. But not me, I think this works for I.P. and I'd like to see him stick with it and make the look his signature.

What did you think of Ian's look in Augusta?
	Bad - It was over-the-top and distracting, as usual. Why can't he just dress normally?
	OK - It was an improvement over past looks, but still too "out there".
	Good - I liked the look but don't think I'd encourage him to maintain it.
	Great - A classy look, well executed. He should stick with this look and make it his.
View Results

Who knows? Maybe, if enough golf fans approve, we won't have to see any more of this nonsense:

Masters Fan Fashion - An Interview with John Drennen

I had an interesting chat last night with my friend, and fellow golf blogger, John Drennen. He was just back from the Masters with a fresh perspective on Golf Fan Fashion. He shared it with me in this interview.

G.G: Well John, first of all, how was the Masters? Did it live up to your expectations?

John: Oh, yes. Once there, I felt it immediately...that feeling you sometimes get hints of while watching the coverage on TV... the magic of the Masters (and Augusta National). It's just inescapable.

G.G: ...and how about the players, who did you see...and how were they behaving?

John: Well, for a while I had a real nice spot at hole 6. "Juniper" it's called...

G.G: Yes...wow, that's part of a really tough stretch, 4, 5, & 6, right?

John: Oh yeah, and that fact was quite obvious. I saw Weir, Mickelson, Woods, Love III and Couples at that hole...

G.G: Nice. Did they seem nervous, or what?

John: Not nervous so much as much as frustrated.

G.G: Yes the conditions were unbelievably difficult I hear.

John: it was WINDY!! 35-45 mph.

G.G: Wow, well, this year the Masters was definitely defined by cold windy weather, however I'm sure fashion statements were still being made by the fans at Augusta, as they were by some of the players. Did you see a particular trend in the way fans coped with the cold temperatures?

John: Well, of course like the players, lots of fans did layers, and the layers you saw most were narrow and close fitting. Fabrics were knits and thermals. Very few spectators had the courage (craziness) to wear shorts, but there were a number of women in skirts, and this was part of a trend I noticed that I'll tell you more about a bit later.

G.G: Ok. What about colors? Anything new going on with colors that we should know about?

John: Other than the notes of kelly green that were to be expected at the Masters, pastels really dominated. Particularly sky blues and lavenders. I found this remarkable because it's not something I've seen much of in the past few years. Also, hot pinks and lime greens were not as ubiquitous as they've been in the past.

G.G: Oops, looks like I'm going to have to refresh my color pallet. What about hats and head gear? Any trends there? I'm wondering if Ian Poulter's porkpie hat has caught on with fans.

John: not yet. As you can imagine there were quite a few cold weather hats being worn.

G.G: Did the fans seem to be aware of the player's clothing choices? Did you hear (overhear) any discussion of player fashions?

John: Yes, Poulter had a lot of people talking about his choice of clothing. Then there were a couple of players in short sleeves. You can guess what people were saying about them.

G.G: Yes, I can imagine.

John: I noticed a nice trend on stylish female fans...the one I hinted at earlier. It was a pastel sweater over a fully buttoned-up pastel polo, with either a flower print or khaki skirt. Worn with saddle shoes. Like Poulter's look, it almost had a retro feel to it.

G.G: Hmmmm, sounds really nice. Hope we see more of it this season.

John: I agree. maybe you should try to put this outfit together and take some photos of it for Golf Girl's Diary.

G.G: That's a great idea. Let me get right to it. Thank you so much John, for sharing these observations from the fan fashion front at the 2007 Masters.

John: OK Golf Girl, I look forward to seeing the look you come up with.

So...check in later in the week for photos of this on-trend look. And be sure to stop by tomorrow for the Poulter Poll.

Style Statements from Augusta - Rounds 3 & 4

The weekend weather was raw. Style took a back seat to warmth. The gallery was swaddled in blankets and multiple layers of wind proofing, as the players used various methods to conserve precious body heat.

Springtime on the Slopes of Augusta














Some, like Rich Beem and Henrik Stenson, went all out with thermals and wool ski caps and looked ready for springtime on the slopes of Augusta St. Moritz.

The Lean Layered Look










Meanwhile a number of the guys did lean layers, close to the body, with the top layer a slim fitting sweater. This look had the by far the best warmth/style ratio. Winning examples of "The Lean Layered Look" featured classic argyles, on Aaron Oberholser, Davis Love III and Jeev Milkha Singh (above) or crisp brights on Geoff Ogilvy, David Howell, Justin Rose and J.J. Henry (below).













Arbitrary Layers of Whateverness









One look seen frequently on this bone chilling weekend in Augusta was what I call "Arbitrary Layers of Whateverness". It's characterized by a totally random combination of long sleeved shirts, short sleeved polos, vests, jackets, windshirts and anything else that happens to be in the closet. In many cases this look, (featured above on Fred Couples, Craig Stadler,Tim Clark and Jerry Kelly) finishes off with a short sleeved shirt over a long sleeved one, which to my mind is just never right.

The Winner... if not in style, in substance.



















Right or not, it was with this very look that Zach Johnson won the Masters after a nail biting back nine. As he accepted congratulations from 2006 winner Phil Mickelson, the new Masters champion wore a white mock neck thermal undershirt + a royal blue short sleeved polo shirt + a royal blue wind vest. Then, as if that wasn't enough, he added yet another layer...and this time it was a green jacket.














P.S. Coming up on Golf Girl's Diary...Stop by tomorrow for my interview on golf fan fashion with blogger John Drennen just back from Augusta. You'll also have a chance to take The Poulter Poll and weigh in on one of golf's most exciting new style stars. Plus, later in the week I'll be sharing the results of The Golf Girl Sex Survey and don't miss The Golf Girl Swimsuit Blog...that's coming soon too! The Masters might be over, but there's still lots to look forward to in April, right?

Style Statements from Augusta - Round 2

Some guys just always get it just right. Or maybe it's a really good stylist. Or an excellent body build. Or a combination of those things.

Style Statements from Augusta - Round 1

For today I'm going to limit myself to a couple of young Euro guys. They're not shy about expressing themselves...even if it doesn't always work.

Statement 1 - Ian Poulter, Channeling Bing Crosby













Ian Poulter clearly loves fashion. Trouble is, fashion doesn't always love him back. Sometimes he winds up looking like a peacock on acid... a walking orgy of color-clashing confusion. Remeber the zebra pants? ...or maybe they were leopard print, anyway, he wore them with a pink patterned shirt and the outfit looked just short of psycho. Scratch that, the outfit looked psycho.

That said, in Augusta these last couple of days, he's gotten it just right. Yes, there will be those who'll still complain. They'll say that with his "Channeling Bing Crosby look" he's pushing the proverbial envelope again, but hey, he's Ian Poulter, he's genetically programed to push the envelope.

What Mr. Poulter has done here is to take an accessory with a distinctly retro feel, the porkpie hat, and combine it with unquestionably bold, modern colors, sportstech details, and his perenial J Lindeberg belts, to create a true style statement, one that's instantly become his. Everything's close to the body, and a lean physique is required. Ian has one and it works.


Statement 2 - Johan Edfors: All tucked in and trying hard.




















Here he comes, strolling down the fairway...it's Johan Edfors. Yes, I know it seems like I'm becoming obsessed with this spirited Swede but I just know that with a bit of guidance Johan could be the style star of the tour. I'm glad to see he took my advice and got a longer shirt. Tucked it in, even. But the hair's still not working, particularly with the newsboy cap...engineer's cap...whatever it is. It's not a good look for him ...and why's he doing white, on white, on white? ...and why's everything a half size too small. It's too bad, because Puma clothes are awesome and Johan is ultra good looking. Oh, BTW did you see the gold Puma GTX shoes? They're extraordinary. I'm envisioning these shoes with brown pants and a complementary shirt in a warm color...and a total hair and grooming redo. Then you'd see Johan as he's meant to be seen. The fact is, he simply needs a good stylist. Me, for example.

There were tons of other great looks. I'll be featuring the most noteworthy over the next few days. I'm sure there'll be some interesting surprises. Whether it's the fashion or the golf, about the only thing that's certain with this Masters is that someone will be wearing green on Sunday afternoon.

My Masterful Picks

You may have seen my Masters predictions earlier over at the Waggle Room, but I wanted to post them here too. After all I have some serious money an honorable bet on the line.





Winner: I'm going with Vijay. I just have a feeling about this. I think he's completely determined to get back to number one, and when Vij is determined, things happen.







Runner-up: Henrik Stenson. Because he's such big hitter and has had a really inspiring 2007. Mentally and physically, I feel he's in an ideal place to do really well.







Dark horse: Sergio Garcia. His extraordinary talent combined with a post "spitgate" overhaul to his mental game, could result in green over yellow on Sergio.




To be perfectly honest: I do harbor a feeling somewhere inside that it's going to come down to Tiger and Phil... and that would be great ... but my money bet is on my three choices above.

First Round of the Season Weekend

Just a really quick photo post on my weekend at Foxwoods Resort. (BTW, The job of Golf Girl staff photographer is open. Nick's been fired for excessive complaining and dereliction of duties).












On Saturday evening we met some friends and went to a Middle Eastern dinner and show. Here I'm with Zaina (left) and Nadine (right). I'm trying to convince them to take golf lessons.















There was a very entertaining floor show with several belly dancers. I love belly dancing and I think it's really good exercise for golf. In fact, I'm considering creating a golf fitness program based on belly dancing. Nick said it was a dumb idea.















One girl danced with a sparkly baton. I'd simply replace that with a sparkly long iron to keep the workout on-topic.















In addition to core strengthening and flexibility, belly dancing also provides an excellent aerobic benefit. This girl must have burned like... 2,000 calories.














On Sunday we played Lake of Isles. As you can see it's still quite wintery in CT, but it was beautiful and about 60 degrees. The course had just opened the previous day so there's quite a bit to be done on the course. Quite a bit to be done on my golf game too.

In keeping with the previous evening's Arabian theme I spent a lot of time in the sand traps.














In the end we had a fantastic time and I can't wait to play again. Hopefully I'll have a new staff photographer by then too. No, Nick, you can't have your job back.

The Morgan Pressel Look - American Classic

Watching Morgan Pressel win in Palm Springs over the weekend, with her long, straight, strawberry blonde hair and fresh faced smile, you'd think she just stepped out of a glossy Ralph Lauren add. There at Mission Hills Country Club she was the picture of casual-but-elegant, uber-preppy Ralph Lauren style. Well the fact is, Mr. Lauren took notice of this young player shortly after she won the 2005 Women's Amateur Championship, which is why she's not only appeared in his ads... Morgan's actually the female face of Ralph Lauren Golf. And now she's the youngest major champion in LPGA tour history, which is probably almost as much of a victory for self-made fashion billionaire Lauren, as it is for the new LPGA Champion herself. What could be better for the brand, right?

"I am pure 100% Ralph Lauren, on and off the course and have been wearing his clothes since I was 13 years old. I have always been somebody to wear bright colors. I think that some of the Polo colors you can't find anywhere else. That's one of the things that I love." Morgan said this about a year ago, upon the announcement that she would be joining the likes Davis Love III, Tom Watson and Luke Donald as a Ralph Lauren sponsored golfer. I agree... some of those polo colors are awesome.

To see some clips of Morgan and the other RL golfers talking about their golf games, their personal styles and their affinity for the iconic look of Ralph Lauren check out RLTV. If you're anything like me you'll find yourself lusting for the chance to buy into the Ralph Lauren lifestyle. I don't think there's much of a chance of my ever being a Ralph Lauren sponsored golfer, but who knows, maybe I could be a Ralph Lauren sponsored golf blogger, right?

Bellygate: The Johan Edfors Golf Style Scandal

OK, here's what I'm talking about...anyone who reads this blog knows that I'm pretty tolerant about golf clothes. Sure, I love fashion, and I think its great when a golfer has style and looks unique and classy and interesting. And lots of today's golfers do. I've written about them on many occasions. That said, I'm not a stickler for dress codes or draconian rules on the length of a girl's skirt or the collar on a guys shirt. If we insist on too strict a dress code, we risk alienating exactly the demographic we're trying to attract to this sport; namely young people from diverse backgrounds. Right?










Definitely. However... Johan Edfors?!?

Johan, when did it become OK for a guy (never mind a professional golfer) to wear a belly shirt? At first I thought you'd simply made a mistake, and I just looked the other way. But, in fact, you're a repeat offender. Many times over. You actually like this look. There's no excuse for that, because Dude: At no time is it appropriate for a guy to pimp a stomach shirt! I don't care if you're young and hip and European, it's neither "hott" nor "kewl". It's just disgusting. Particularly if you don't wax your stomach (yeah, waxing is painful) and your six pack looks more like a keg (working out is painful too). The belly shirt was created for anorexic teenage girls. It's illegal for anyone else to ever wear one, because basically, it's a crappy look and only teenage girls can transcend a crappy look. And, believe me, I'm not the only one who feels this way. Almost everyone does.

So please follow my advice, You're an ultra talented, extremely cute, British Open British Masters and Scottish Open winner; take the belly shirts which you seem to like so much, place them in an ornate stone sarcophagus, and hope they disintegrate. In other words, Make them go away! Cause frankly, I'd rather see you strutting the fairways in a tartan loin cloth. At least that would be a style statement.

In closing I'll add that though there are some irresponsible sports journalists and bloggers out there who appear to encourage your style stupidities, they don't have your best interests in mind.

I'm telling you this because I think you're awesome, and I'm really looking forward to seeing you play at the Masters this week, but I don't want to see that look at Augusta, because it's a look that goes beyond the unspoken rules of decency.