Playing Celine's Golf Course

How's this for exciting: On Saturday, I'm going to play at Golf Le Mirage.

This private club, just north of Montréal, is rumored to be ultra-beautiful, and the golf, very challenging. Le Mirage actually consists of two 18 hole courses designed by Graham Cooke and it always makes the Best of lists for Canadian golf destinations. From the few photographs I've seen it looks all foresty and waterfally. I've got real weakness for waterfally so I'm totally psyched about this invite.

The resort is owned by none other than Golf Girl Celine Dion. If you need a reminder of her golfiness check out this Callaway ad:


I'll actually be in the Montréal area for several days and hope to play other courses as well. I've particularly got my eye on the Club de Golf de L'Île de Montréal. In fact, let me start working on getting that set up right now. Sweet.

The End of the Kornikova Curse - Natalie Gulbis Wins

While most of us girls would be flattered to be compared to Anna Kournikova, I'm sure it had begun to annoy Natalie Gulbis. She always reacted graciously to such comparisons but she obviously knew that "Anna Kornikova" had become code for "a pretty girl who never wins". Well, Natalie no longer qualifies for the Kornikova club. With multiple birdies today, including one on the first hole of a playoff with Jang Jeong of South Korea, she won the 2007 Evian Masters.

Congratulations Natalie, you're a sexy calendar girl, a superlative swimsuit model, a reality show star....AND a champion.

Michelle Wie - The Wheels Fell Off

"She's having a disastrous Saturday"... I just saw the comment from one of my readers and yes, when I checked the Evian Masters blog I had to agree: Troisième tour catastrophique pour Michelle Wie ... that needs no translation. Neither, I imagine, does: Son score de la journée est de +12. Oh well. That can happen in golf. Seems it's been a difficult day for many of the girls in Evian. Of those who've finished I see Nikki Garrett at +11, Brittany Lincicome at +10, Suzann Pettersen at + 9. Dure journée, as they say in France. Check out the site (in English or French) for news and updates.

Michelle Wie - Lovely in Lavender

Golf photographer Patrick Micheletti captures the spirit of golf better than anyone out there. His evocative lens lets us feel the warmth of the sun on an afternoon fairway or the jubilance of an unlikely putt made late in a grueling round.

Check Patrick's daily photoblog for shots that'll surely surprise and delight you. Right now his focus is on the 2007 Evian Masters and hence this charming photo of Michelle Wie, looking... lovely in lavender. (Oh, BTW, lavender is my new favorite color).

Michelle looks relaxed and happy here, very girl-next-door. You get the impression she really likes where she is, and one can almost imagine her saying, "Yeah, I'm gonna be a freshman at Stanford in September but for now I'm just having fun playing some golf in the French Alps."

Over the past couple of months many golf writers have painted a grim portrait of the 17 year old. Some even speculating that she was on the verge of a Lindsey/Britney meltdown. Personally, I never bought that stuff. Was she over hyped by journalists and bloggers hungry for stories about pretty girls, big hitters, teen sensations and Tiger successors? I guess that's fair to say. But despite what she's gone through in the past year, despite the fact that some are saying her career is over... damaged beyond repair, I get the impression that for Michelle Wie, it's all just beginning.

Evian Masters - Where the Golf Girls Are

I saw the posters all over Paris last month. They featured a Nataliesque golf girl in black-on-black golf apparel, against a glowing purple sky.

They were in lots of metro stations and were pasted onto the old fashioned Parisienne advertising kiosks. There was a huge one suspended from the Palais de Congres. It was several stories high and I found it somewhat distracting as I drove my rented Peugeot 407 precariously around the Place de la Porte Maillot.

But that was a month ago, now the 2007 Évian Masters is underway in the French Alps, and all the top girls are there. They've changed the format a bit...introducing a cut and extending the field to 90. And with the final on Sunday, we should have a fine weekend of golf to look forward to. Some of the groupings are quite delicious too. Lorena Ochoa and poster girl Natalie are playing together, along with defending champion Karrie Webb.


Right behind them is RL-clad champion, Morgan Pressel, and KLM Ladies Open winner Gwladys Nocera, and they'll be joined by...a Nike swooshed Michelle Wie! Yes, she's back. To the delight of some and the dismay of others, but decidedly, with much less fanfare than in the past.

The pristine Évian-les-Bains, will certainly be sharing the spotlight with the star players. I spent a number of summers on Lac Léman, in and around Evian and I'm here to tell you that the alpine scenery is straight out of a fairytale.

The tournament website is great...the Ladies European Tour website too, so check them out. You'll be sure to see exciting golf, beautiful golf girls, and some really cute golf outfits.

Prepsta Golf Fashion - Join the Tee Partay

Personally, I don't need an invite.

I was born and raised in Greenwich, CT, the fiefdom of Preppiness. Summers spent sailing on Long Island Sound, vacations on Nantucket, the whole nine. For that reason, there came a time, shortly after high school when I developed a strong resistance to kelly green and bright pink. I started hating madras and argyle, too. I also eventually grew to disdain tiny alligators, polo ponys and little embroidered whales. And it went on like that for a while. I lived in NYC and Paris and for a number of years, wore nothing but black. All the time.

But let's face it those bright colors and whimsical logos...they're the quintessential eye candy. Who can resist them, especially on the golf course? Not me, and fortunately preppy is back in a big way, and it's lots cooler than it was in...well...the day. This time around it's a little bit retro and a lot sexier. You see it in Smirnoff ads and on Hip Hop stars like T-Pain. Now they've added a touch of Gangsta. Preppy + Gansta = Prepsta. That's the look and I'm loving it. I hope to do a Golf Fashion File on it soon.






BTW - I'm also working with my gorgeous blogger friend Becky C. on a post about the controversial issue of shorts on the golf course. She's the voice behind "Girl in Shorts" so I'm sure she'll bring some very interesting insight to the conversation. And to the fashion show. So stay tuned!

HSBC Match Play - Awesome Ai Miyazato

Yesterday morning in New Rochelle, NY I saw a rock star.

She's not a rock star exactly, but in her native Japan Ai Miyazato is like one. And in this lush green Westchester County suburb, on a pristine July morning, her groupies were there local fan base was there to cheer her on.

To my mind she was the most exciting presence in New Roc yesterday...by far. OK, I'm partial to Rock Stars and I have a well documented Japanobsession. Additionally, most of the big names; the Annikas and Cristies and Lorenas and Paulas, had been eliminated by the unpredictable and engaging format known as match play. The tournament however, was super well organized, and attending it was a real pleasure.

I followed the semifinal match between Ai and Sweden's Maria Hjorth, which the Japanese star won 3-2. At that point it almost seemed that the 22-year-old... a fourteen time champion on the Japanese tour... might be ending her winless LPGA streak, but it was not to be. Later in the day, after I had gone back up to CT for my own (ultra high scoring) round, the final was won by Korean Seon Hwa Lee, and her diligent putter. No doubt Ai was disappointed, but she must have taken some solace in her extraordinary star power, that was so clearly evident on the hilly fairways of Wyakagyl.

And now in accordance with an Ai Miyazato/LPGA drinking game initiated by the gentle folks over at Waggle Room, I'm going to pour myself a gin & tonic. Cheers.

Sergio Garcia - More Than the Field Against Him

"You know what's the saddest thing about it? It's not the first time. It's not the first time, unfortunately. So, I don't know, I'm playing against a lot of guys out there, more than the field."

That's what Sergio said after his Carnoustie crash and burn today.

Though not quite Van de Veldian, it was pretty stunning how, in the end, he gave up his hard won lead and let the British Open slip from his grasp. This final round demise was predicted by...well...almost everyone. And I've got to say, it did seem like he was battling more than Padraig, Ernie, Tiger and the other guys on the windswept Scottish greens. The collective disdain of golf fans and journalists was also out there, and it was pretty palpable from the beginning. The thing is, Mr. Garcia, at 27, is seen by many as a spoiled, immature, whining, Mama's boy. From his fussy pre-shot routine to his monochromatic fashion foibles, from last Spring's spit-gate to his recent move to the inelegant belly putter. There are just so many things to dislike about El Nino. I'm pretty sure this sentiment is what Sergio was referring to, at least in part, when he made that statement about "more than the field".

I'm also pretty sure that Sergio will win a major. Eventually. But first he'll have to make a few changes to his character, and style. He'll have to mature and mellow, stop blaming and start acknowledging. Be a bit...humble. That's when golf fans and journalists will begin to pull for him, that's when he'll only have the field against him and with his extraordinary talent, that's when he'll finally win.

Golf Girl's Friday Meanderings

What happend to the work week? For me, it never really solidified, it just evaporated, as if we skipped from last weekend right over to this one. With nothing in between. And that's ironic because I accomplished quite a bit at the office over the past few days. Strange. The magic of summer, I guess.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to playing at Richter Park tomorrow. With one of my readers, no less. I'm going to have to swear him to secrecy about my lackluster skills. Oh, I forgot, everyone knows I'm a mediocre (though passionate) player. Crap. Oh well, it should be fun. Then on Sunday I hope to meander (that summer word again) down to Wykagyl to watch some HSBC match play. How does that sound? Yes, summer is awesome.

Oh, before I wander off, let me tell you about a couple of on-line activities you'll surely enjoy, in case you happen to be stuck in front of a computer screen anytime during the upcoming W.E. Check out podcastGO's golf casts. Awesome golfers like Paula Creamer and K.J. Choi and Zach Johnson present their swings and shots in short easy to follow pods that you can watch on your computer or download to your ipod. (I'm studying Paula's swing for my round tomorrow). And how about designing your own golf shoes this weekend? "The Coolest Pair on the Planet" is an awesome contest where you design your own pair of My Joys for a chance to win a $1000. gift certificate. And you can order the pair you design. I've already done two and I've got to say they're really, really cute. See what you can do with yours...Have a great weekend!

About the British Open

I could write about what might happen at the 2007 British Open - but not nearly so well as some other people I know. So, I'll just direct you over to one more great golf post at Don't Cost Nothing. Astute, engaging and funny ... as usual. And of course Sergio gets slammed. I love it.

Business, Golf and the Grass Ceiling

A golf blogger friend of mine brought this article to my attention a couple of days ago.

The topic is the role of golf in business, and how it's often underestimated. There's a brief review of "Deals on the Green", a new book by David Rynecki, and the overall premise (of the article and,it seems,the book) is that golf is an essential tool for getting ahead, and maintaining one's edge in business.

Now that's all well and good, but there's a down side too, according to this article, and it's the fact that, due to the nature and history of golf, it plays a significant role in keeping women out of America's boardrooms. In other words it's a grass ceiling, and not a glass one that women hit when they try to get to the upper echelons of US corporations.

Personally, I don't believe that the male monopolisation of corporate golf is what's keeping women from advancing up the corporate ladder. I think it has more to do with the perception that women are child bearers/rearers and the fact that many women do, in fact, opt out... as lots of men would do in a NY minute if it was socially acceptable and respected. As for me, I'm currently reading How to Play Business Golf, and learning how to make golf work for me in my business life. Granted I'm not negotiating with Warren Buffet or Bill Gates but neither are most people I know.

Blame it on Ryo

Ryo Ishikawa, that is.

He's the uber-adorable golf guy who's become such a HUGE star they had to hire twelve guards to patrol the course when he played recently in his country's Japan Amateur Golf Championship. Yes, the fifteen year old, known affectionately as "the bashful prince" is a newly minted pop culture idol. Newly minted indeed. The fact is, he just burst onto the collective national radar on May 20, when he won the Japan Golf Tour's Munsingwear Open KSB Cup, spectacularly, with a come-from-behind seven-birdie final round of 66. The youngest ever to win that event... And the disarming smile... What's not to like? The fervor has only grown since, building up to this week's Junior World, where Ishikawa will compete for the first time, in the 15-to 17-year-old Division, today through Friday at Torrey Pines. We'll see what transpires there, but no matter how well he plays, there's no doubt he'll be attracting more than his share of paparazzi. After all, it's their job to feed Japan's current Ryo hunger.

The young Mr.Ishikawa seems to be handling his new found fame well, but because of the massive crowds he now attracts, he's had to curtail one of his favorite hobbies; shopping. I guess he'll just have to order his golf clothes on-line from now on. Oh, the high price of golf stardom.

I Survived a Golfless Weekend

Saturday, July 14th: For the first time in ages, sand implies a beach, not a bunker. Yay!

It's not that I didn't miss golf... I did... but I had forgotten how much I liked the beach and the shoreline and saltwater taffy. We spent Saturday morning wandering in Rockport (MA), the quintessential Massachusetts coastal town. Then, in the afternoon went kayaking off the coast, eventually finding a pretty little beach where we lazed away a couple of hours, just relaxing and enjoying a perfect summer day. I'll be posting all the weekend photos on Flickr later today.

In the meantime, I'm heading over to Sunset Hill right after work. I've got to make up for the missed golf somehow, right?

A No Golf New England Weekend

Probably the only one I'll spend this summer too.

It was hard to leave my clubs behind, but I'm heading up to Boston this afternoon to spend the WE with some non-golfers...my family.

Yes, that's the reason I took up golf so late. I come from a very athletic family (Dad was a PE teacher) but golf was never in the picture.

So, we'll go to the MA shore tomorrow, maybe do some kayaking, then on Sunday drive up to Keene NH where extended family has an awesome in-town pub/tavern/restaurant. That'll be Dad's birthday lunch. So no golf. But it'll be fun. And I'm planning to play every day next week after work. So there.

Tad Turns Pro

Yes, I'm talking about the ultra adorable, extremely talented, Tad Fujikawa.

Many of us, this blogger included, first discovered Tad back in January when he upstaged fellow Hawaiian phenom, Michelle Wie at the Sony Open. Well check this out. Earlier today the 16 year old announced he's forfeiting his amateur status to pursue a professional career. Apparently Mom & Dad are on the fence about their son's decision, probably fearing some of the pitfalls that befell Ms. Wie, but it seems Tad's convinced them it's the right decision for him. And he's going for it. Good Luck Tad !!!

Tiger Woods - The Regimen Revealed

Golf Writers have been talking about Tiger's smokin hot body transformed physique for a couple of months now, but breathless blogging and blatant Tigerlust hit a fever pitch immediately after the US Open. Remember? The US Open was where Mr. Woods wore that painted on form fitting fuchsia shirt that left no doubt about his amazing musculature. Intense curiosity ensued, as in, ..."what's going on, golfers aren't supposed to look like this!?!?".

Well now there's an excellent cover story in Men's Fitness magazine that sheds some light on the Tiger transformation. In it there's an exclusive, in depth interview where for the first time, Woods and trainer Keith Kleven offer detail and insight into Tiger's rigorous fitness regimen. A regimen that's enabled him to add nearly 30 pounds of muscle since he left Stanford University in 1996. Tiger also talks about his athletic wife Elin, and how she stays in shape.

So, if you were one of the many Tiger fans wondering, "how did he get that way?", go out and pick up the August issue of Men's Fitness, it's on newstands now.

Tonight - Golf Girl Inventor on TGC

I just got an email from my friend Tina, and guess what: she's going to be on the Golf Channel tonight!

Tina, you see, is the quintessential Golf Girl...fun, flirty, fashionable and golf obsessed. And now she's going to be on TV, presenting her own stylish golf invention, as part of The Golf Channel's new series, Fore Inventors Only. The series looks awesome too. Kind of like an American Idol for golf inventors. And I get the impression there are more than a few William Hung types among the participants. But Tina's definitely not one of those, she'll be competing with Sassy Swings, her pretty, practical hand beaded gloves. I wrote about these glamorous golf gloves back in the fall. In addition to adding sparkle, the beaded bracelet actually acts as a stroke counter. How clever is that? So be sure to check out Fore Inventors Only tonight (7/10) on the Golf Channel at 10:00pm ET. It'll also be on tomorow (7/11) at 12 noon ET.

I've got to admit I'm literally green with envy a bit envious of Tina for having come up with such an awesome invention and getting on The Golf Channel and all, but hopefully this'll inspire me to whip up an extraordinary golf accessory of my own for the next season's show. I have a few ideas already, but sorry, I'm keeping them under wraps for now.

Golf Girl's Diary - Parental Guidence Suggested

Well, that's a far cry from, "Blocked for Sexual Content" which is the message a golf blogger friend of mine got when he tried to access this blog a couple of weeks ago on a computer with a newly installed blocking software. I still don't know what I did to deserve that.

The PG rating was given by "What's my Blog Rated?" a service provided by dating site, Mingle2, so it's just that official. They go on to say that, "this rating was determined based on the presence of the following words: knife (3x) and orgasm (1x)". OK...what?!?! I don't remember ever writing the word knife, even once, never mind three times. Orgasm...well maybe.

Anyway, it seems to me that this widget lightly scans a site for words that might connote sex or violence, and it's accuracy is somewhat questionable. Known for their highly astute but often salacious commentary, the guys at Don't Cost Nothing got a paltry PG for their creative use of; sex (4x), ass (2x) and dead (1x). I imagine they're a bit dissapointed they didn't rate at least an R. Fashionable golf girl, and political, sex, culture blogger Jessica Cutler, actually scored the coveted R rating for her site's use of; sex (3x) slutty (2x) and shit (1x). Congrats Jess, on your fun blog and winning word combination.

So, try rating your blog (or your MySpace, Facebook, etc) and see what you come up with. I'd be curious to know if any golf blogs manage to garner an R...and what their offending words might be. I'm thinking, balls (4x), stroke (3x), and slice (1x) might just get you there.

Golf Widows Wanted

So how was your weekend?

Did you spend it waiting? As in, waiting for your spouse to finish his/her round so you could spend some quality time together, then waiting for him/her to relinquish the clicker so you could watch something you both enjoyed...something that did not feature Tiger Woods, KJ Choi or Tom Watson. If this was you, ABC News wants to know about it. They're seeking Golf Widows to tell their stories on Good Morning America Weekend Edition. I don't know for sure, but have a feeling they wouldn't turn down an interesting golf widower, either. In any case, it's your chance to have your story heard on National TV...and take a bit of playful revenge on your golf addicted spouse.

As a former golf widow myself, I know this subject well, but yet I spent all day Saturday with Mr. GolfGirl Nick, playing 27 holes at Richter Park. Then, Sunday afternoon, we shared the remote and toggled between Congressional Country Club and Whistling Straits. You see, I chose to fight his golf obsession...with a golf obssession of my own. And that's my story.

The Sexiest Golf Cart on Earth

I know, I know, sexiness is subjective, but just tell me; who wouldn't be susceptible to the salacious appeal of this sleek machine?

The discerning gentlemen over at Don't Cost Nothing posted about it earlier this week, and now all the specs on this fabulous fairway crawler are presented on Gizmodo ...and they're pretty impressive. One commenter however, suggested that it looked ..."like you should be having sex with it rather than "riding" it", which shocked me, until I really looked at the photo and ...well, yeah.

The ultimate Golf Cruiser includes a "detachable basket with drinks holder" too, which is a really nice touch, but sadly, at $2,619, is a bit beyond my on-course personal transport budget. Oh well, I guess I'll just have fantasize about it. Yes, I can do that.

Golf Girlfriends Can be... Problematic

...or so it seems from this article in the most recent issue of GQ magazine, and I think there's an element of truth to it. Here in the US golf is often strictly considered "something a guy does with other guys", part of its attraction being the opportunity to bond with guy friends in an atmosphere unrestrained by the presence of women. Not to say that all American guy golfers feel this way, but I believe many do, and I was quite surprised to see that this was not the case in France...at all. One immediately notices that the golf culture in France is much more evenly divided between male and female... to the extent that it's rare to see groups of men playing without women. I've got to say that felt strange to me...or at least, foreign.

Intrepid girl golf blogger, Fairway Flapper, posted about a recent incident in Northeastern PA that illustrates why wives/girlfriends might not always be welcome on guy's golf outings. Caution: it involves strippers, breasts and lap dances, those who might be offended by such things please avert your eyes.

Here's to a Festive 4th !

Hope everyone has fun today. I'm off to play at Richter Park. I'm determined to wear my patriotic golf outfit too, though Nick insists it looks corny dumb tacky ridiculous. We'll see who wins this one. If I do, maybe I'll post some pictures later today...That is, if I'm in a photogenic mood, which is not always the case.

Anyway, have a fun holiday!

Back Home - Now I've Gotta Work on my Golf Game...Amongst Other Things

The last 10 days were the proverbial whirlwind of endless meetings productive work & gluttonous overeating fine dining, that define the average Paris business trip ...with as much golf as possible squeezed in, of course.

Now I'm back in CT and I've got a desk piled high with waiting work projects PLUS several major new ones I brought back from France... and I'm wondering where my golf improvement program is going to fit in. That's the thing about work. It tends to get in the way of golf and blogging and other leisure activities.

So, in that I'm not able to give up work due to financial constraints, and I'm not intending to give up my aforementioned other leisure activities... um, duh... I'm currently working out a master organizational plan to accommodate everything. It includes getting up at 6:30am, which I hate don't particularly like, but can probably get used to. My blogging will be done during the acquired 7:00 - 9:00 office hours Work work will be done 9 - 5 nonstop, and golf will fit into the 5:30 - 7:30 time slot. Weekends will be planed in advance to accommodate any unfinished projects as well as my recreational golf. Doesn't that sound efficient. Very unlike me, but efficient.

I'm getting the film and photos from my trip sorted and edited and ready to post later this week. Should have my first video blog up soon too, as well as my long awaited, much delayed swimsuit blog. Aren't I ambitious? I think I am.

Congratulations Cristie Kerr!

Yay!!!! I heard the news over here in Paris... first on French TV then on CNN International.

As I was packing my bags (and eating obscene amounts of French chocolate) I heard that my absolute favorite golf girl, Cristie Kerr, had won the U.S. Women's Open. Of course I immediately went to the minibar for the Veuve Cliquot. Nick came in a bit later and we toasted the win of this ultra generous, extraordinarily talented American golfer. It definitely made our last night in Paris more festive. Thanks Cristie and Congrats!