Have you Caught the New Golf Bug ?

If you haven't you should!

GolfBug.tv, the world’s first broadband TV channel dedicated to golf, has just joined forces with one of the UK’s leading digital entertainment providers, Simply Media, and the results are impressive.

The new look is ultra sharp, the navigation completely intuitive, and the content is spot-on. Alongside its 24/7 programming screen, the new-look GolfBug offers an on-demand menu of golf video, including tournament news, golf travel tips, player profiles, unique and interesting archival footage as well as special segments. I just had a blast watching a Golf Punk vs Golf Bug match that took place recently at the London Golf show, as well as an interview with the fabulous Ian Poulter. Pretty awesome.

You can catch watch anytime you want just by clicking www.GolfBug.tv, and I assure you,this is a bug you want to catch.

Golfer Girl and Growing the Game of Golf

There's been lots of ink spilled over the Fedex Cup. Most of it negative. Putting together such a big...thing...and integrating it into the culture of a sport is a huge multi-faceted undertaking. There will be hits and misses, it'll be adapted in the coming years, and in principal, the result will be an event that engages the public and grows the fan base. Fans will be tempted to play, and the golf industry will benefit. That's the basic premise ...and no matter what one thinks of the Fedex Cup in its current state, I believe most (elitists excluded) would agree that growing the game is a good thing.

And that begs the question; what about junior golf... where the true "lifetime customers" might be thought to reside? Is it being overlooked by the golf industry? That's what women's golf expert Nancy Berkley writes in this Cybergolf piece. She outlines the difficulties that Golfer Girl, a magazine aimed at the "tween" girl golfer market, has had in getting advertisers. I wrote about Golfer Girl when their first issues was about to launch. Now they're getting ready to print their second. Golfer Girl is a perfect publication for its audience and its audience is a demographic that should be a big part of growing golf.
So let's hope sponsors and advertisers take note. After all, as Nancy points out, "girls are not only amazing golfers, but good shoppers and consumers as well."

It's Back to School for Ernie Els

Up till yesterday Ernie Els was still planning on "making the short journey from New York to Boston for the Deutsche Bank Championship". That's what he wrote in his blog less than 48 hours ago. Earlier today however, he announced he'll skip this tournament to take care of some back-to-school preparations with his kids at the family home in the UK.

It almost sounds like he took a page from Lorena Ochoa's keeping it in perspective book, doesn't it? I'm sure this'll come as a shock to some. After all, Ernie's been playing so well, and he had a real chance of winning after his fourth place finish in Harrison on Sunday. But I remember how important it was for us to have our Dad around for the start of school. We would have have had a family Insurrection had he not been there, but he was a P.E. teacher - not a PGA Champion, so he always was.

Like with Tiger's absence from The Barclays, this will surely set the stage for some serious slamming of the Fedex Cup. Whatevs. The fact is, Ernie is 10th on the FedEx Cup points list, and he's planning to be in Chicago in two weeks for the third leg of the playoffs... so guess what? I just invented an awesome Ernie Els Recipe for the Fedex Cup Cocktail Contest! * It's based on the recipe for a South African Smoothie and on this South African golfer's very smooth swing.

The Big Easy Blaster

2 oz Amarula Cream liquor
1/2 Banana
1 scoop Vanilla Ice-cream

Blend all ingredients on high until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and garnish with shaved chocolate.

The Power of a Guy's Pink Golf Shirt

I wrote about golf guys in pink months ago. The topic however, still seems to be sizzeling... and laden with sociological implications, as Dan Bernstein recently described in his story, Sex and the Golf Shirt.

Love the look or hate it, there's no question pink remains a controversial color for guys. Which makes me wonder how lavender would go over.

Lorena Ochoa Keeps it in Perspective

After claiming her third straight LPGA title at the Safeway Classic yesterday, Lorena Ochoa is heading back to Mexico for a one month break... to the disappointment of some, who would like to see her go for four in a row.

"I'm very happy with my three wins" Lorena explained yesterday, "But it's time for me to go home".

So what if she could match the LPGA record of four straight, last achieved by Annika Sorenstam in 2001... there are things that take priority, and for Lorena, family is obviously one of them. She's got her brother's wedding coming up, and she's not going to miss that.

That's Lorena for you; winning and winning and winning, but keeping it in perspective. No wonder she's so universally liked and admired.

In the End, The Barclays Didn't Disappoint

After an inauspicious start on a rather soggy course, The Barclays provided some pretty stellar golf watching. Tiger was absent, Vijay didn't make the cut and Phil never quite solidified his charge, but the Stricker story ... 40 year old guy who lost his tour card and struggles to get back into the game, perseveres, and gets rewarded...was sweet, and the birdie-laden duel he had with playing partner K.J.Choi was as exciting as golf gets.

This coming week it's on to Boston for the Deutsche Bank Championship. I hear Tiger, Vijay and Phil will be playing together. That's something to look forward to, is it not?

And... I've already got 18 Fedex Cup Cocktail Contest recipes and it's only the first week! Many thanks to everyone who sent them in. You're some talented mixologists! Very creative too. At Brunch today I tried a Pink Poulter. Ian Poulter (his awesome golf shoes are pictured above) was the highest placed British player at Barclays, and the drink was a perfect cool-down in today's steamy weather. Thanks for that one Gemma in Nottingham.

Pink Poulter

2 cl Citron vodka
2 cl cranberry juice
1 cl sugar syrup
Champagne

Mix vodka, cranberry juice and sugar syrup, and pour into a champagne coupe or flute. Fill with champagne or a dry sparkling wine.

Red Hot Rory in Westchester (updated)

"I don't really like the guy, but I've got to say he played well yesterday and the drink is wicked".

That's what Bo from Ft.Worth wrote when he submitted this recipe earlier today. "It's sort of like a Red Hot Rita. But I added a can of Loud Energy Drink for Rory's loud mouth"

Well lots of folks don't like "Rory's loud mouth" but there's no denying his skill. The brash, outspoken South African emerged as the first-round leader yesterday at The Barclays.

So, Thanks Bo, and here's the Red Hot Rory...in all it's glory. The perfect example of a Fedex Cup Cocktail.


RED HOT RORY

Ingredients:
A couple of lime wedges
1 12 oz. can of Loud Energy Citrus Stunner
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) tequila
1 ounce ( 2 tablespoons) triple sec
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) freshly squeezed lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. superfine or bar sugar
1/2 tsp. Hot Sauce

Directions:
1. Rub the rim of margarita glass or large martini glass with a lime wedge. Place some superfine sugar in a small shallow plate and dip the glass rim in the sugar to coat the edge.
2. Fill a cocktail shaker half-full with cracked ice. Add ingredients
3. Shake well and strain into glass; garnish with a lime wedge

Update: Second round is underway and K.J.Choi is currently on top. Anyone have a good K.J. cocktail recipe?

Vijay Barclays - First Round Disaster

I can't believe this.

Defending champion Vijay Singh just played an unbelievably awful round here at the Barclays. I say here because I'm just about 20 minutes away from Westchester Country Club confined to my desk and office. I'm hoping to get down to Harrison on the weekend, but right now I'm just like, whoa...this wasn't supposed to happen. In an interview yesterday with Joel Schuchmann of Bunkershot.com, the tireless Fijian did reveal that he was still adjusting to working with a new trainer...on a totally new set of workouts, and admitted he was "hurting in places I've never hurt before". That could be part of it, but according to Hudson Valley golf blogger and Barclays expert, Alex Meyers, his round even included a 4-putt on the 14th hole. And he's now in a tie for 124th place... and I'm very depressed.

To take the edge of my disappointment and perhaps inspire a better day for Vij tomorrow, I've created the first Fedex Cup Cocktail Contest entry.

It's tropical drink that reflects the Pacific Island roots of the fabulous golfer. Based on the iconic Singapore Sling, for the Vijay version I've replaced the gin with dark rum and the Cointreau with simple orange juice, making it slightly darker in color and slightly lower in alcohol than the original. It's a drink inspired by Vijay's mixed ancestry and extraordinary athleticism.

The Vijay Singh Sling

1 oz dark rum
1/2 oz cherry brandy
4 oz pineapple juice
1/2 oz lime juice
1/4 oz orange juice
1/4 oz benedictine herbal liqueur
1/3 oz grenadine syrup
1 dash bitters

Combine all of the ingredients in a shaker, fill with ice and shake until the shaker is well frosted. Strain into a tall glass and garnish with a slice of pineapple and cherry. Here's to a better day tomorrow!

Sex on the Golf Course and a Fedex Cup Cocktail Contest

Earlier this evening I had sex on the golf course. It was great, even better than a hole-in-one.

Oh... I'm talking about the drink, of course. You didn't think..? You did? How very lascivious of you. Well, I've been trying lots of new cocktails lately, and Sex on the Golf Course is one of them. You'll find the recipe below.

Anyway, this recent foray into the fine art of mixology gave me a great idea for building some added enthusiasm around the Fedex Cup: A Fedex Cup Cocktail Contest! Isn't that brilliant?

So... during the next four weeks, choose a golfer - It can be anyone still in the field at the time of your submission - and create your cocktail. Each drink should be based on the chosen golfer, and will be judged on how well it reflects his characteristics and qualities, as well as on creative use of ingredients, and taste. Then just send me the recipe and a brief description by email. The winner will receive an awesome prize package including new Golf Girl merchandise and a copy of one of my favorite fun reads, "Mulligan's Golf And Cocktail Club".

I'll have a couple of sample recipes of my own posted by the end of this week, just to get the ball rolling. So get your shakers and stirrers and highball glasses out and start mixing.

Sex on the Golf Course
1.0 shot Blue Curacao
1.0 shot Melon liqueur
7up/Sprite
Pineapple Juice
With a tall glass, mix melon liqueur and blue curacao. Then top off with equal amounts of 7up or Sprite and pineapple juice. Shake and pour over ice.

Iphone - A Golf Hero

Do you believe this ? An iphone actually saved a NY golf guy from severe bodily harm... or worse.

I've had mine for a couple of weeks now and it's not proven to be nearly so heroic. Yes, it's uber cool, has a great user interface... and I love it and everything, but I have issues with the battery and don't much care for AT&T. Well from now on I may just use it on the golf course... as body armor.

Peaceful and pastoral Richter Park is far from any war zone, but when Nick tees off, I know I've got to expect the unexpected.

The Biggest Gender Gap in Golf (updated)

After observing a summer of elite golf in his home country, Scottish golf journalist, John Huggan, concludes that ladies are markedly inferior to men in all aspects of the short game. In pitching, chipping and putting, he surmises, women should be every bit as good as men. But just aren't.

Mr. Huggan speaks with golf coach David Whelan who's coached Paula Creamer, Rachel Hetherington and other high profile golf girls. He feels that when girls are learning the game, far too much emphasis is put on hitting balls off the tee ... and and a lack of technique around the greens is the direct result. Hmmm. According to this story, David Whelan is working to change that balance and is making strides toward narrowing, "perhaps the biggest gender gap in golf". If Paula's short game is any indication, and I'm not sure it is, he's on the right track.

Coach Whelan also seems to imply that, from a coaching standpoint, women are less confident and more needy than men thus requiring more encouragement and individualized attention.

I'm quite sure there'll be a few who disagree with this part.

Update - Check out Golf Chick's well-articulated response to John Huggan's story and David Whelan's observations.

Another Golf Cart Crash

There have been several golf cart accidents over the past few months. Some are believed to have been alcohol-fueled acts of carelessness, others remained unexplained.

The most recent happened on Friday night in Livermore, CA. sent 5 people to the hospital, three of them with serious injuries. In fact, one woman is currently in critical condition. The cart, in this case, appears to have been a six person model - which I never even knew existed. A local police official has speculated they may have been going too fast.

Though I much prefer to walk, I often play with golfers who insist on carts, and I've got to admit I'm frequently quite reckless when I take the wheel. I don't know why - my adrenalin junkie gene I guess. Anyway, I've resolved to change my reckless ways. These accidents have showed me how easy it is for careless fun to go bad.

From now on I intend to obey the rules of the road cart path.

Golf Balls and the Important Things in Life

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day isn't enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open area between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things...your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions...and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your home and perhaps your car.

The sand is everything else...the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Enjoy a romantic dinner with the one you love. Play another 9 or 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the faucet.

Take care of the golf balls first...the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.

Elvis has left the Golf Course (updated)

It's Elvis Week in Memphis.

Thousands of fans will be attending a candlelit vigil at Graceland tonight to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley. I don't know if the impersonator above will be among them, but the Elvis golf buggy would sure come in handy for navigating through the throngs that'll hover around Graceland Mansion. 75,000 are expected to pay their respects there over the next week.

I'm not sure that Elvis ever played golf, though some speculate that he would've been quite good had he set his mind to it, and some even surmise that, had he received a set of clubs instead of a guitar on that early birthday, he may have even made a career of it. The evidence sighted normally has something to do with hip rotation. His lifestyle however, was not one typically associated with a golf professional. Unless that golf professional is John Daly.

Speaking of Elvis/Golf connections, over in Ireland the Elvis Presley Fan Club holds a yearly Elvis Presley Charity Golf Classic. It's a one-of-a-kind event officially licenced by Elvis Presley Enterprises and the only Golf Classic in the world bearing the name of Elvis Presley.

I'm pretty sure the King would be proud.

Update - just got this message from one of my awesome readers:
Actually, GG, the vigil started last night, and ended in the early hours of this morning. Tonight is the big concert, where original Elvis bandmates and backup singers accompany Elvis in concert. E appears on a big video screen. It's the closest one can come to going to a live E concert these days.
And...I HAVE TICKETS for the show tonight! :) Wish you were here! - Paul

I wish I was too. :)

The Cutest Golf Outfit Ever in History

This is the outfit Diana Fishwick wore at Stoke Poges where she won a championship in 1927. Isn't it adorable? I love the all the layers and contrasting patterns. And that awesome little bucket hat is just too cute.

Of course Nick would be all, "you look so ridiculous in that!" Thus I probably won't even attempt to replicate it. Damn.

Who's That (Golf) Girl?

I've got to admit I'd never heard of Natasha Shishmanian till today. That changed this morning when she appeared, just like that, on one of my numerous google golf alerts.

Here at Golf Girl's Diary, research time is rather limited these days thus my info is still somewhat sketchy but perhaps UK readers can help fill in the blanks. From what I gather this exotic brunette is a rather exemplary Golf Girl; she's sited as both a golf writer who's "written for Golf Punk magazine and reported for the Mirror from The Open", AND a professional golfer. Strangely, I've yet to find many any details on her career as a professional golfer. Hmmm, odd that.

Anyway, Natasha's (unusual) name bubbled to the surface today because she recently married "well known" millionaire DJ, Chris Evans! Frankly, I'd never heard of him till today either, but supposedly he's quite the pop culture celeb in the UK... and he shares with Natasha a love of golf.

As you can imagine, I'm quite curious to find out more about this UK golf girl and her newly acquired media tycoon husband.

This Type of Thing

Does it ever happen to you? You're doing one thing, and thinking about something altogether different. Well, that's what sabotoged my game yesterday afternoon, and unfortunately, my errant swing thoughts weren't nearly as ...entertaining ...as some of those illustrataed at left.

I've got several reports to complete by the end of the week and they're all vying for my attention simutaniously. I'm not at all sure I'll have them done by Friday afternoon. This may entail cancelation of my Saturday and/or Sunday golf. And it's going to be a beautiful weekend in CT. And that makes me really angry.

So let me get back to work on those pesky reports...OK?

Sam's Dad Wins His 13th Major

Earlier today, gorgeous Golf Girl Sam Alexis Woods watched her father battle the extreme heat of an August day in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to win the PGA Championship, and his 13th major.

At least I think she was watching. To be honest, she seemed to be sleeping most of the time, but in any case, she was there... with her beautiful Mom Elin... and that surely made this victory that much sweeter for Tiger.

Congratulations to Eldrick "Tiger" Woods and his ultra-charming family!

Friday Fun with Beginer Golf Girls

Fun, flirty Golf Girls are always welcome around here. The swing may not be perfect, but as long as the outfit's cute and the attitude fun loving, it's more than OK with me. Fijigirl blogs too, and recently posted a self-penned golf poem on her site. Yep, America's got talent.

A Much Needed Hole-in-One

It was one of those days at work today. You know what I'm talking about, don't you? The kind of day where you can't wait to get to the golf course for a hole-in-one...at the 19th hole. Cheers.

Hole-In-One Recipe
Ingredients:
1.0 dash Orange Bitters
0.25 tsp. Lemon juice
1.75 oz. Scotch
0.75 oz. Vermouth
Directions: Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.

An Extended Weekend of Golf and Other Various and Sundry Pleasures

We're just back from an incredible long weekend in Montréal. In addition to two awesome days of golf, we took long walks through the cobblestone streets of the old city and drank plenty of Molson. Nick's sister and her family live in Montréal and we spent lots of time with them. They're an extremely talented, fun and fascinating lot so a good time was had by all.

My fabulous lime Birdie Girl bag waits paitently in front of our hotel.

On Friday it was ultra hot and humid. Call me crazy, but I love heat and humidity. We played the links course at Club de Golf de l'ile de Montréal, just outside the city. It was the first time I've played a links course and I really loved it...cept for the bunkers.

Saturday the steamy heat was gone, but the sunshine remained, making it a gorgeous day. Perfect for ... say...playing at Le Mirage. There it was all about flowers and waterfalls and lush green fairways...Celine's influence, I imagine. Needless to say I loved that too.



Lots more about both of these of these wonderful courses later this week. In the meantime I should have additional photo up on Flickr by tomorrow.

North of the Border Golf

Montreal is amazing. Old and new happily cohabitating. We got here just in time for happy hour and we're staying in the center of town at the awesome hotel le Place d'armes.

Tomorrow golf at le Golf Club d l'ile de Montreal.

Sweet.

Who's a Bad Golfer? Certainly Not Me!

Despite rumors to the contrary, I'm not a bad golfer. Or maybe I am. Check out my personality profile on Badgolfer.com and see what you think.

The way I look at it, I'm right up there sharing the spotlight with Charles Barkley and a hot CaddyChick. Now that's good company, don't you think?