Fanny Rocard - Quintessential French Golf Girl

I have a wonderful little book on my shelf that I refer to quite often. It's called Entre Nous. Tag line: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her inner French Girl .

Let's face it, there's something about French girls that's so...desirable. When I played golf outside of Paris last summer I was impressed by the how the women all seemed so confident and comfortable, while at the same time remaining feminine and flirty and fun.

Recently, I was introduced to the quintessential French Golf Girl through a mutual (Facebook) friend. Her name is Fanny, though she's sometimes called "Fanette". Isn't that cute? Well, she's really cute, as you can see, and ultra talented too, she's been playing golf since she was eight and has won a number of Jr. championships in France. Recently she earned her teaching certification as well, and has been busy teaching golf, both in her native Biaritz and in exotic Marakech, Morocco. Check out her awesome website. It's only in French for now, but the pictures need no translation.

And the thing is, you can forget about the myths that say French girls are all snobs. Fanny is ultra friendly, always has a smile. Now I'm hoping I can convince her to come over to this side of the Atlantic and play a round with me at Richter Park. I have no doubt she could help me with my golf game. She might even be able to help me find my inner French girl. What could be better than that?

An Awesome Golf Vacation Comes to an End

During the past week we played an amazing amount of great golf...














...and still found time to relax. But vacations don't last forever and last night we flew home to CT.














We've now resumed our day-to-day routine in the waning gray days of the CT winter. We probably won't be playing golf up here for a couple of weeks, but thanks to that much needed South Florida respite we'll get through just fine, and before long, we'll be on the hilly springtime courses of CT.

Hey, don't forget to check out my full SW FL Golf Vacation Overview, Monday (3/31) on Red Tee Tales, my Golf for Women blog.

The Tap In Twins on Course in Punta Gorda, FL

I hit the course with Cat yesterday. Cat being my twin sister who happens to be in Punta Gorda right now too. We played with Nick, at Burnt Store Marina Golf Course, which winds through an elegant community of homes, traversed by canals and dotted with small lakes. First we tackled the demanding Osprey course. Water definitely came into play consuming quite a number of our wayward balls. We then moved on to the Pelican course, which was a bit more forgiving, but had its own little issue. Namely a huge black Gator lying in the sun about 10 yards to the right of the fifth tee. Fortunately the Marshall had warned us of his presence as we finished the fourth. Tentatively, we took our tee shots. Nick got rather angry when suggested that I wanted to approach the reptile for a more flattering camera angle. So I had to be satisfied with the shot below.



We return to CT tonight. I'm absolutely not ready to return to the chilly north, but it's been a totally awesome trip.

Quick Hi Before Golf in Punta Gorda, FL

Golf Girl Plays Around

Goes without saying, doesn't it? I've played multiple rounds on four different courses...so far. And I'm loving it. Check out my post at Golf for Women for tales of Tiberon.

Will have more later today.

Bikini Golf Blogging

What could be better than than staying at a world class resort and playing on an extraordinary Greg Norman designed championship course?

Blogging about it in a bathing suit.

Check in here next week for lots of great stories, photos and videos from our SW FL golf trip.

Oh, and don't forget to stop by Red Tee Tales at Golf For Women for my golf trip stories...I'm writing there too.

Golf Blogging from SW FL

Great Golf and Splendid Shopping

What could be better than that? Well add a room with an amazing view, and you've got the formulas for a great vacation. This is the view from our room at the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club. I took the photo at breakfast yesterday. Then we walked across the street and played golf on the club's historical course.I did lots of filming during our round (much to Nick's dismay) and I'll be putting together a GGTV special soon.

Later we had dinner in the old town of Naples and I did a bit of shopping. Nick got this shot of me at one of my favorite places to get beautifully detailed golf clothes as well as fun, flirty dresses. Lily Pulitzer of course. Yes, I do love pink.

Golf + Beach = Awesome

We're loving Naples Beach and Golf Resort. It's got the beach ...right there before us... and we're scheduled to play tomorrow at noon.

Soundes like a perfect time, to me.

Golf in the Sunshine State

I'm leaving for the West Coast of FL tomorrow, to spend a week playing golf and wearing a bathing suit. Probably not simultaneously, as I'm pretty sure that's against the dress code, but both activities are definitely on the agenda.

We'll be staying at a variety of different golf resorts, playing at a variety of courses and dining at distinctive eateries. I plan to take tons of photos and video and I'll be posting every day, both here and over on Golf For Women, so check in regularly.

Meanwhile, I'm really hoping the sunshine state lives up to its name.

Guys, It's Time to Learn from the Golf Girls

Sometimes, a guy is his own worst enemy.

I'm generalizing of course but ...in general... there's something about the way guys go about things that often tends to be self defeating. And just like certain behavior traits (conscientiousness, empathy, the desire to nuture) are overwhelmingly associated with women, there's a whole different set (agressivity, physicality, the desire to take risks) that's primarily pegged to males.

When it comes to golf do these so called "gender-related traits" come into play? Indian golf journalist, Rishi Narain, writng in the Economic Times speculates that they might.

And if he's right, Golf Guys should have their eyes on Mexico this weekend.

Splendiferous Golf Guy, Jerry Weintraub

He's a Hollywood mogul who's done it all: movies, music, theater ... and always on a grand scale. From managing the career of Frank Sinatra to producing lots of big films, most recently the Ocean's series, 11 - 13. He's also a major golf aficionado, and that too he does big.

A recent article in Vanity Fair magazine finds Mr. Weintraub playing a round at Madison Country Club in La Quinta, California.

An ultra prestigious club, the producer was involved in its development and design, and his high standards are reflected in some truly awesome amenities; range balls are collected by hand to eliminate noise, rest rooms await at every second hole, and exotic fruit, amazing cocktails and sumptuous snacks are available at all times. This particular round ended with root-beer floats and Kobe beef cheeseburgers. Yes, apparently, he's still a Bronx boy at heart.

Check out the VF website for a video of the larger-than-life golf guy's photo shoot. It looks like lots of fun was had by all. BTW, I've decided that I really want to interview Mr. Weintraub myself.

At Madison Country Club of course

A Limerick for Mr. Golf Girl

OK, Nick hates it when call him Mr. Golf Girl. He doesn't particularly care for this photo either, but it's the only recent one I could find. It's from an icy day last week at the driving range when he borrowed my Nike bucket hat. I'll admit it's not his best look.

Anyway, I don't think he'll be too pleased with the limerick I found either. It's from the awesome Top Flite website and its part of a competition. You fill in the blanks with an assortment of provided words. They feature several such limericks and invite you to submit your own. If it's chosen, it'll be featured on the site and you'll win Top Flite golf balls. The site has an amazing entertainment section too, with unique games and some funny videos.

Anyway here's the Mr. Golf Girl limerick. You'll have to check the site for the missing words.

Ode to Mr. Golf Girl (my title)

There once was a golfer named Nick.
He'd strut around and act like a ________
But, far from a closer, the hack was a ________
And his act was exposed pretty quick.

Women Like Sports, Including Golf

Check out my recent interview in the awesome blog, Women Like Sports.

The editor of this engaging blog is adorable Apryl DeLancy, a sports fanatic from Los Angeles who follows everything from the NFL to Premier League Soccer to ... well every other sport known to man (and woman).

April has interviewed a variety of athletes and afficianados including: surfers Shayne and Shannon McIntyre, WFL professional Amanda Garcia and Greg Shaw of Tatoo Golf, the edgy apparel company.

Ms DeLancy is a golfer too, and an astute interviewer who gets right to the point with her "5 questions". We covered golf fashion and equipment, ettiquete, and aprehension about getting on the course when you're a beginner. I also clued Apryl in on some of my future plans for Golf Girl Media.

So head over to Women Like Sports and have a look. If you like you sports Apryl's blog is a must read.

Time to Get your Golf Wordrobe Up to PAHR

I'm so ready for Spring!

Meteorologists, who are supposed to be on top of these things, are saying it's just around the corner, but I know enough not to believe them. Yes, the official start of the sweet season is March 21st, but here in New England, we always have to wait an extra month before we get the balmy days and mild nights.
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So I'll be heading down to FL soon to jump start my Spring. I'm going to play endless rounds of golf and get really good. Ok well at least I want to look really good, and for that I need some golf clothes that swish, sassy and uber stylish. But what about the budget? For the moment mine is quite, rather,, extremely tight.

So imagine my delight when I discovered that one of my fave lines, the fabulous PAHR is having a sale. A major sale too. 50% off of their 2007 line. And BTW, their 2007 line is awesome. I just ordered a bunch of pieces. Like the adorable Court skirt with its amazing pleats and piping and pockets (gotta love pockets). It's now only $30.00. Lots of great polos too, and guys: PAHR has you covered as well.

So head over to Pahr for a headstart on your spring golf shopping!

A Golf Girl's Bastion of Blondeness

I happen to be the quintessential brunette.

It's not that I haven't tried being blonde. In fact, I've lusted to be a blonde my entire life, but it just never worked for me. On me, blonde always ends up orange... and no one wants orange hair, right? So I'm a reluctant brunette, and probably always will be.

...And I tend to get very, very envious when I see a bunch of blonde chicks hanging out together having fun, so this story should have had a very negative effect on me, because, after all, it features three lovely, talented blondes. But in the end, it actually inspired me. Because what these girls are advocating is golf and its many benefits, and who better to do that than LPGA star Morgan Pressel, real estate developer and business golfer, Ivanka Trump and golf media star, Stina Sternberg.

The event took place in Manhattan and was called "Callaway Golf Girls Club". Subtitle: "Trade your stilettos for spikes, your diamonds for a set of GEMS...And your handbag for a golf bag". The glittery get-together introduced a new line of beginner-friendly ladies GEMS clubs, while reinforcing the myriad health, social and professional benefits of golf for women and girls. Editors from the top women's fashion and lifestyle magazines were there. So you can be sure we'll be reading about it all over the place.

Thus, despite a momentary twinge of blonde envy, I applauded these flaxen-haired golf advocates for their dedication to the sport, and yes, I'm considering some artfully placed highlights.

German Golf Girl Martina Eberl Talks Turkey

Turkey is getting ready to host the inaugural Turkish Ladies Open.

the €250,000 event, part of the 2008 Ladies European Tour, will take place at the National Golf Club in Antalya, Turkey's up and coming golf center, where golf and golf tourism are growing by leaps and bounds.

This past weekend beautiful, talented German Golf Girl, Martina Eberl, who won last year's Madrid Ladies Masters, was at National Golf Club playing a round and checking out the course, which she declared to be "challenging and exciting." Martina also said that she felt the event would be a major success and a lot of fun, adding that LPGA tournaments tended to by high pressure and solitary, while LET events were more relaxed.

Along with 120 LET players, three young Turkish golfers will compete, national team members Necla Gerçek, Elçin Ulu and Müzeyyen Şaşmaz, a local girl who works as a caddy at the National Golf Club.

The tournament is bound to be good for golf in Turkey, which despite its recent growth, is still in its infancy. National Golf Club can also be credited with promoting golf...at the grass roots level. The club has a policy encouraging its employees to play golf. All employees, from the ground up are encouraged to play golf whenever they have the time and many of those who started to work here as caddies have become trainers. They now train 40 talented children, 25 from the nearby villages and 15 from the local orphanage. Many of these kid are probably dreaming of someday playing in a future Turkish Ladies Open.