Tiger Woods and the The Evolutionary Perspective

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OK, here's the theory: bonding with family can really mess up a guy's golf game.

Some are surmising it wasn't a rusty swing, or a residual knee twinge that resulted in Tiger's disappointing performance at Accenture Match Play, but rather his "over-investment" in marriage and fatherhood... and a resulting testosterone plunge.

The theory's part of the "Evolutionary Perspective", and there's actual science to back it up. By science I mean an experiment conducted by medical anthropologist Peter Gray and a team from the Department of Anthropology at Harvard University. The study involved Boston men their saliva.

It turns out the guys who were really into their families...the ones who were spouse-centered and passionate about parenting... had significantly lower levels of salivary testosterone. ~And here's the thing: lower testosterone levels make a guy mellow. Mellow as in: less aggressive, less intense and less competitive. Furthermore, a new baby takes the T down as low as it goes. So little Charlie Axel theoretically sealed Tiger's fairway fate at Match Play a couple of days ago.

Stellar science writer Jena Pincott, author of the provocative and fascinating Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes? breaks it down on her blog, in Why Tiger Woods Lost.

The theory is indeed compelling, however I'm pretty sure Mr. Woods will prevail this season. I'm guessing the testosterone deprived Tiger has the skill and talent to easily override evolution.

Many Thanks from Golf Girl !

Thanks so much for all the suggetions. I should have a more user friendly list up by the end of the weekend.

What Golf Needs Now - Tiger Woods, PR & ORM

It's 11:00 AM EST on Thursday morning. A google news search for "golf" just yielded me the following:

1. Roar of the Tiger: You're back, man! and 2,340 similar articles.

2. Northern Trust CEO Defends Sponsorship of Golf Events
and 589 similar articles.

3. Morgan Stanley suspending most participation at Memorial golf ... and 273 similar articles.

4. Wells Fargo Scales Back Golf Event as Pressure Builds
and 83 similar articles.

5. Lesson for Bankers: Golf and TARP Don’t Mix and 10 similar articles.

This is a search for "golf", not "golf economy" or "golf sponsorship" or "golf TARP", and the first conclusion to be drawn is that the deep dept of gratitude golf owes to Tiger Woods IS real and must be deeper than ever right now.

The "Tigers Return" stories were powerful and numerous enough to push the "Arrogant TARP-funded Golf Outing" stories down on the results page... and they provided the only positive news connected to the game at this time. Had the Northern Trust flack, and ensuing sponsorship withdrawals happened a few months ago while Tiger was on the mend and out-of-sight, I think we can assume that the search for "golf" would have produced pure negativity. And this is where golf has to get with the program.

Many of Golf's taxpayer funded sponsors have proven to be as clueless about empathizing with the average American as they are about keeping their companies afloat. Northern Trust's complete disregard for the "the way this is going to look" is what caused the recent fracas, not the event per-se.

With the proper PR, an "ear to the ground", and just a bit of empathy, Northern Trust could have made a few adjustments to their event, and communicated with honesty and transparency about it. These simple gestures would have prevented most of the backlash and negativity that this week befell the Northern Trust Open... and by association, professional tournament golf. This is where PR comes in.

What's frustrating is that Northern Trust's response to this debacle has continued along the same clueless lines it started on; an open letter to their shareholders, clients and staff, is defensive, terse and inept. The out-of-touch, arrogant mind set still buries the many positives that could be emphasised. This is where the ORM (online reputation management) comes in.

Other Tournament sponsors have reacted with similar ineptitude. A Morgan Stanley spokeswoman announced yesterday that the company will continue to sponsor the Memorial Tournament, but company representatives won't be going. "We're not participating this year due to the (economic)environment," she told journalists, then refused to elaborate. Wells Fargo also announced reductions in spending on the upcoming the Wachovia Championship. The thing that was remarkable about both responses was that the backpedaling resulted in the message that they too felt it was "inappropriate to fritter away money on entertaining at golf tournaments". What about about adapting their "entertaining" to include positives? This doesn't seem to have been considered.

In the end, I feel that the PGA Tour, Inc. and the LPGA must work with their befuddled sponsors to amend the message, repair (as much as possible) the reputation and promote all the positives that can be generated by participation in professional tournament golf The tours, and the tournaments, have always been about charity, the fact is that majority of people tend to overlook this. We're in a new era the charity aspect has to be communicated much more clearly than it has been. Sponsors can work with this aspect as well. But first the need for a PR/ORM change has to be understood and acknowledged, and that's where I'm putting faith in the tours...and keeping my fingers crossed.

Tiger is back and his influence has proven extremely powerful, but he's one person and history has shown us it's dangerous to place everything on one man.

The Golf Girl's Missing Links - A Blog Roll Vanishes

It was a busy day here at Golf Girl Media and unfortunately, we had a rather substantial mishap in the technology department.














It started when my husband intern gallantly volunteered to help with a long delayed project: updating and refining the Golf Girl's Diary blogroll. For over a year now I've wanted to make it more user-friendly by removing the no longer active blogs, and categorizing the remaining blogs, thus making it easier for readers to find what want.

It promised to be time consuming and tedious task as the list was over 100 blogs long thus it was continually put off. That is until Mr. GolfGirl my intern offered to tackle the project. And he labored through it, removing the lapsed blogs and organizing the remainder into several succinct categories. But then something went terribly wrong.

As you probably surmised, at the end of the process an incorrect button was clicked and the entire list disappeared. Needless to say, my husband intern was summarily fired.

But now I have to put the list back together again. I'm going start trying to piece it back as best I can by memory. I'll add blogs as I go along, then in the next couple of days, I'm hoping to put up a submission form that you can use to easily send me your blog's name and link. In the meantime if you'd like to send it to me in an email that would be fine too. thegolfgirl@gmail.com

The girl's golf blogs and the foreign language golf blogs were not affected. I apologize for the inconvenience caused by Nick my former intern.

Save Your Logo - Lacoste Steps Up for Biodiversity

When Cristie Kerr takes to the tees at the Honda LPGA Thailand later this week, she'll be accompanied by a small green crocodile. The iconic Lacoste logo has become as much a part of the beautiful blonde champion's style, as the multi-hued polos it adorns.




















And Cristie's crocodile won't be alone at the Siam Country Club, Lorena Ochoa and Yani Tseng will be sporting theirs too. The three LPGA stars are LACOSTE ambassadors, representing the renowned French lifestyle brand.

As the girls get ready to hit the fairways, Lacoste announced its participation in the “Save Your Logo” campaign, a new initiative that allows private companies or institutions, to contribute to the preservation of biodiversity on the planet by committing to the protection of the animal that represents their logo. The Global Environment Facility (GEF), the World Bank and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are behind this initiative launched in October 2008.

For over 75 years a crocodile has been the LACOSTE logo. Now the brand will actively support projects selected by the GEF to safeguard or protect the endangered crocodile, alligator, caiman or gavial species, whose loss would jeopardize the biological balance of their natural habitats and impact life well beyond their particular ecosystem.
























LACOSTE is one of the international brands most clearly associated with an animal. The brand’s commitment to the preservation of crocodiles seems natural as this animal is part of LACOSTE’s history and identity. Nicknamed "the Crocodile" because of his tenacity on the courts, René Lacoste, the famous tennis champion, had the idea in the late 1920s, to embroider a crocodile on the shirts he designed, thus creating the first polo shirt ... and the first logo to be visibly displayed on a garment.

I've written about Lacoste more than any other apparel brand. I love Lacoste's distinctive history and their commitment to causes that benefit all of us. Their elegant, athletic apparel and accessories are a pleasure to wear and the LACOSTE ambassadors happen to be my absolute favorite golfers.

For more information on the "Save Your Logo” campaign, you can visit the Save Your Logo Website.


Top photograph © Golf Girl Media
With Cristie and Kelli at Lacoste on Greenwich Avenue
Lower photograph:"Save Your Logo" poster

Welcome Back Tiger - Yeah, Right, Whatever

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My friend Shane from Dogs that Chase Cars brought this funny video to my attention. Seriously though, I'm sure Tiger is receiving a warm welcome from his fellow players.

I just wonder how they really feel.

Update: Oh, and I just got this. Gotta ♥ Sam Jackson.

Complement, Ridicule, or Heckle your Fellow Golfers

Golf Smak is a new iphone ap with 50 sayings and sounds that that enable the user to complement, ridicule or heckle their fellow golfers. You can ...annoy ...them at anytime, with a shake of the iPhone, as the device’s accelerometers trigger the sound.

Do people really want this sophomoric gadget?

Apparently Bill Leisenring thinks we do. ~He's the president of Marvel Apps and as he tells it, "This app extends the usefulness of the iPhone and adds another dimension to a round of golf".

Online Golf Content Flourishes in a Down Economy

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Anyone who writes about golf on the internet has noticed it.

Whether you write about the sport for a traditional media site, or just pen periodic posts for your own little blog, you've seen the virtual tsunami of new golf sites, golf blogs and golf-centric social networks. The graphic above shows a Google search for "golf blogs". It shows results 1 - 10 of about ... 56,550,000! Ok, that doesn't meant there are 55,550,000 golf blogs out there but I think it's safe to say there's "some interest".

All the (surviving) print publications now have online editions. These are often superior to the the print version, thanks to continual updating. The addition of video tips, interactive forums and well crafted slide shows also allows their excellent writers, astute editors and fabulous photographers to take their respective crafts to the next level.

But where the metaphorical wave of content creation becomes the tsunami, is with the dozens of new blogs and web sites that have been launched each week since the end of last summer.

Some are major efforts involving a team of staffers, and presumably, some venture capitol, while others are one-man-shows, often targeting a niche within the golf niche.

I'd guess that the number of active golf blogs - blogs that post at least twice a month - has at the very least, doubled since early fall. Actually, I suspect it's more than doubled. Sites specialized in tracking scores or teaching a specific skill have proliferated too. And what about the golf-centric social networks? There used to be a few - now there are dozens, and the number's bound to keep growing now that they can be so easily created.

That this rapid growth in online golf media has mirrored an equally sharp economic decline in the US, and around the world, is no coincidence.

Though virtually all of the new golf bloggers I've spoken to are passionate about golf, a number of them told me that they were inspired to actually blog about it because of changes in their lives, brought on by the current economic crisis: lost jobs, vulnerable jobs and the need to explore additional sources of income were all sited.

Some of these new blogs, sites, and social networks are poorly designed, poorly written, and show no signs of any real research or fact checking. Some are simply the product of one person with passion to spare, and no content creation skill set. However, a surprising number of them are good, and some are really good...they provide course reviews or commentary on tournaments...they present weekly equipment deals or handicap lowering tips, and they're well designed, well written and professional.

Here's the issue though; While consumers of content, are finding more and better product to choose from, producers of such content are trying to figure out how they're going to be able to continue providing it. Online advertising is declining along with advertising in general and most attempts to charge for digital content have been unsuccessful. This leaves online publications,large and small, and in all categories, struggling to find a viable business model.

So, golf writers, bloggers and content creators... what are your thoughts? I have a few I'll be posting later in the weekend, but in the meantime I'd love to here yours. And readers, would you be willing to pay for any of the content you consume? Do ads on blogs and websites bother you? I'd love to have your thoughts too.

Busy Friday Golf Girl Update Via Twitter

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So that's the story...as told by Twitter. I'll be posting an interesting piece about the fast changing world of "golf on the internet". I'm working on a couple of stories for the weekend too. So check back when you get a chance, I'll probably be here.
...Because it sure doesn't look like I'll be playing much golf.

Golf Makes Justin Timberlake America's Most Stylish

It had to be the argyle.

Justin Timberlake tops the lists of GQ magazine's "10 Most Stylish Men in America" and the fact that he spends lots of time on the links...and dresses for it...undoubtedly helped. In fact, for the GQ interview, featured in their March issue, Justin took the reporter to a golf course.

Mr. Timberlake's fairway fashion sense is not appreciated by everyone however.
reporting on the recent, rainy AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, the Daily Mail proclaimed that Justin Timberlake had shrugged off his sexy image for "grandfather chic", and discribed his outfit as a flat cap and a diamond-patterned jumper.

Decidedly, some folks are not feeling the argyle. To be honest one of JT's style tips was "save the argyle for the golf course". Which I don't agree with. Obviously.

Tiny Golf - The Hole I Most Want to Take Home

Here's the deal: It's happening in Portland, Oregon. Oregon has Bandon Dunes but it also has tiny golf. And artists designing mini-golf holes. There's even a competition.

"...whereby patrons will enjoy drinking, dancing and friendly competition on holes created by a selection of Portland's most cunning design minds. ~ Prizes for hole design will be awarded for the following categories: Best Action, Most Artistic, Greater Technical Achievement, and Hole I Most Want to Take Home."


4th Annual HOLOCENE MINI GOLF ART INVITATIONAL Promo video from Karl Lind on Vimeo.

Black is Back - Melding Golf and Hip-Hop...Again

The juxtaposition of golf and hip-hop has been done before. A couple of times.

The latest version, by genius ad man Doug DeGrood is as cliched and as entertaining as any.

A Note From Spain with Flowers for Golf Course

Last week I posted a picture of a Titleist golf ball I marked with a little flower.

Then over the weekend, in that neighborhood called Twitterville, where the population of golfers is growing incrementally, along comes a DM from a friend in Spain, the awesome Ovidiov, who writes for Fuera des Limites. It had a link to an extremely cute golf product that almost seemed to be made for my flowery golf ball; Ladies Garden Variety Tees. They're golf tees shaped like little flowers and they're adorable.






Well, I think they're adorable. Not everyone does. The site they appeared on, always engaging GolfBlogger.com actually designated them one of his ridiculous items of the week.

But that's OK, I can live with ridiculous...as long as they're laughning about my golf tees not my golf game.

Sex on a Golf Course Deemed Risky by FOXSexpert

Dr. Yvonne K. Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, and columnist. She's also employed by FOXNews as a Sexpert, and a few days ago...perhaps inspired by Valentine's Day... Dr Fulbright decided to enumerate the 20 riskiest places to have sex. Presumably those who like "fair and balanced" news are also inclined toward exhibitionism.

The Good Dr. arranges her daring destinations into three categories; risky, riskier and riskiest, and her "on-course indescretion" only makes it to the "risky" list.

"On a Golf Course. I attended Penn State for my undergraduate degree, and part of my workout routine was running around the university’s really nice golf course. I’d often daydream about what it’d be like to make love on the green one star-filled night. It never happened, but should the opportunity ever present itself, it might be more readily seized with the lowered risk of a cloud-covered night."

Thank you FOXSexpert, for that visual.

If Dr. Fulbright does choose to fulfill this daydream, I just hope her colleague, Bill O'Reilly, doesn't factor into it. That would be scary.

Valentine's Day at Turtle Bay with the LPGA (update)

It's Valentine's Day, and what could be more romantic than Hawaii? With spectacular sunsets and mysteriously beautiful rain forests, it's a fantasy... set to the sound of rolling waves and a lilting ukulele.

OK, it's probably not so romantic if you're competing in a highly challenging golf tournament. And that's what the girls of the LPGA have been doing. Currently they're in the middle of the final round. Michelle Wie is currently in the lead with Angela Stanford right up there by her side.

Cristie Kerr is playing beautifully today, after dealing with calf strain yesterday. At one point on Friday afternoon, the Golf Channel's cameras found Cristie lying on the lush Hawaiian grass while her husband Erik, kneeded her taught calf muscle. Maybe it was the impending Valentine's weekend, but the two gals I was watching with (two new golf fans who haven't actually played yet), saw this as a touchingly romantic exchange and found it quite delightful. What most don't know is that Erik actually went to graduate school for sports medicine and spent a number of working with athletes in a Hospital Rehab setting.

One thing is certain. The LPGA season is off to a great start; with many compelling players and a couple of new Television Deals, there are solid signs that the tour is committed to confronting the challenging year to come.

Update: In a reversal on the back nine, Angela Stanford stole the lead from Michelle Wie to win SBS Open.

The Travelers Championship Keeps Golf in Connecticut

Here in Connecticut, today was one of those February days when the sun casts long cold shadows and an icy wind rustles relentlessly.

So why was I thinking about summer golf... in the Nutmeg State? More specifically, I was thinking about the Travelers Championship and TPC River Highlands golf course ...on it's beautiful bluff overlooking the Connecticut River.

Happily, word just came in that Travelers has agreed to a four-year contract extension that keeps golf in Connecticut through 2014. ...which is awesome news for the PGA Tour. This is their first title sponsorship renewal of the year, and Commissioner Finchem helped announce the news from the AT&T National Pro-Am. It's also great for CT Yankees like me who grew up with this tournament. It's our state's biggest sporting event and an important part of sports history in Connecticut. Additionally it raises significant funds for local charities.

The Traveler's Championship is taking place from June 22-28 this year, the week after the US Open. I'll be working to bring you updates, with media and communications staff at Travelers and The Traveler's Championship as the summer event approaches.

For now though let me put on my 14 layers and get out to the driving range.

Uneven Lies - Get a Complimentary Copy at Titleist

"Uneven Lies: The Heroic Story of African-Americans in Golf " is an inspiring book by Pete McDaniel, one of the first black writers to become a recognized golf journalist.

Mr. McDaniel recounts the inspiring story of the some of the first African Americans who tried to make careers for themselves in golf, and the challenges they faced every step of the way. It's a revealing and poignant look and at a facet of American history - and the history of golf - that seems almost implausible today, but that's actually not far behind us. Uneven Lies was the basis for the excellent Golf Channel Documentary, "Uneven Fairways".

Right now you can get a free copy of this illuminating, historical book at Titleist.com. ~It's a volume that definitely belongs in your golf library.

Mountainous Golf Magnificence, in Black & White

The photograph is sublime.

Its ethereal iciness is what strikes you first. A stark landscape, under a dazzling sun, devoid of warmth.

Then you notice the flag stick, valiantly marking The 17th hole at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Golf Digest Senior Staff photographer, Dom Furore, took a series of such photos on his amazing trip through Nepal and China in search of lofty mountain courses. He ultimately found the courses, And captured them exquisitely.

But Mr. Furore's photo essay took time to compose. That can happen when you're dealing with nature. Nature can sometimes make you wait. Which in this case was fortuitous, because day after day as Dom Furore was waiting for the clouds to dissipate and the light to be right, he was taking pictures... of the people he met and the places he discovered... in the isolated area's cities and towns. And he made an audio slide show about his adventure. It's narrated by Mr. Furore, elegantly, respectfully, with ample doses of humor. It's whimsical and wonderful and ...You'll love it. Just like I did.

Affable Andy Brown Brings you to the Home of Golf

When it comes to St. Andrews, Andy Brown is a local boy. He lives just 15 minutes outside of town, and he's been writing eclectic and interesting golf stories for several years now.

I know Andy from Twitter and always enjoy his perspective on things... coming as it does from the historical home of golf. So I was delighted when I heard about his new venture, a video channel called HomeofGolf.TV. Hell be producing regular shows from his golf-centric part of the world, and the first episode did not disappoint!

Andy gives us an up-close-and-personal view, the way only a local can. From the sun dappled, windswept 17th green...the famous road hole...through the the back streets of town, Andy takes us on an intimate tour. With the sound of the seagulls in the background, he introduces us to famous coastal dining spot and a friendly Scottish B & B. It's friendly and informative and fun. Just like Andy himself.

Nurture Golf Buddies & Discourage Extramarital Sex?

Valentine's Day is fast approaching, but today's public distaste for conspicuous consumption, has limited the onslaught of articles on luxury lingerie and gold dusted gourmet chocolate.

In their place are more pensive pieces on dealing with Valentine's day depression or surviving Feb 14, as a single.

Along these decidedly... unflirty... lines Therese Borchard, a spirituality blogger writing in Huffington Post today, offers a list of "8 ways to Affair-Proof your marriage". ~ The piece seems to be directed at women, presumably because they're more likely to have the cheating spouse. ~ First on the list is:

1. Nurture Safe Friendships.
"This is the most important affair-preventer in my life. No marriage can give you everything. A husband is going to have interests that his wife will never care about like fishing, hunting, or golfing. So he's less likely to stray if he can find some good guy buddies with whom to fish, hunt, and golf."

Of course it's true that a husband and wife may have interests that don't overlap... and golf is often one of them... but the idea that a women should nurture her husband's friendships with "guy buddies" who share those interests is humorously lame. The suggestion is what? That otherwise he may find a frisky female on the first tee and be tempted to stray? That his "safe" male playing partners would discourage the otherwise inevitable liaison? ...Well actually, in the case of my husband, the second part is true; his motley foursome of Cohiba smoking curmudgeons gentlemen would discourage even the most libidinous fairway femme fatale.

But, that's not the point. My thinking is that if you have to go to such lengths to "affair-proof" your marriage, is it worth preserving? Isn't there something wrong with the marriage if you have to manipulate your spouse's leisure time and social contacts to ensure he doesn't end up at the Super 8 with someone else?

I'm writing about this on a golf blog because not long ago I ran into the issue of "extramarital golf" in a couple of other places. Not long ago I was helping a friend of mine find a key note speaker for an female empowerment program. We happend upon Beyond Affairs Network, a website run by Anne and Brian Bercht, a couple whose marriage was threatened by an affair and who responded by making "affair prevention" their life's mission. They've appeared on Ophrah and Ellen and E! Entertainment Network. They've been very successful with their subject, so it clearly resonates with some. I won't pass judgment except to say that I was somewhat taken aback when I read the following advice from Ms. Bercht:

"Going golfing one-on-one with a member of the opposite sex is asking for trouble. I would not be okay with Brian golfing with another woman, and he would not be okay with me golfing with another man. There would be no reason in the world, that you could not join your husband on this golf outing with another woman."

Well I can think of one. Like...maybe you had something else to do at the time?

Seriously, if you can't trust your spouse... your husband or your wife...to play golf with a member of the opposite sex, is your marriage worth hanging onto? ~I think not.

And I was about write off this overly cautious advice from a scorned wife as....just overly cautious advice from a scorned wife... until I read a real life account by Real Women Golf blogger, Heather Jones, of a golf course incident that left me thinking that maybe such spousal suspicion isn't so unusual. I just know I'd hate to have to live with it, and as Valentine's Day approaches and we scramble to find the right romantic gift, I'm wondering, like Heather did, how widespread this attitude actually is.

Would you be OK if your spouse (or significant other) was playing golf with with someone of the opposite sex?... and/or... Do you compelled to "affair proof" your marriage?

Antique Valentines from Vintage Valentine Museum

Sharpie's Golf Inspired Marker Marketing

I don't know about you, but I've wasted spent hours doodling on virtual golf balls at the Mark your Titleist site.

My '08 masterpiece was a girly, pink petaled flower, meant to stop a competitive macho male playing partner from laying claim to my occasional stellar shot. And I was quite proud of my flirty flower till I saw some of the other artful ball marks. There were balls marked with hearts and happy faces and every known species of animal. Lots of people were spending lots of time marking their virtual Titleists. And many were probably inspired by the award winning commercial, featuring PGA and LPGA stars showing how they mark their balls and asking, "How do you Mark your Titleist?"

The campaign was talked about in living rooms and at the 19th hole during tournaments and written about in myriad golf blogs and websites. It's a great example of how a company can combine traditional and new media to engage with consumers and to get customers to spend time with their brand, online... and in this case... on the golf course.

Today I discovered that Sharpie, the marker you mark your ball with, has what seems to be a Titleist-inspired personalization page on their site that allows you to personalise your pens... and you can order a supply of your unique creations there as well.

Needless to say, I've now got pink Golf Girl Sharpies that match the pink flower on my Titleists.

Random Sunday Golf Tweets - Join the Conversation

Wouldn't you just love to weigh in on that one?

I've long been an evangelist for golf on Twitter. To me it's always seemed an excellent way to share this fun and fascinating game with all kinds of people; die-hard golf fanatics... or trepidicious beginners... or even golf haters. It's a great forum for discussion too. In short, succinct snippets.

It's also an effective way to get fresh golf news stories, and find out about happenings and events. And I love watching tournaments live and commenting on them in real time with friends or strangers.

I've been Twittering golf for about two years now, and I've referred to it numerous times here on GGD. For most of that time I've had trouble finding fellow "golf twitterers". The past couple of months however, have seen a virtual tsunami of... golf bloggers, golf manufactures, golf courses and golfers, flowing into Twitterville. And that makes for continual, multi-faceted golf gab, pretty much 24/7.

If you like to talk about golf, you probably want to sign up for Twitter too. Not only will you be able to encourage people like @glennm above, to choose golf over work, you'll also be able to:

Exchange opinions on professional golfers.






arrange to meet up with other golf fans in real life at tournaments.




Find out how others are fueling up for their golf lessons.






And discuss emerging golf niche markets. (humor abounds on Twitter)







Coming Soon: An awesome new ebook, "Golf Twittering: Golf Girl's Guide to Perfecting your Twitter Game"

Pretty Tough Girls Play Golf ...and Lots of Other Sports

The Pretty Tough girls are an amazing group of athletes representing virtually every sport imaginable. They're young and competitive, and part of Pretty Tough sports, the internet's top media brand for young female athletes. Their mission is to motivate young women to lead active, healthy lifestyles and encourage them to embrace both femininity and athleticism.

Their website PrettyTough.com, the cover golf...and dozens of other sports from martial arts, to motocross... from drag racing to rodeo. There's hardly a sport these girls don't get into. And they extend it with a web TV channel and an established presence on the social networks. I meet up with them regularly on MySpace, Facebook.

In their golf section they recently posted this a series of short films featuing top professional golfers expressing support for Golf's bid to the Olympics. As much as I love Roller Sports, Karate and Soft Ball, I'm pulling for Golf in London in 2012.

There Will be Nude Golf in New Zealand Today

Happy Friday!

You probably didn't know this, but today is World Nude Day. "A day to set yourself free". Or so they say on the whimsically designed website that presents the frisky festivities.

New Zealand is the place World Nude Day originated. Which is not surprising when you consider that the beautiful country is sparsely populated and multicultural. Plus, the lifestyle way down under appears to be closer to nature and less stressful than in more... crowded countries.

The highlight of World Nude Day is an on-line video contest and the rules (informatively outlined on their site) are pretty simple:

1. Get nude.
2. Get a mate to film you.
3. Do something funny.
4. Upload it here for all to see.
5. Top 10 global entries chosen by official judges.
6. Winner decided by judges combined with public vote!

Of course the topic of your video doesn't have to be golf, but I did see several entries that took place on golf courses, a couple that featured strategically placed golf bags and one where two hefty kiwis engage in a naked golf cart race.

The contest is open to everyone, and according to the website, the prize is actually quite...motivating: US$10,000 in gold!! ~ And it doesn't seem there are many exhibitionists in the world... making the odds of winning quite good. It was almost enough to inspire me to make an appointment at my local Mystic Tan.

So check out the site (if you're not offended by nudity)and you may even be tempted to strip down and make your own au naturale masterpiece.

The Sexy Callaway Campaign - Have Cake, Eat It

A series of elegant shots by renowned fashion photographer Richard Foster, are the centerpiece of a new European ad campaign for Callaway.

Foster is best known for his work with luxury fashion brands like Burberry, Gucci and Rolls Royce. The sublime shot above was created for Alfred Dunhill.

Thoughtful composition, and illumination that's at once stark and subtle, take the handsome accessories to a magical place where objects become ethereal. Looking at Mr. Foster's impressive portfolio I see strength...artfully wrapped in sensuality. And I think this is what exactly Callaway was looking for.

The accompanying slogans are consistent with the look; "Have Cake, Eat It" and "Unleash Hell" are my two favorites. The products are the FT-iQ driver, X-Series irons, the FT-9 driver, and Diablo driver, and I think it's fair to say they never looked so good.

This Callaway campaign will appear in golf magazines, as well as national newspapers and lifestyle publications. Online and POS will follow. It's pan European.

Phil Bundy - Golf is About the People who Play It

The future belongs to those who see the beauty of their dreams.

Eleanor Roosevelt said that... and it's one of my favorite quotes.

I thought of it last week as I was strolling dashing through the vast Orange County Convention Center during my one day visit to the PGA Merchandise Show. Passing booth after booth of innovative, awesome, and occasionally puzzling golf products, I was amazed at how many small companies there were, bravely competing with the industry giants. They were in every category - from equipment to apparel - offering colorful and creative alternatives to the more ubiquitous offerings of the mass marketers.

I'll be covering many of these smaller companies over the next several weeks because so many of them are creating awesome products... and because many have fascinating stories about following their dreams in a decidedly perilous business environment.

And speaking of dreams, I met Phil Bundy at the show. If you haven't heard of Phil yet, you most likely will in the near future. He's got a dream, inspired by his 5 year old son Charlie; at age 43, Phil's on a quest to join the PGA tour! I know...that's one lofty dream... but I think Phil has the tenacity and talent to achieve it. He's chronicling his efforts on his own website, and has been covered by a number of high profile golf blogs, including Waggle Room and Golf Views. His story has gone international as well, with coverage on one of Spain's top golf blogs, Fuera de límites.

I've known Phil for several months now through the social networks, and it was great to actually meet him. He's definitely a man dreaming big...and working like heck in pursuit of his dream. In addition, like many business owners I met in Orlando, he's generous with his time and ready to help others with the pursuit of their dreams.

Eleanor would be proud.

Golf Club Gone Wild: Bars Merge & Sexes Mingle

It's taken a while - 116 years to be exact - but Harborne Golf Club has finally joined he 21st century.

Responding to a changing world, and stormy economic conditions, the historic golf club located just south of Birmingham, UK has made some big changes.

"Get A Room!" A Midtown Manhattan Golf Room.

New York City is often perceived as unfriendly to golfers, and I'll admit, if one wants to find golf in the Big Apple, one has to know where to look.

I've done a couple of shows on New York City golf, and I plan to do more this spring because you know what? ~I love golf and I love New York... and I'm not the only one.

Golf lovers from all over the world come to New York for business and pleasure, and most don't even consider making golf part of their stay. But it sure can be... and now the folks at Crowne Plaza Hotels have come up with an awesome way to encourage the "golf in NY mindset": Golf Rooms.

I love it! These rooms, in the newly made-over Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan, have their own private putting greens. And come equipped with Oddessy putters and Callaway balls. Then there's a complementary room service golf breakfast which consists of ...I'm not exactly sure what. But I hope to find out. Soon.

This is all brand new but Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts' commitment to golf isn't. They sponsor the Crowne Plaza® Invitational at Colonial championship. And Phil Mickelson is the brand's star.

Anyway, I'm liking the idea of a romantic Valentine's Day weekend, in a golf room, in the middle of Manhanttan.

Did you hear that Nick?

I Hate it When Golf Blogs Talk Football...

...So I won't. Not here, anyway.

Even though the game last night was rather exciting and somewhat... lucrative... this here is a golf blog, and I'm inclined to agree with WorldGolf's Brandon Tucker; ~ Rory McIlroy's struggle to victory in Dubai yesterday was the must see nail-biter of the weekend.

However, Super Bowl XLIII was pretty stellar and we made it more so with a Tequila Cocktail Contest. And I did, in fact, write about the whole thing, and I posted it too. Over at Cocktail Match, where else?

Gwladys Nocera - New Media Golfer Wins in NZ

She's a Facebook friend and a dedicated blogger, a French girl who played college golf in New Mexico while earning a degree in international business. Gwladys Nocera is one of the world's top golfers, and she won on a windswept course yesterday, at the New Zealand Women's Open.

My French husband discovered Gwladys' blog last spring and we've been following it ever since. She posts regularly, in an ultra heartfelt, slice-of-life style that reveals the glories... and the hardships... of her life as a professional golfer. The language of the blog is, of course, French, so you may need to brush up on what you learned back in high school. But Gwladys also posts lots of photos, videos and just random bits about her hobbies and interests (the bits about French cuisine are particularly appetising).

The photo of Gwladys above, is by another ultra-talented citizen of France, Patrick Micheletti. Patrick captures golf and golfers like no one else, often finding the unique detail or magical moment that makes a really memorable photograph. Patrick's daily photoblog has long been a favorite of mine and I'd highly recommend it to any fan of professional golf. Oh, and of course there, no translation is needed.