Callaway's Smart Bomb and A Multi-Talented Blonde

I'm just back from New York and probably not going to get much writing done tonight.

I will tell you that tried out Callaway's amazing new FT-iQ driver and really, really liked it. So much so that I'll probably have to get one. As will everyone else who yearns for straight distance. As promised, it's stealthy and futuristic looking, and yes, it definitely lives up to its long, straight-down-the-middle, mission.

The intro event was awesome too - Callaway boy Justin Timberlake was there, on the heels of his performance with Madonna last night - but more about that... and the fabulous FT-iQ... later.

In the meantime, though I'm leaving you with the ultra timely video below. It features some golf stocks that have come out swinging, despite the market's current malaise. The Talented Blonde who created it is Kristin Bentz, the most perceptive and informed retail analyst out there. In addition, she happens to be uber engaging and gorgeous...and she has a really nice golf swing. Ok, now I'm starting to get jealous, Good Night.

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.

Another Golf Apparel Tip from the Talented Blonde

Apparel analyst Kristen Bentz has an uncanny eye for consumer trends. And once she spots them she knows the next step. For that reason Kristen can often be found on Fox Business News, and has appeared on CNBC, Fox News, and Fortune’s Wall Street Week.

Kristen creates ultra engaging podcasts and some of the most entertaining finance videos anywhere, and she's always the first to let me know when something is ruminating with the major golf apparel manufacturers. This morning she tweeted me a link to her story on a global golf licensing deal involving PVH/Calvin Klein, and Europe's Premium Golf Brands.

The deal bodes well for CK stock and Talented surmises that despite global recession there are plenty of passionate golfers out there who just aren't willing to give up the game...or the fashions.

One pro golfer did give up on golf apparel recently, if only for one strategic shot. Yes, I'm referring to the Stenson striptease, which fellow blogger Daniel Dudley speculated may have been an attempt to get clothing sponsorship ... from none other then Calvin Klein.

Golfsmith Invites You to Win With Sergio Garcia

Beautiful Kristen Bentz, the Talented Blonde retail expert I refer to regularly on these pages, tweeted me a quick heads-up on Friday afternoon.

She... like me... is a big fan of a certain sexy Spaniard by the name of Sergio, and she wanted to make sure I (and you) knew about Golfsmith's current promotion. It's a pretty provocative one; You buy one of the new TaylorMade drivers, and if Sergio Garcia wins the Masters, that driver is free.

It just so happens Sergio is my pick to win this year... and while I'm not currently in the market for a new driver, I know a man who is. To be honest, this particular man is always in the the market for a new driver, but currently he's eying the TaylorMade R7 limited driver. Naturally, he's not in agreement with me about Sergio's chances but thus far we've not found a similar promotion with Tiger so I think he's going to go for it and as a result he'll probably be joining my El Nino fan club come early April.

Golf Gets a Whole New Era

I'm sure everyone's just waiting for me to weigh in on this, so here are my totally random initial impressions on the first day of the New Era in Golf:

1) Kelly Tilghman's hair did not look as perfect as it usually does. Less straight, less long, less blonde. That's a good thing. Normally I spend most of every show obsessing about her perfect hair. She's such a talented presenter and so perfect in every other way she definitely doesn't deserve need perfect hair. Got that Miss. Perfect?

2) Nick Faldo was warm/fuzzier than we're used to, that's a bad thing. The world does not need a warm/fuzzy Nick Faldo. We need an aloof, arrogant Nick Faldo. We need "Nick The (rhymes with stick)". Mr. Faldo should go right back to the Donald Trump School of Snarkiness for a refresher course. Go Nick. Now.

3) Pat Green's anthem, "Feels Like it Should", contributes a nice dose of sharpness and swagger to Golf Channel's coverage, but a more appropriate title might be "Feels Like it Should and it Should Feel like NASCAR".

4) Will MacKenzie looks a lot like Sean Penn, and that look is really more suited to a surfer dude with a serious adrenalin habit than a professional golfer. I sort of like him though, being a kayaker, rock climber and adrenalin junkie myself. Oh, and he proudly admits to once going a month without a shower. Love that in a guy.

5) Vijay Singh is a class act and will always be. No matter what. Till the end of time.

Golf Girl's Avatar Idol Competition - Enter to Win!

I love my Avatar. She's ultra cute and she has a pet monkey.

When I noticed that a couple of my golfblogger friends had their own adorable Avatars, I felt a contest coming on. An Avatar Idol contest!















This attractive Avatar with black hair and a pink golf cap was created by
Pink Diva who happens to be a talented designer of golf apparel and accessories.
















And this blonde Avatar in the stylish bucket hat, with the puppies frolicking in the background, was created by 17Fairway, an engaging raconteuse who blogs about life in an awesome Florida golf community.

OK. The contest is simple. Create a golf Avatar and send it to me via email at thegolfgirl@gmail.com I'll post them and we'll vote. The winner will receive an awesome prize package of new Golf Girl merchandise. You can use Yahoo! Avatars like we did, or any other program you want, I've listed a few below, or if you're really creative you can use a paint program to create one from scratch. We'll judge the Avatars based on cuteness, originality and golf skills. Extra points will be given to the Avatars who look the most like their creators.

We'll vote on the winner at the end of May so get working on yours and send it in.

Oh, and this contest is for guys as well as girls, in fact, the handsome Avatar below was created by a prominent guy golf blogger. Can you guess who it is?















Avatar makers: Dollz ---- Dopple Me --- Simpsons Avatar ---- Pimp my Doll ---- Shrink Pictures ---- Avatar Cpature ---- Zwinky

Twin Golf Girls Are All Over the Place

Being a twin has its ups and downs...or so they say. When I looked up "being a twin" earlier today I was confronted with a number of negative articles; How to Survive Being a Twin, The Frustrations of Being a Twin and even about,"the cognative cost of being a twin" which claimed that just being a twin could you cost 5 IQ points...per twin!

Personally Cat and I have always loved being twins... and haven't been bothered by any of the aforementioned downsides. We've never felt our individuality was compromised... and our IQs have alway tested above normal (though come to think of it we've both made a multitude of blunderous decisions over the years).

On the golf course, like everywhere else, twins tend to get more attention than...normal people. It's not that I'm an attention whore attention seeker or anything, but I've been encouraging Cat to get out on the greens with me. Well she has, and she's doing really well, hitting consistently in the low 120s after just her first season. Neither of us is ultra competitive, we just love the game, and play when ever we can. However while our games purely recreational, there are several sets of Golf Girl twins who played at a very high level.

Take Aree and Naree Song, the Korean/Thai twins were the first twins to compete on the LPGA tour. They've been known to show up on The Golf Channel's "Playing Lessons from the Pros" too. And both Naree and Aree qualified for the tour on their first try.

Then you've got Sam and Jo Head from Surrey, England. In addition to competing on the LET, these blonde British lasses have taken the media by storm. Samantha appeared on Big Break Kaanapali...while sister Johanna, who's also playing on the LPGA tour, is one of the Wilhelmina 7.

Probably the most promising twin golf girls now though, are Ireland's Lisa and Leona McGuire. The two competed head to head recently at the Irish women's amateur golf championship where Leona Maguire ultimately beat her twin sister Lisa. Here's a very comprehensive video that shows the twins practicing and playing in their native Ireland.

Those are some talented twins! It's enough to make high handicap twins like Cat and me extremely envious. But we don't even go there. Despite our high scores we always have fun. And these days we're making Golf Girl videos together. The frames here are from the one we're working on now, Golf Etiquette for Beginners. It's a humorous take that, none the less, drives home the importance of the etiquette basics that allow beginners to navigate a course.

As you might imagine, we're having a blast making this show.