Halloween Hole-In-One

It's a beautiful, balmy day here in CT, perfect for Trick-or-Treating. Also perfect for golf...and looking at the upcoming forecast, probably the last really stellar golf day of the season. I'm really, really tempted to blow off work, blow off Halloween, grab my clubs and play all day. But I'm reasonable. I take my responsibilities seriously. Thus I will have a productive day at work, then I will go home put on my sexy pirate wench costume, and hand out candy to the 800+ Trick-or-Treaters who come to my house each Halloween. Aren't I good? No golf for me today...well maybe a little Panda Golf, but that doesn't count. Happy Halloween!

A Weekend Without Golf?

Well, not exactly.

True; I haven't touched a club since Thursday... which has me in a slight state of withdrawal. This self imposed exile was due to a number of things, most significantly an emerging "shoulder pain thing" and a reemerging "tennis elbow issue" that I finally decided needed to be addressed with a few days off. So I'm planning to stay off the sticks for another couple of days. Then Wednesday I'll make a brief foray to the driving range, and Thursday I've got a lesson. In the meantime, I'm joining a gym to begin a regimen of core strength training. In addition to these nascent aches and pains, the weather in CT was rainy and windy and raw over the weekend so I wouldn't of played anyway...well I probably would've, but it wouldn't have been great. In the end, I did what many golfers around the state probably did: I watched. And there was quite a bit to watch.

The Chrysler title - An exciting end of season for the PGA tour. K.J. Choi won by four and was beautiful to behold, with his straight, soaring drives. I love the way he talks too. So cute and funny. Well, K.J. had pretty much sealed a win from the beginning but there were several other stories going on. Most notably the Ernie Els story. Now, I really, really like Ernie Els. I don't know what it is, but he just makes me happy. Is that weird? Anyway, it started really badly for Ernie and just got worse till it looked like he wasn't even going to make the top 30 and would be out of the Tour Championship ...and that would've sucked, to put it bluntly. But things started looking up (relatively) with an eagle at the 14th which helped get the big, South African teddy bear back in the top 30 (and the Tour Championship) with a tie for 6th. Phew.

The Champion's Tour - More great golf stories. First of all, Jim Thorpe: I feel like I know Jim Thorpe, because I sort of do. You see, he's sponsored by Foxwoods Resort and Casino where I spend lots of ...time. I play Lake of Isles there as often as I can and take lessons at the golf academy. In June I played there in the Native American Classic on a team that included Jim's brother, and sometimes caddy, Chester. It was amazing. Chester was ultra nice and funny. He kept scolding me for being cavalier with my club covers and not concentrating. I'm much better about both of those things now. Anyway, Mr. Jim Thorpe played brilliantly in Sonoma, finishing at 17-under-par 271, and winning the Charles Schwab Cup Championship by two, over Tom Kite. The nail biter subplot was all about Loren Roberts and Jay Haas who were back and forth in dramatic fashion battling for the year-long Charles Schwab Cup race, and $1 million annuity. Haas won in the end when Roberts, one of the worlds best putters, heartbreakingly missed a five foot putt on the 18th.

The Ladies in the Dessert - To no one's great surprise, Annika reigned supreme. Between camel rides, falconing and other desert kingdom activities, Annika, in typical Annika fashion, won the Dubai Ladies Masters by six strokes. The tournament was far from dull though, thanks to the glamorous and exciting girls of European golf, who are exceptionally talented and engaging to watch. They're breaking stereotypes about women's golf and bringing in a whole new audience. How wonderful is that? Anyway, I played vicariously through them this weekend and for that I am very grateful.

A Final Tummy Tribute from Dubai

Over the weekend we were exposed to the buff bods, scintillating skin and flippy fairway fashions of(L to R)Tania Elosegui, Carlie Butler and Sophie Sandolo. Carlei and Sophie we'd seen earlier in the tournament, Tania was new comers to the bare belly brigade.

...but the most amazing and inspiring belly in Dubai surely belonged to Finish golfer Ursula Wikstrom , who's seven months pregnant! Undaunted by the searing heat, the travel and the competitive field, she played her three rounds and came out two over par, which she blithely attributed to the "long greens". An endearing footnote: her husband was her caddie. Now isn't that an engaging, empowering golf girl story? I have to wonder how even the best men players would fare carrying a soon-to-be-born baby in front of them throughout their rounds. I don't suppose we'll be finding out soon. Oh well.

Dubai or Not Dubai...

Dubai! As promised, more news from the ladies playing in the Arabian desert. Golf-wise, it's still all about Annika. She's stretched her lead to five shots at the halfway stage after adding a second round of 68 to her course record 65. Amazingly...to me at least...she's only had onebogey far in this tournament...and she's played 36 holes. I'm trying to imagine how it would feel to do that. Never mind, I can't imagine it. Karrie Webb played great today too and has moved into second place. Then there's the gal who's vying for Michelle Wie's teen sensation title; 17 year old Kiran Matharu. She's a British cutie of Indian heritage. She finished yesterday's round tied for third with a 68! She didn't do quite as well today (73)but she's still inside the top 10. Definitely a gal to watch. Interesting factoid about Kiran: Nick Faldo is her mentor and sends her good luck text before each tournament.

Now enough about the golf...what about the fashion. The following are just a few of the amazing looks, as captured beautifully in these photos by Tristan Jones.

Some of the looks I really liked

To my mind nothing is better than black and white. Especially as worn by georgeous Beatriz Recari. This look is hot...in a cool way. If that makes any sense.

Veronica Zorzi has worn her version of black and white both days. Each look was stylish and interesting. The belt is a great accessory. And I love accessories.

Talented teen sensation Kiran Matharu has an amazing swing in black and white or color...watch your back Michelle.

In the color category, my favorite look was this tone-on-tone yellow on Florence Luscher. Funny, when Sergio wears head-to-toe yellow he looks like a cross between a canary and a banana. On Florence it just looks uber chic. (BTW - I do that same thing when I'm getting ready to putt...it's a concentration technique) ;o)

I love red and white and it looks great on Liz Mckinnon, except that she should tan her tummy a bit. Just my opinion.

I'm not the only one who loves orange. Anja Monke wears this citrusy shirt well. Maybe orange is the new black.

Here's Florence Luscher again. She looks great in lime green too. Love the shoes!

These looks I'm not so sure about, but they're definitely interesting

OK, I like the pastel argyle shirt, but it totally doesn't go with the army drab shorts. Doesn't look like Isabella Maconi cares much though.

The most extreme example of "out there" golf garb has to be these ultra short, ultra tight zebra stripe shorts, as worn by sexy dutch golf girl, Nienke Nijenhuis. Damn, she even has a sexy name!

I think Linda Wessberg is wearing the same shorts in red. My my.

Tank tops are forbidden at many courses here in CT. I wonder if Maria Boden would get into our local muni wearing this. I think she would.

Yes, I do love orange, but the belt here on Stephanie Arricau is overkill and the shorts are simply too boxy. Stephanie, you're French remember?

Though many criticize her as dressing too bland, I feel the sober, serious golf look that Annika tends to wear is simply her style...and she totally pulls it off. I guess she can pretty much pull anything off. That's why I included this photo which I find quite beautiful.

One thing's for sure, despite Annika's utilitarian style and this photo of Cecilia Ekelundh in a burqua, there's been little effort made at this tournament to dress in any one's idea of traditional. Fashion Rules!

Golf is Hot in the Arabian Desert

...Hot on so many levels, as illustrated above by these pix taken in Dubai over the last couple of days! The Dubai Ladies Masters is in full swing and it looks like SUCH FUN!!! Of course Annika's on top of the leader board... she set a course record today...got seven birdies, not a single boggey...that sort of normal Annika stuff. But the thing is... the whole event, the season ender on the Ladies's European tour, seems to have a kind of crazy vibe. So unlike golf as played here in the LPGA tour events. Dubai probably has a good bit to do with that. It's one of the hottest places on earth. Literally and figuratively. An Arab Kingdom that's ultra hip and thoroughly modern, but at the same time extremely conservative and traditional. How can that be, right? But it is. And the event's trophy actually symbolises this balancing act. It's a sleek, shiny sculpture called "Lady in Silver" that portrays a traditional Gulf Arab woman in a version of the burqua that covers the wearer from head to toe and has a metallic gold mask attached. One still sees women wearing them in Dubai and elsewhere in the Arabian Gulf. However, these lady golfers are definitely not covered up, as the midriffs above attest. And that seems to be just fine. Short shorts, little collarless tops, very cool belts. Oh my, some of our US golf curmudgeons are not going to like this at all. Oh well, these girls don't appear to care. In fact, it seems they're having a blast, they had a great Middle Eastern party earlier this week where They feasted on some luscious looking Arabic Food. Some of the girls got henna tattoos, and...they were all entertained by...what else... a Middle Eastern belly dancer. Yes, I definitely like this event and I'll be posting about it in the coming days, highlighting not only the golf, but some some of the interesting player and their scandalous outfits.

This is the "Lady in Silver" the highly unusual trophy that symbolises the balance between tradition and outright modernity that is contemporary Dubai.

Girly Golf Gloves - A Little Sparkle Never Hurt Anyone

I'm so excited! This morning, out of the blue, I got an email from a girl who gets it. I mean she really gets it. Her name is Tina, and together with her friend Lisa, she's created an extraordinary line of golf gloves for us girly golf girls. I'm talking about taking it somewhat over-the-top. ...But just somewhat, and over-the-top can be a good thing when it comes to Fairway Fashions. Trust me.

I know from golf gloves too. I have gloves in 7 colors... plus black & white. However these are the first I've seen that feature sterling silver, 14kt gold and Swarovski Crystals! We girls love those things, I assure you. Each glove has a beaded bracelet that doubles as a stroke counter, and a matching ring. Why should jewelery always be hidden beneath the golf glove? It's a question that begs an answer. And these girls have one. See (and order) the entire collection at Sassy Swings.

Make a Statement with your Golf Shirt

2008 is not that far away and this shirt is available now. BTW, does Barack Obama play golf?

A Crooked Golf Ball - What Goes Around, Comes Around

It's fall in New England. A time when one tends to lose ...and hopefully find... a lot of golf balls.

Relinquished to the course, hidden under mounds of ruddy, redolent leaves, are the errant balls someone gave up on.

Yesterday, among the balls I found under mounds of fallen foliage, was a dusty, grass-stained Wilson Staff ball, with a familiar logo: The red, green and blue "crooked E" of once proud, stock market darling, Enron Corp.

This find was somewhat ironic because many are calling today "the unofficial end of the Enron era".

As I write this, Jeffery Skilling, commonly thought of as the ultimate villain in this sordid story of corporate greed, is awaiting sentencing in a Houston courtroom.

It seems that with corporate criminals... and wayward golf balls... what goes around, comes around.

A Golf Weekend Nonetheless

Ok, I know I should be posting about the Manhattan Golf Classic today. I was all set to go, had my press pass lined up and everything. But in the end I succumbed to Nick's evil influence and my natural inclination to PLAY golf instead of watching it, thus abandoning my journalistic responsibilities. Sorry. Sure we had already played 18 holes in Southbury on Saturday, but somehow I felt I needed nine more to make the weekend complete. So that's what we did. Just over the CT/NY border about 15 minutes from our home is a craggy, little nine hole that proudly assumes the name of Pehquenakonck Country Club. Don't ask me how to pronounce it, I couldn't figure that out. It seems this course has been around since 1923, and it definitely had a retro feel to it. A series of rocky, hardscrabble hills,Pehquenakonck features a couple of very interesting holes, most notably 4, dubbed Mt. Everest. Needless to say, my drive only reached the foothills. Nick however was playing well, and his reached the summit. In any case we had a great time at this little course and will surely go back. After golf we had a French brunch, accompanied by a satisfying Cotes-du-Rhone at La Saliere. Meanwhile, down on Governor's Island, Donald Trump and Tom Watson beat Annika Sorenstam and Natalie Gulbis 10-8 in the Battle of the Sexes skins event. Seems it was a pretty entertaining competition too, so again I apologize for not getting down there. However, fear not, I'm seems Mr. Trump is creating a reality
show of the whole thing. Be it the Big Break, The Apprentice or Miss Universe, you can always count on Donald for content...aren't you glad he plays golf?

Pehquenakonck Country Club has been around since 1923. I think this is the original sign.

Nick gets ready to tee of on the 9th.

This is the kind of end-of-October day it was.

We had brunch at La Saliere. This is what we drank...it was really nice.

There was a Citroen in the parking lot...what could be more French then that?

Goals Instead of Holes?

It seems we've now got options, because there's a new game on the scene. It's called GolfCross®, or goal-golf, or Goalf, and it sounds like a great diversion for those days when plain old Golf is driving you crazy. The weird thing is, apparently the odd looking oval ball is actually more aerodynamically stable than our traditional round nemesis, resulting in straighter, more soaring shots. That part sounds pretty good to me.

In addition to the quirky ovoid ball, there are conical rubber tee cups, goal posts and well established rules. GolfCross® was concieved in New Zealand in 1989 and officially launched in 2001, so it's really in its infancy, but the sport's already developed a following in the UK and other places. I'm looking around for a place to play here in CT. Anyone know of one?

BTW, this post was inspired by an email I got for Hamish, a New Zealand golfer and avid reader of this blog. Thanks Hamish, It looks to me like NZ would be an awesome place to play golf...or goalf.

The Controversial Ms. Wie - She's Just Fine, Thank You.

As this perceptive piece of writing suggests, everything's cool with Michelle. She's working on her college essays. I remember what a pain that was, but you get through it. Oh, and she's got a new agent. I'm glad I didn't have to worry about that when I was her age, but Greg Narad seems to have an excellent resume. Right? He used to be part of Tiger's team. Oh sorry, I know lot's of folk don't like to see Michelle Wie and Tiger Woods in the same paragraph, but it's true...he did used to work for Tiger.

Yes, I think Michelle's fine actually... beautiful, talented, confident and fine. But that's just my opinion.

The Curmudgeon Factor - Bad for Golf

Let's face it, golf is not an easy sport to get into. Never mind playing the game, even if you just want be a fan, there's so much to take in. The equipment, for example. The basic Wikipedia entry for golf clubs is over 3,500 words and full of long winded links. And what about the "playing field"? Well golf is the only major ball sport that doesn't use a fixed standard playing area, but widely varying, often sprawling, parcels of land. Then there are the rules. Lots and lots and lots of them.

What I'm trying to say is...getting new players and fans into the game, which is vital its future, is never going to be easy, and is going to require effort, creativity and openness. Agreed?

Well, that's what brings me to the Curmudgeon Factor. My recent forays into the comments sections on popular golf blogs, as well as the golf channel's message boards, seem to have confirmed my suspicion that a frighteningly large percentage of the current golfing population are, in fact, Curmudgeons. Webster's defines the word Curmudgeon thusly : 'a bad-tempered, difficult, cantankerous person, full of resentment and stubborn ideas. Usually applied to a man, especially an older man.' Doesn't sound too endearing, does it?

On these golf forums, the vast majority of contributors are male, and many of the comments are distinctly tinged with self righteous, exclusionary negativity. The entire subject of women's golf seems to be looked at with veiled disdain. These guys resent the pretty players for "selling out by marketing themselves as eye candy", and at the same time malign others for being too masculine, aggressive and uninteresting to watch. Of course any mention of Michelle Wei is sure to provoke a tidal wave of venomous commentary on these boards. A number of these lads seem to long for a world where private courses are the personal playground of the wealthy male who plays well and public courses, the bastion of the blue collar male who plays well...and everyone else should just forget about golf.

At a time when it's so important to attract young, exciting, diverse players and fans to the sport, the Curmudgeon Factor is something to think about...and I'll step off soap box now, I'm beginning to sound like a bit of a curmudgeon myself.

Golf Girl has Credentials

Well yeah, I got my press credentials for the Manhattan Golf Classic this weekend. And I'm totally psyched. It's taking place on historic Governor's Island, at the only golf course in Manhattan, with the Manhattan skyline in the background and the Statue of Liberty in the gallery. Does it get more spectacular than that? Anyway, I'm hoping the planets are properly aligned and the weather's OK cause if so I'll be there...and blogging about it on Monday. Of course Nick, my talented but temperamental French photographer, is already barking about the assignment. Seems he'd, "rather play golf on Sunday than observe it". Well he better lose his attitude or I'll refuse to play with him from now on and I'm sure that would kill him.

SexyBack

After several days of consistently hitting fat or thin... of repeated flubs and dubs and whiffs and wormburners... my swing's back! And it feels great. Very... let's say... empowering. Actually, the truth is, it feels sexy. Particularly after that four day spell of inadequacy and self loathing. The swoosh...TING of those well hit golf balls was deeply satisfying. And yesterday, as they soared into the autumnal Connecticut afternoon, over the gentle undulations of... the driving range... I experienced some degree of bliss.

Now keep in mind that, at best, my drives average maybe, 120 yards. So I guess my swing still needs lots and lots of work. But, no doubt about it, it feels good when it feels good, and for now I'll just be happy I was able to bring sexy back. BTW - I don't particularly like the song, and BTW is Justin Timberlake supposed to be sexy? Personally, I don't see it, but I must admit, I do kind of like his swing.

Lorena is Victorious - In a Really Cute Golf Shirt

Isn't everyone going to be lusting for that shirt? The whimsy of the pink bubbles...contrasted with the absolute seriousness of Lorena Ochoa playing one of the most extraordinary rounds of golf ever...in history. Yes,the Samsung World Championship it was really fun to watch...and it's sure to inspire some serious envy. For both the golf AND the outfits.

We saw a lot of great golf during those four days in Palm Dessert, and ...a lot of cute outfits. Admittedly, I'm quite new to golf thus, sometimes mystified by the technical aspects of point spreads, rulings and yardages. Well, when that happens I don't get bored, I simply marvel at Michelle's dangling onyx earrings, or Paula's red, white and blue hair ribbon, or Annika in kelly green and black... or Lorena in pink bubbles.

Lorena in the bubbly pink Lacoste.

OK, her golf wasn't as good as we were expecting, but she sure looked great throughout. This was my favorite Michelle outfit.

Patriotic Paula. This was definitely one of the cutest outfits of the championship.

Annika should definitely go for bright colors... like this green shirt which she wore with black shorts. But perhaps she's more interested in playing golf than making a fashion statement. Just a guess.

Natalie and Paula in matching tangerine tops. Some actually thought this was a coincedence, like, "I can't believe she's wearing the same outfit as me".

Michelle's dangley onyx earrings...I like the necklace too.

I heard lot's of negative comments on this ultra pink Paula outfit...complete with matching pink ball. Listen, if you're as cute and as talented as she, you can wear anything you want.

Happy Monday...

I hate it when people say that.

But it is beautiful here in CT today, and the weekend was spectacular. One of those perfect New England weekends that seems to define Autumn here in the north east. The fantasy version of Fall that we all anticipate during the last humid, sultry days of summer. It's also what we remember through the dank gray, endless days of winter and spring.

We started the weekend on Friday right after work. Played nine holes at Sunset Hill, among the crimson leaves and nut-gathering squirrels. No, we didn't play too well, yes we lost lots of balls, but still, it was a great way to begin the weekend. I caught a bit of Samsung coverage in the early evening before going out. Awesome golf and some cute outfits.

Saturday was a sparkling day - we played another beautiful, albeit mediocre, round at Sunset, then went to the driving range in hopes of correcting our decidedly messed up swings. Nick managed to get his back on track (which is good as he's playing in a tournament at Lake of Isles today) mine continued to be weird and ineffective. No idea why, but I'm trying not to stress out about it. That night we went to the Hafli an annual Middle Eastern Party in our town, and it was Jordy's birthday so we consumed copious amounts of alcohol.

Sunday, Nick left early for Foxwoods and Lake of Isles. Guess he wanted to get in as much practice as possible before the tournament. I watched Samsung, took Tylenol and ultimately went back to the driving range. My swing was still off. Hmmm. Watched some more Samsung. Envied the swings and the putting and the outfits. Well, at least one of the three can be purchased. So guess what? I'm planning on getting some new golf clothes.

Autumnal third hole at Sunset Hill.

Nick on nine.

Not only was I in the rough, but this tree was distracting me. At least that's the excuse I used.

J. and Lor at the Hafli..a little Grey Goose and RedBull go a long way, right girls?

To Do - To Day

1. Work
2. Golf Lesson
3. Hit Balls
4. Make and eat Shawarma Sandwiches
5. Watch Samsung World Championship
6. Sleep

That's it.

Sweet Seventeen

...well admittedly, some might argue with the sweet part. But, as I just found out on The Golf Blog, today is Michelle Wie's 17th birthday! Personally, I love Michelle Wie. I love the way she plays, love the way she dresses, love the way she ignores her critics. She's certainly great for golf, right? Anyone want to argue with that?

Happy Birthday Michelle!

In Reality, Golfers Need a Break

As reality shows go, The Golf Channel's, The Big Break, is pretty standard fare. Particularly this season, season VI, which features the iconic, and always oddly coiffed, Donald Trump, and one of his many comely courses.

Mr. Trump, being something of a one man reality show himself, seems to have done everything possible to make this a cross-over show. A show that will appeal to the average reality show junkie, as well as the obsessed golf fan. In addition to being veritable golfers, the cast is uniformly telegenic (at least the girls are). Nine men and nine women competing for exemptions into spots on the PGA TOUR’s Champions Tour and LPGA Tour respectively. The men are all over 50, the women all under 25. When you see them lined up behind a large-looming Donald, they look like well behaved contestants in a father/daughter tournament. I have the impression D.T. is ultra comfortable with this particular demographic... after all, it's the world as he sees it. Behind the scenes I detect the presence of Trump-hired producers encouraging the contestants to "mix it up" and "get emotional". As in..."Have a melt-down someone, please. This is TV."

The bottom line is, much as I'm enjoying it, I don't think it'll be huge success. Not the kind of success Donald Trump is known for anyway. I envision the reality show people getting bored with all the golf and the true golf fans having little patience for the staged histrionics. Sort of like soft core porn; women feel there's too much sex and too little plot ("this is supposed to be a movie?") and men, the exact opposite ("this is supposed to be porn?"). I hate cliches, but I guess you could say, "golfers are from Mars, reality show fans are from Venus".

My favorite contestant: Cute, sassy, spirited Briana. She's the token New Englander and doesn't take crap from her partner, who happens to be...

My least favorite contestant: the sanctimonious, and over confident Kelly. OK his drives are un-be-lievable, but big drives aren't everything. I totally relate to Bri wanting to dump him as her partner. Unfortunately, no one else wanted him either.

Golf Girl 'Quipment - Made with Me in Mind

They bring me much happiness...despite their humble origins. A basic, prefab set of RAM woods/irons. $79.00 at Target, complete with stand bag. The thing is though, they work SO well for me. They totally fit my swing. They must have been created with a voluptuous 5'5" gal in mind, that's all I can think of...or maybe it's because I'm a total beginner who's average score hovers around 140. In either case, I love them. I do wish they were pink though...I'm shallow that way. Guess I'll just have to pimp them out with all sorts of hanging tee holders, ball cases and what nots. Yep, that's what I'm gonna do.

Fellow blogger, The Golfing Polack posted this engaging account of his eqipment history which inspired mine.

Golfantastic Weekend

It was, it was! Other than 36 holes in perfect New England fall weather, there was a raucous Karaoke night on Friday wit my girls, a superlative French Dinner at Le Saliere on Saturday ... and I watched Padraig win his 10th European title the Dunhill Links Championship, at the Old Course at St Andrews.

Friday night Karaoke. The sad truth is, I actually play golf better than I sing.

Saturday was beautiful. We played at Richter Park with Jean and Michael. This is the view from the first tee.

Sunday was even more beautiful. Ultra warm for mid October. We played two rounds at Gainfield Farms.

Most golfer use a pitcher and putter on this course. Nick told me not to use my driver, but I ignored him. My driver makes me feel good. For now at least, I'm sticking with it.

I like to walk, Nick likes to ride. His Cohiba never far from his side. Oh well.