Am I the Only One Who Finds Greg Norman Scary?

With his icy blue eyes and weird platinum blonde hair he's always reminded me of some kind of Aryan alien. The shark hat always looked kind of sinister to me too, and I've heard he can be less than friendly with media people. Well apparently none of this bothers Chris Evert. She's going out with him. Not that they're admitting it. The most they've said is that they're "close friends". Come on, didn't they ever see When Harry Met Sally? If they had, they'd know that "a man and a woman can never be friends, without sex getting in the way".

My friend fellow blogger Nigel, from Illogical Golf Blog tipped me of to this rumored romance. He blogged about it a couple of days ago while I'd totally missed it. It wasn't even on my who's-dating-who-golf-gossip radar. I guess I just don't picture 50+ year-olds dating, and they're both 51. I was right there when Sergio got together with Mr. Norman's daughter, but news of these sentimental seniors took me by surprise. I wish them well though. And they might want to check out Dr. Ruth's new book That is, when they become more than "close friends".

Nick's Golf Gloating

Just checked the Nedbank leader board. Nick's already gloating about Furyk. Ernie's ninth. Damn.

Golf Guys - Who'll Shine in Sun City?

This is going to be good. The Nedbank
Golf Challenge begins tomorrow at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa, and some of my (current) fave players'll be there. So now I have to decide who to put my money on. Nick and I always bet on these things. Not for money actually, but for a week of subservience and servitude. That is...the loser is the winner's servant for the following week. Makes the golf much more fun stressful to watch Anyway, we'll see what happens at the Nedbank this year. In the meantime here's who I'll be watching.

The local boys: I really like Ernie Els. I don't know why. Maybe it's because he reminds me of a South African guy I met on a cruise ship some years ago. But that's a whole nuther story, a pretty salacious one too. Definitely not appropriate for this wholesome blog. Now, Retief Goosen is South African too, but he does nothing for me. It's stange cause lots of other girls really lust for like him. I don't get that at all.

The Euros: Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington. Hmmm, I like them both. Sergio for his sense of style and Padraig because I'm related to him...sort of...in a way...I think. Anyway they're both really excellent golfers and that's my real reason. (yeah, right).

The Yanks: Jim Furyk and Chris DiMarco. Yawn. That's my opinion anyway, not Nick's though. He really likes them. But wait till you hear the lame reasons why. OK, are you ready? He likes Jim Furyk because..."he plays at a consistantly high level", and he likes Chris DiMarco because..."he's a fighter". Puhleez! What kind of reasons are those. Men/Women - Mars/Venus...whatever.

Bratz Golf Girl , the Quintessential Golf Slut

Not that I have any problem with golf sluts. In fact, yesterday as I dutifully performed my CyberMonday shopping duties, I was positively giddy to come upon "Cloe the Bratz Sportz Golf Doll". As soon as I saw her I was all happy, having found the perfect gift for Jennifer, my 7-year-old, beginning golfer god-daughter. Or so I thought. It turns out most responsible, suburban Moms hate Bratz Dolls. They loath them to the extent that they fantasize about taking a flame thrower to the entire line and melting it into a massive puddle of putrid plastic. I didn't know this, but Lisa told me. Lisa is Jennifer's Mom and she feels Bratz "send the wrong message". Something about unattainable body standards, skanky, slutty clothes and the whole it's-all-about-the-mall theme. "Even the Baby Bratz wear thong underwear, and they're supposed to be babies!" Lisa chastised, cutting me off as I described Cloe's chic black & white golf bag. OK I'll admit, with their spindly bodies, oversized heads, huge pouty lips and cold, bored, bedroom eyes, I can sort of see how they might not be the best roll models for a precocious 7-year-old. But they sure look like they'd be lots of fun to play with, and now I have to find another present for Jennifer. Of course, like most 7-year-olds in Fairfield County, Jennifer already has everything else. Everything. So let me get back to cyber shopping and see what I can come up with. In the meantime, don't tell anyone, but I ordered a Cloe doll for myself.

This is Cloe's trading card. Her Amazon product discription reads: She's got Bratz-sassy style that's the talk of the country club. Chic Cloe is dressed head-to-toe in a hip hole-in-one golfing outfit including white shoes, a warm-up vest and stylish knee-highs; also comes with complete golfing gear including clubs, a ball and a bag, plus a star-shape comb and collectible sticker. Ages 6 years and up. Imported.

Here's Cloe with her girls; Bowling Meygan, Soccer Yasmine and Sasha the Cheerleader.

Blissful Golf Weekend in the Tri-state

End of November, 2006: Here in New York City's pastoral banlieu, November's last weekend was blissfully sunny and mild. So, after a rainy Thanksgiving...one of excessive eating, drinking and Twilight Zone reruns... we spent Friday and Saturday playing the kind of golf I just love; the really sensuous, relaxing kind. It's golf you can only play at this time of year when the masses of fair-weather golfers have put away their clubs for the season. There's no one behind you and you feel free to experiment with all kinds of crazy things: You try the shots you'd never attempt on a busy high-season course. If they don't work, you just grab another ball and do it the conventional way. You stop for cocktails after the first nine - and bring one out with you for the back nine. Then there's the impromptu putting contest on the most challenging green of the course. (Actually, that sort of sucks cause I always loose and have to be Nick's slave for the rest of the weekend) The thing is, it's a perfect way to say good-bye to golf for the season, and thanks to the weather gods we were able to enjoy it to it's fullest this year.
On Friday we played Gainfield Farms. As you can see, it was perfectly maintained despite the previous day's storm. This is what the same course looked like in early October. Pretty much the same but with touches of gold and orange.

Saturday at Centennial: Blissed out in my fave GirlsGreen shirt, I did some sunbathing...

...and sipped bloody marys. I played some pretty good golf too, though I have no proof of that.

Nick is always much more serious than I am. That's his problem.

"Golf Goes in Waves" - The Extraordinary Optimism and Extreme Confidence of Ms. Wie

After what turned out to be a "pretty tragic" performance (+17) at the Casio Open, Michelle was circumspect... but definitely not about to give up. "Golf goes in waves," said Wie. "I've played some pretty bad rounds lately and hopefully it's time for some good rounds."

So there. And the best part is that she firmly insisted the poor performance wouldn't deter her from playing in men's events. "Not at all," said Wie , "I didn't play like myself today and it doesn't bother me, because I know I can play much better than this. I learn a lot from playing with the men." As Wie biographer (and fellow golf blogger)Jennifer Mario said about Michelle, "We could all use a dose of that kind of confidence". Amen.

Meanwhile, Thanksgiving was a wash-out here in CT, but a nice wash-out. An obscenely copious and delicious Thanksgiving meal...lots and lots of TV and reading... leftovers from aforementioned obscenely copious and delicious meal. Decidedly, the 2 1/2 inches of rain didn't faze us much at all. And today, it was gorgeous! Played up at Southbury with Nick. And guess what? Just like Michelle at Casio, I didn't get any birdies. Not a single one. In my case however, no one was too surprised.

La Belle Michelle - Ultimate Golf Girl Back With the Guys

And she's "pretty confident" too, so deal with it! As she gets ready to play in the Japan Tour's Casio World Open, Michelle seems unfazed by the fact that she finished dead last in her most recent attempts to play with the lads. And though she missed the cut by a shot at this same event last year, she seems quite sure this year'll be different. "I worked my butt off so I hope to do well this year." said the tenacious teen.

Much maligned for mixing it up with the men, Michelle remains steadfast in her goal "to get to the Masters". Her detractors have suggested she should play with the ladies for a couple of years before trying to whip the guys...they've asked her sponsors not to give her any more exemptions. Well, Michelle's not having any of it. She's pretty much ignored the criticism, and she's got a nice exemption from Sony that'll have her competing at the Sony Open in January. And as for the Masters, she recently said, "That is still my No 1 goal. And since I've set it pretty high, it's going to stay that way for a long time." Now to me, this doesn't sound flippy or overblown or delusional. To me this sounds like a determined young lady with a lofty goal, one that she intends to pursue, despite criticism, for as long as it takes.

Michelle in Japan earlier this week, practicing for the Casio World Open under the watchful eyes of Mom and Dad. I'm hoping this family will have something to celebrate at Thanksgiving Dinner tomorrow.

Sexy Austrailian Golf Girls Cause Controversy with Calendar

When it comes to beautiful girl golfers, know one knows better than the folks at Golf Babes. I've come to count on this highly entertaining blog for a daily fix of illustrated stories and snippets on some of worlds hottest, cutest, most interesting female golfers. So it's no surprise to me that they would be the ones to break this story about some ultra sexy Australian golfers who've met up with bit of so-called righteous indignation in their attempts to produce a calendar to support their National Breast Cancer Foundation. It seems the project screeched to a halt half way through printing when the previously approved photos were suddenly deemed "too confronting" to be associated with the foundation's logo. (too confronting? ...must be an Australian expression). The good news is the calendar will still come out, albeit a bit later than anticipated. In addition, by funneling proceeds though a different foundation it will still benefit breast cancer research and awareness.

Below are a few of the girls participating. If they look this good on the golf course, I think the calendar will sell very well. After all, "confronting" never hurt anyone, did it?

Sarah-Jane Kenyon

Nikki Garrett

Kristie Newton

UPDATE: Here's info on how to order the calendar. Thanks GolfBabes.

Golf Weekend, Part II - The Non Pros Playing

Nick and I (yes, we're the non pros referred to in the title) played an awesome course yesterday! Centennial Golf Club is just 20 minutes from us in Carmel, NY. We've been meaning to play there all summer, but we got used to playing other courses, and the summer went by and we just never got around to it. Till now. So as winter descends on CT, we've discovered another fine, conveniently located course. Yesterday was cold. Cloudy and gray... but beautiful, and there were only a few other parties playing. I had my cashmere car blanket and Nick bought his flask of Courvoisier XO, so we were good. We played Meadows and Lakes, two of the three nine hole courses. The carts all have these ultra-cool GPS systems that tell you all about each hole as you approach it. They even tell you how to best play the hole. Loved that, it prevented the usual heated arguments discussions Nick and I always have over how to play a hole...and despite the challenges of the hilly terrain we both played quite well...quite well for us, that is.

Isn't this beautiful?...the course I mean.

You gotta be ready for lot's hills and valleys and lakes when you play here.

If I remember correctly, Nick's ball ultimately found the water on this hole. Mine didn't. Ha-ha.

I played with my new Hannigan plaid putter grip. It's awesome!

I told Nick he should've auditioned to be the next Wandering Golfer.

One of the best things about winter golf: we were almost alone on the course. Is that not the prettiest shade of green?

Golf Weekend, Part I - The Pros Playing

The splashiest pro golf stories of the weekend were undoubtedly:

A)Padraig Harrington stealthily stealing the Dunlop Phoenix from Tiger in a two-man play off. And the thing is, Tiger was playing with his usual brilliance for most of the tournament, so this win took amazing perseverance. The most dramatic moment has to have been when Padraig "went for it" with a daring, shot woven through a wierd-looking, Y-shaped tree. This was doubly exciting for me, as I happen to be related to Padraig. With a few degrees of separation. Ya see, my Mom's maiden name was Harrington. That makes us distant cousins... I think. Depending on how you define cousins. Anyway, I'm hoping I inherited some of the same golf genes as my cuz, though there's been no evidence of that thus far. Damn.

B)Little Julieta Granada, in head to toe crimson, winning the ADT championship and the million dollar prize that goes with it. What's not to like about this story? This golf girl could be any one's tomboy kid sister. She just turned 20 a couple of days ago, she's only 5'2" and her mom's her caddy. She held her own magnificently against player of the year Lorena Ochoa, among others, and ultimately won the lucite-enclosed million. BTW - The ADT format was engaging and innovative, and made for some real drama, as it whittled the field down from 32 players, to where you ultimately had an eclectic group of 8 vying for the million dollar prize. Among those 8 were the two always stylish golf girls below. Ok, maybe they didn't win but they sure were looking good.

Natalie was smashing in these ultra short black shorts.

Pink Pather Paula. Don't you just love the shoes? Don't you just love it all.

Note: Tune in later today for Golf Weekend, Part II - The Non Pros (ie. Me) Playing.

Space Golf - Sounds Like My Kind of Golf

I've been trying to add some distance to my drives for a while now. I've been doing strength traing reading books and web sites on the subject, I'm even contemplating a new driver. Well, turns out I might not be needing that new driver just yet. Not if I can book my golf vacation at ISS. Yep, it seems The International Space Station is on it's way to becoming a high flying golf resort. The First Tee Time - Wednesday at 5:28 p.m. CST - has already been booked. That's when NSS flight commander Mikhail Tyurin will step out onto a perch just outside the airlock (I'm thinking that's the white tee) and hit a one-handed drive. And here's the beauty part: due to the atmospheric conditions at 220 miles, even a crummy shot would be expected to remain in flight for AT LEAST two or three days. See where I'm going with this. Now I just need to contact NASA the Russians, book my tee time and find the Ladies tee. And to think I used to fantasize about playing at La Paz Golf Club.

Gorgeous Golf Girls - Who's the Hottest Paula?

OK, call me shallow, but this isn't about skills on the golf course. It has nothing to do with rankings, nor the virtues of one's drives vs. the other's short game. No, this is about hotness. Pure and simple. And I know, hotness is totally subjective. That's what makes it so interesting. There will most certainly be a delightful divergence of opinion on this. So what do YOU think? who's the hottest Paula:

Paula Creamer
Born: August 5, 1986 in Mountain View, California
Height: 5'9"
Driving Average: 256.8 yards (as if that mattered)
Type: Casual American girl-next-door



Paula Marti
Born: January 29, 1980 in Barcelona, Spain
Height: 5'8"
Driving average: 249.6 yards (yeah, whatever)
Type: Sophisticated urban Euro-girl

I'm waiting to hear so let me know, and rememeber, this is strictly about hotness. PS: Thanks reader Ed for inspiring this post.

Golf Obsession + Oral Fixation? There's a Tee for That

Are you one of those folks who's constantly gnawing on a golf tee? I know I am.

If you've been reading this blog, you already know about my golf obsession, but most of you (Nick excluded) probably weren't aware of my nasty little oral fixation. Yeah, it's just one of those things. My pen caps have always been deformed by bite marks. Wood pencils too... their erasers totally bitten off. I know, it sounds disgusting. Sorry. Anyway, when I took up golf I was delighted to find something new to chew on: golf tees! Tee's are quite exquisitely chew-able too... cept for the taste. Generally they taste like wood. And wood tastes boring. Enter Tasty Golf Tees, flavored golf tees! Is that a brilliant,uber-cool idea or what? They're currently available in Cherry and Mint, with Strawberry, Grape and other flavors coming soon. These Tasty Tees were were invented by John Packes and Ramon E. Peralta Jr, a couple of ultra creative guys from right here in my home state of CT. So, I can't wait to taste them...the tees, I mean... and as soon as I do I'll let you know all the details; texture, flavor preferences, etc. What a great way to treat this oral fixation thing, right?

Age Before Beauty - Listen Up Sergio Garcia

As recently as last Friday, all was right in Sergio's young world. I even posted briefly on Senor Garcia's fine showing that day at the Taiheiyo Masters. But in golf, as in life, fortunes can turn quickly...and in unexpected ways. On Saturday, a fog thick enough to dim the yellow glow of a Sergio golf outfit, disrupted play. "El Nino" was thus obliged to get up really early on Sunday to finish the last five holes of his third round. And then, in the final round, the meltdown happened. It's also been described as a disaster, a self-destruction and a continuation of the Sergio slump. Ouch! What it was, in essence was two bogeys and two double-bogeys on the front nine... and it effectively ended Sergio's hopes of a Taiheiyo win. But, here's the really unexpected twist: Who emerged victorious? It wasn't Darren Clarke, who had won the tournament the previous two years. No, he finished 16 shots behind the winner. The winner was...Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima! And he happens to be 52 years old and ranked 581 in the world. Basking in his victory, Tommy told reporters. "I hope to keep producing the kind of golf that makes people forget how old I am." I'm quite sure a certain young Spainiard would like to be able to say the same thing 25 years from now.

Rainy Sunday Golf Notes

Yesterday wasn't much of a golf day here in CT. Dank and rainy...lots of heavy, wet, yellow-brown leaves on the ground. While it didn't inspire me to get out and play, it did inspire me to sleep till 9:30, have breakfast in bed and spend the whole day in my Juicy Couture track suit watching golf on TV, in front of the fireplace. And you know what? Somehow that was almost as good as playing. Almost.

First of all, Lorena Ochoa at Tournament of Champions: Unbelievable! a 10-stroke victory and a tournament-record 21-under 267. When you think that she opened the second round with a quadruple-bogey!!! Now, I can totally relate to quadruple-bogeys (though quintuple bogeys are my real specialty). Both provide a perfect excuse to melt down. But that's not what Lorena did. She came back on Saturday to gain a comfortable lead and kept it up Sunday to win by 10 strokes. And now she's player of the year, she's on this great winning streak and she gets to wear all this awesome Lacoste stuff...what's not going her way? And her 25th birthday is on Wednesday. It's gotta be nice to be really young and really talented. Paula Creamer and Julie Inkster were pretty amazing too in their tie for second but never really threatened Lorena after Saturday's round.

We also watched Tiger end his streak of stroke-play victories as he failed to win at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China. He had some trouble early on, and despite an impressive Sunday, finished two shots behind a Korean player with the whimsical name of Yang Yong-eun. The thing that made this HSBC fun to watch (for me at least) was that there were 9 different nationalities in the top ten, which made for a wide variety of different styles (both golf and fashion). Now that's the kind of stimulation I want from men's golf.

Then there was the Nationwide Tour Championship that was all about the young Australians and little known Craig Kanada's impressive finishing chips.

Anyway, as nice as it was to sit around watching TV yesterday, next weekend I hope to be able to play. I know our season's almost over but I'm not quite ready to assume the sedate life of a couch potato yet...as pleasant as that can be.
***below are a few of my favorite looks from the Tournament of Champions***

Paula Creamer in the cutest outfit of the Tournament. Her swing is pretty amazing too.

Loved Lorena in this orange-y striped long sleeve sweater. Which I definitely want for Christmas (Nick...R U there?). Love her Mexican flag putter grip too.

Sunday was all about layering. And I love layering.

Who do you think wore these shoes? Even the spikes are pink.

Saturday, November 11, 2006 - In Memory of June Hannigan

Saturday, mild and sun-dappled, was our yearly gathering in memory of an extraordinary Mom who died six years ago. She had a unique way of being empathetic and elegant... wise and worldly; but at the same time, she was easygoing, often irreverant, funny, and adventurous. We'll always miss her madly, but her memorial is never sad, it's always just a fun family get-together on a warm, golden November day.

Pink and Yellow - Winning Colors As Worn by Paula Creamer & Sergio Garcia

MOBILE, Alabama -- Paula Creamer matched her career best Thursday with an eight-under 64 to take a two-stroke lead over Lorena Ochoa and two other players after the first round of the Mitchell Company LPGA Tournament of Champions at Mobile, Ala.

...while on the other side of the world...in a slightly different time zone...

GOTEMBA, Japan -- Sergio Garcia shot a 5-under-par 67 Friday to move into a three-way tie for the lead at the Taiheiyo Masters.

That was one great day for two of my favorite colors AND two of my favorite golfers. Yay!

Could this Ever Work and Would it be Good for Golf?

No really! ....they're both newly single and they've definitely got certain things in common: the southern roots, the kinda chaotic lives... They've each done a reality show, and they share a well documented affinity for fast food and diet coke. mmm, let me see what else...oh, they've both been known to do crazy things in Vegas... hell heck, I think it could work. And the thing is, there's already been some buzz about this prospective coupling among golf journalists. Now, would it be good for golf? Obviously the traditionalist would say no, they want golf to be exclusive and boring, but think about it; John is always a huge draw right? So, imagine the crowds with Britney in the gallery. Due to their busy schedules and pending messy divorces, it probably won't happen, but I'm a huge fan of both of these kids and I think it would be a match made in heaven... or at least one made on Match.com

Let's Play, "Name That Golf Course"

It's easy! All you have to do is think up a name for the new 18 hole course at St. Andrews.

Currently known as "course number 7", the seaside stretch is under construction and projected to be ready for play in 2008. And if you win, you're going to the opening ceremony AND you'll be one of the first to play it.

There's tons of info on the website about how the other courses at St.Andrews got their names as well as a full description and history of the land that the new course will occupy. The contest is open till December 1, so get your golf course naming skills in gear and go for it. But I've already submitted five suggestions so I don't think you stand much of a chance.

Hannigan Golf Grips

A couple of days ago I got an email from Scott, a really nice guy with a really great product. How rare is that, right? Anyway, he's a golf blogger too, so I don't know when he finds time to sleep. His company, TartanGolfGrips.com creates high tech, high performance, championship-winning grips in hundreds of unique, traditional Irish and Scottish tartans. The variety in these interwoven hues is truly amazing. There are tartans to appeal to every color preference, and if you happen to be of Irish or Scottish heritage...or want to gift someone who is...you can find your(or her) own family tartan! He's got links to "tartan finders" right on his site. I'm having a putter grip made in my own proud Hannigan family tartan shown above. Quite frankly, I never even knew there was a Hannigan tartan, but there is and it just happens to be ultra, ultra beautiful. And I'm having my grip personalized with my name. Scott does that as well. Christmas is coming, so check out the site and don't worry if you don't like plaid, they've also got lots of non-tartan designs including; State and National Flags, Major League teams, Zodiac Signs and more. Oh, BTW as soon as my grip is ready, you can be sure I'll be showing it off here. I'm proud of my heritage, and my newly found family tartan.

Golf Girl on Myspace

Inspired by the always-so-stimulating Golf Babes bloggers, I just created a Golf Girl Myspace. Please stop by for a visit at http://www.myspace.com/the_golf_girl and don't forget to "friend" me, K?

Now I just have to figure out how to make my Myspace pretty pimp my Myspace, and add some much needed bells and whistles. I guess it's generational, but I've gotta say, I don't really "get" Myspace, however, with so many users (some say 100 million), I'm thinking it's a force to be reckoned with.

Birthday Golf - I Just Booked My Present

It's not till February 1, and there's definitly no need to go into which birthday it is (I'd prefer not to even think about that ) but I just booked a long weekend golf getaway at a beautiful Florida resort. It should be the perfect birthday indulgence, falling as it does in the depths of our New England winter. And, since there's no way to avoid birthdays, I guess the next best thing is to spend them playing golf.

Life is Good With the Right Golf Shirt

...and now I've got it! On Friday I received this punch pink fall polo from GirlsGreen, and it totally made my weekend. Talk about a high quality, comfortable, playworthy, totally stylin' shirt! A shirt that's just made for Autumn (or Spring) golf in our cooler climes. Yep, this is it.

The always engaging, Golfchick, Kristen Williams posted about this fashion-forward, girl's golf apparel company on her site last week. The company is run by two sisters, Katie and Karyn, and their golf experience, combined with a classy, creative fashion sense has resulted in an extraordinary product. In addition to the 3/4 sleeve autumn polos, they have short sleeve and sleevless, some with contrasting buttons and collars. Now, I like to layer. That's just me. So I wore a black sleeveless under my punch pink 3/4, and personally, I think the look just rocked with this pair of black and pink yoga pants I had. My shoes, with their touch of pink, pulled the look together. Wouldn't you say? Oh I almost forgot, Katie and Karyn do really cute tee shirts too, for the driving range or elsewhere, with golf graphics and texts. So Nick guys; this is just the place to begin Holiday shopping for the golf girl in your life. She'll definitely be happy, and happy is what you want, right?

I heart my GirlsGreen shirt.

GirlsGreen founders Katie and Karen modeling their products. (I see a little layering going on there too and it looks great).

Past Peak? For Foliage Maybe, But Not For Golf!

Yes, the trees are nearly bare and the breezes can be brutal, but we're not ready to pack up our clubs yet. No way! We played two rounds on Saturday at Vail's Grove, another friendy neighborhood 9 hole just minutes from our house. Old fashioned and friendly, Vail's Grove opened in 1929, so there's some history in the homey little clubhouse, and on Saturday there was a welcome fire blazing in the stone fireplace. The course is hilly and the greens undulating. Personally, I like hilly and undulating - hate flat - so this suits me fine. Amazingly, I didn't lose my ball once. That must mean I'm hitting better, though sadly, it wasn't reflected in my score. My putts just weren't happening. Had lot's of fun though AND I wore a great new golf shirt from GirlsGreen that I'm gonna post about later today. As I always say, you can't go wrong with the right clothes, and that's especially true when it comes to golf clothes.