I don't generally think of the Wall Street Journal as a place to find Natalie Gulbis stories, but The 2008 U.S. Women's Open is about to begin, and golf girl stories, of all sorts, are popping up everywhere.
So I wasn't too surprised to find Questions for Natalie Gulbis, a short, succinct interview with the glamorous golf girl, in a newspaper that generally specializes in financial news. The interview is well worth reading too, whether you're a NG fan, or one of those who still can't get past the Kournikova comparison.
Tim Carrol asks about a dozen succinct questions... and Natalie comes off as clear, content and uncomplicated. They talk about the US Open, of course, and the evolution of her calendars (from racy to not-so-racy). They discuss who's behind her marketing efforts (her Dad) who introduced her to golf (her Dad) who inspires her (her Dad).
When I saw Natalie at The Sybase last month, I was ultra impressed with the way she carried herself .... with complete coolness and control...despite a
Still on the subject of golf girls, LPGA FanBook is a little bit of awesome you're not going to want to miss. It's a feature on LPGA.com, that allows you to leave a text, audio or video message for your favorite player. So, I'm heading over there to leave a message for Natalie. I want to find out where she got that skirt.
Update: Awesome Ashley Mayo is covering the U.S. Women's Open on her Golf for Women blog. Be sure to check it out.
Photographs © Golf Girl Media
I don't mean to be a contrarian, but that is one of the worst interviews I have ever read in the WSJ. (and it has nothing to do with Natalie Gulbis) Tim Carroll asks questions that can't be answered clearly in a couple of sentences, and, at least in the text, he asks, or at least prints, combined questions that make good answers even more difficult. The introduction to the piece is clearly a compilation of facts and figures lifted from her bio on LPGA.com. He leaps from her calendar to other business deals assuming that she would have none of those deals if she hadn't done a bikini calendar. (pretty insulting) He was half a step away from saying that she uses the "casting couch" approach to success.
ReplyDeleteThere were two questions that weren't shallow or confusing that might partially explain why she hasn't won more. The "what is your typical day" question, she spends some doing a few putting drills, then "chips a little", then heads to the range. The reader is led to conclude that she pounds balls on the range for hours, but spends comparatively little time on and around the green, where strokes are saved and tournaments won. The other one is the "are you satisfied" question. Gulbis says she is satisfied with her one win and satisfied with things in general. I don't think you'd get the same answer from Tiger or Annika or Lorena Ochoa.
Gulbis got short-changed in this interview by an interviewer who didn't bother to learn much of anything about his subject.
Actually, I really liked the interview.
ReplyDeleteThough it didn't dwell on her golf game (we'll leave that to the Golf Digest or Golf for Women Interviews - if there are any) I think it got to why Natalie Gulbis has been so successful in the marketing arena: by highlighting her combination of good looks and golf skill with a focused and creative branding/ marketing campaign.
Natalie Gulbis comes across as confident and balanced, and dedicated to her own game but also to the growth of the sport.
She also seems to have a love and admiration and respect for her father that would make any Dad proud.
Court - You're over-analyzing man! As long as Natalie keeps wearing those skirts who cares if the interview is "shallow"? ;-)
ReplyDeleteGood photo by the way. Natalie Gulbis strutting her stuff.
ReplyDeleteJennifer makes a good point. The WSJ article/interview is obviously more about Natalie Gulbis' marketing and promotional activities than it is about golf activities, and I don't think there's any doubt that Natalie Gulbis has helped to get more people interested in the LPGA. I have several friends (guys) who went to the Sybase tournament because of Natalie Gulbis. They really enjoyed it and now want to go to more LPGA events - with or without Natalie. They discovered that LPGA tournaments are actually entertaining. That's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteWe must be reading different articles. I see 13 questions (including 2 follow ups that were supposed to be funny). Only 2 dealt with anything about marketing (one talking about how her dad started the "branding", and the other about her calendars - follow up answer that the bikini calendar sold the best)
ReplyDeleteStretching the number, you could say that 4 of the 13 had anything to do with business off the course.
Like I said - I don't blame Gulbis for this poor excuse for a Wall Stree Journal article. This is way below their standards. Just a guess as to why she was picked ? She's hot.
courtgolf, you need to relax. This is the Wall Street Journal, not Golf Digest. It was obvious that the interview was focused more about her, the personality and not that of her Golf acumen. I am sure there are many reader of the WSJ that aren't golf fans-hard to believe I know. Natalie has done many Golf focused interviews; a matter of fact, one of the most popular episodes on the Golf Channel is Golf Lessons with the Pros featuring Natalie Gulbis! I love watching great Golf, and if it comes with great eye-candy, so be it, even better! After Tiger, I would watch Natalie, Annika and Paula next.
ReplyDeleteYou're right Ego - I should just relax and ignore poor writing by a publication that is known for it's accuracy and relevance. Good advice. Thanks very much. (darn - and it's too late to vote for Hilary Clinton, too) :-)
ReplyDeletecourt
ReplyDeleteit's funny you mentioned hilary at the end of your most recent post. you two have a lot in common- tough, uncompromising (insert "b" or "c" word) who just won't go away!
Yes Court
ReplyDeleteGod help the man in your life. It is a good thing you are a golfer, cause if you weren't, the poor guy you married would never, ever be ALLOWED to play!
Have you ever conceded a discussion point to the poor guy?
Sorry Anon - I don't live in California. And it's a shame that you don't share my expectations of the media. If these people were required to live up to standards of accuracy and decency, we would be a lot better off in this country. (and Shrillary Clintax would have never made it as far as she has in government...unless you consider a federal penitentiary "government" work) That's the last I have to say on it - I'll leave you to your fantasy world.
ReplyDeleteIs that pic from the Sybase or omg did our gal Natalie recycle he outfit?
ReplyDeleteMaking hero gold
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