While controversy swirls around the LPGA's English Only edict, one of it's members is quietly making a difference far away in the desert of the Middle East. Jill McGill, a six foot tall San Diego surfer girl, who's been a tour player since 1996, is currently with a group of golf professionals presenting golf clinics to soldiers stationed in Iraq.
Jill is there with a group that includes Larry Laoretti of the Champions Tour, PGA Tour veteran Paul Carlson and retired LPGA player Suzanne Strudwick... who is actually blogging about the adventure over at the LPGA's website... and it sounds like they're having a truly amazing experience.
The group gets around in Blackhawk helicopters. They've had to deal with sandstorms and extreme heat, temperatures sometimes soar above 120F. But, despite the challenging conditions they've managed to set up driving bays and chipping nets and putting mats for their clinics. Callaway donated equipment and the golfers handed out hats and other gifts. It seems the turnout has been excellent, and the soldiers have been gracious and enthusiastic and according to Suzanne... lots of fun to be with.I took these photos of Jill back in the spring at the Sybase classic. At that time I was impressed with this quintessential California girl's impressive stature, brilliant blondness and friendly demeanor. Now, several months later, I'm impressed with her courage and generosity.
Photographs © Golf Girl Media
BRAVO !!!! Jill is all class.
ReplyDelete(do you think Laoretti has gotten her to try one of his cigars ?) :-)
It would be great if the LPGA could publicize the less known players like Jill McGill who do interesting, inspiring things.
ReplyDeleteTip of the hat to Jill...my best friend just deployed to Afghanistan - my prayers are with all of the brave men and women who protect our freedom.
ReplyDeleteThe LPGA has a great resource in its players, the Asian girls who are so good and always friendly despite a language barrier and the girls like Jill McGill who while she may not have the high profile of a Natalie Gulbis, has a great story, an engaging personality and fashion model looks. Unfortunately, they don't seem to know how to project these positives. Most people still think of the LPGA as being a bastion of manish women in boxy unattractive clothing playing a slow boring game. We know this isn't true - the LPGA just needs a really good PR effort.
ReplyDeletekatherine - you bring up a good point. a few years back, the LPGA started a "hype" campaign to boost viewership. I say "hype" because most of the campaign was based on selling the tour based on sex. If you were hot, you could be a part of the campaign.
ReplyDeleteIt failed miserably because the public saw through it and it didn't include a lot of the players who were actually winning.
How about suggestions on a campaign to LEGITIMATELY promote the LPGA Tour - not just on who is willing to wear the shortest skirts or tightest top or do silly ads or tv shows. It's not easy. The women aren't the best golfers on the planet - they are the best women golfers on the planet. Not all have model looks, so what about the rest ? How do you include the players who win, but don't necessarily speak the best English ?
That's the challenge Court. I think we've got to accept that the average Joe is not going to be interested in a plain woman with a dull personality no matter what kind of golfer she is.
ReplyDeleteLPGA needs to promote players with 'star quality'. And this can be many things. It doesn't have to be model looks and sexy outfits, though that can be part of it for some girls.
Others like Christina Kim and Laura Davies may not have the classic beauty thing going on but they have these great personalities which make them enormously popular.
Lorena Ochoa, another non-glam type, has a very interesting story, coming from Mexico as she does, and being so involved in charity. She's also no.1, that helps.
Paula Creamer and Natalie Gulbis are two examples of girls whose star quality is greatly enhanced by their looks.
The point is, there are lots of other girls out there like Jill McGill or Kelli Kuehne (who Patricia wrote about recently) who are not always way up there but who have definite star quality, which could certainly be featured and put out there to the benefit of the tour.
Lots of the Asian ladies too probably have star quality we just never get to see it. I think they need a PR person at the LPGA who can get that message out. Their web site has a lot of good content, but is quite dull.
Give us something were we can get to know the "star quality" players in a fun interactive way. That's what's going to build the audience.
katherine - sounds like a great list of possibilities - but a huge job to get a lazy "GIVE me a juicy story, but don't make me work for it" media to actually do a little work and learn about the players they are supposed to be covering. Definitely a tall order.
ReplyDeleteMaking knight gold is the old question : Honestly there is no fast way to make lots of knight noah . Sadly enough a lot of the people that all of a sudden come to with millions of knight online gold almost overnight probably duped . Although there are a lot of ways to make lots of knight online noahhere I will tell you all of the ways that I know and what I do to make cheap knight gold.
ReplyDelete