Golfer Girl and Growing the Game of Golf

There's been lots of ink spilled over the Fedex Cup. Most of it negative. Putting together such a big...thing...and integrating it into the culture of a sport is a huge multi-faceted undertaking. There will be hits and misses, it'll be adapted in the coming years, and in principal, the result will be an event that engages the public and grows the fan base. Fans will be tempted to play, and the golf industry will benefit. That's the basic premise ...and no matter what one thinks of the Fedex Cup in its current state, I believe most (elitists excluded) would agree that growing the game is a good thing.

And that begs the question; what about junior golf... where the true "lifetime customers" might be thought to reside? Is it being overlooked by the golf industry? That's what women's golf expert Nancy Berkley writes in this Cybergolf piece. She outlines the difficulties that Golfer Girl, a magazine aimed at the "tween" girl golfer market, has had in getting advertisers. I wrote about Golfer Girl when their first issues was about to launch. Now they're getting ready to print their second. Golfer Girl is a perfect publication for its audience and its audience is a demographic that should be a big part of growing golf.
So let's hope sponsors and advertisers take note. After all, as Nancy points out, "girls are not only amazing golfers, but good shoppers and consumers as well."

Jr. Golf Girls Get Their Own Magazine

How awesome is that? A new golf magazine is coming out this summer and this one's for young... O.K. very young... lady golfers! The target market is girls from 5 to 17 who play (or who intend to play) golf. It's estimated that there are 2 million such golf girls out there, and the magazine, called Golfer Girl, plans to reach lots of them this summer - through distribution at golf academies, golf camps and junior golf tournaments.

Of course there'll be cute golf fashions galore, but Golfer Girl will also feature golf instruction and tips for girls, as well as stories on exceptional girl golfers and junior tour players. And lots more.

The entire venture is the brain child of a San Diego Dad and his three golf girl daughters. They also have golf trend and marketing consultant Nancy Berkley on board, as well as other perfectly suited golf professionals.

The bottom line is Golfer Girl is going to rock! And what could be better for the advancement of women's golf than a fun, fascinating, fashionable magazine for young girl golfers? They've got a website in the works too. Check it out for a complimentary copy of their first issue.

Revealing Responses from The Golf Girl Sex Survey

Note: A couple of readers have told me they're having trouble seeing some of the responses...that is: the images are not appearing. I apologize for this and I'm in the process of trying to figure out why it's happening. All of the images are JPEGs, so I don't know what's up. Will try to resolve it ASAP.

I know...it's been almost a month since the Golf Girl Sex Survey. As I told you earlier, the response was great...so great in fact, that it's taking me a bit longer than I anticipated to get my arms around it (so to speak) and summarize the wealth of feedback and opinions. One of the most fascinating aspects of the survey results were the comments...which were copious and clever and often quite candid.

I hope to have the full summary for you by the end of the month but In the meantime, I thought it might be fun to share just a few of the comments I got from the golf girls and golf guys who participated. Girls are pink, guys are blue, obvs:

According to one golf girl, guys on the golf course can be a bit... scary:








One golf guy had a novel idea for fitting golf into his busy life:










There were varying opinions on the calendar controversy:








And rants on sexist tee times. He gets it, and isn't afraid to say so:








A golf girl expressed her enthusiasm for the joys of golf... & sex:















While this frank and thoughful view was expressed on how men react to women on the course:





A girl weighs in on playing with an unattractive, excellent golfer vs. a sexy, bad golfer:














What one guy... thinks girls think... about guys on the course:












A girl who feels guys take it too seriously, says:
















One guy wonders if he's weird:






A girl reminds guys that when presented with a sexy Caddy Chick there are options:











The concept of Caddy Chicks didn't bother everyone however:











One girl suggested an interesting alternative to girls playing PGA events:
















Guys are not going to be receptive to all girl golfers:













There was some anecdotal evidence that golf dating sites work:






...and finally one more comment. A rather pragmatic view of playing with the sexy, bad golfer vs. the unattractive excellent golfer. I've got to say it makes sense:








So, I hope this wets your appetite, because there's a lot more where that came from, and I'll be laying it all out very soon.

Multi-talented Golfer Girl Will Head to Harvard this Fall

Five years ago we wrote about a unique and exciting new magazine for junior golfers. The target audience was girls, age 5 to 17 and Golfer Girl magazine was the work of a single family.

Claude and Michelle Hooton and their three daughters, Libby, Courtney and Chloe Belle... all of them passionate about golf... produced a top quality publication through the fall of 2008, when the economy took its famous nosedive and ad dollars dried up.

At its peak, Golfer Girl had a circulation of 10,000, with subscribers in all 50 states, Mexico and Canada and clearly served its specialized niche very well. A photo from the summer of 1977 shows the girls... aged 16, 13 and 10...  surrounded by stacks of their first issue.  A total of six seasonal issues hit the stands, and one can still view them at golfergirlmagazine.com.

The Hooton sisters may not be writing about golf these days but it's still very much a part of their lives.  Libby, now 20 plays on the golf team at the University of Pennsylvania and 15 year-old Chloe Belle has taken up rowing in addition to golf, but it's middle sister Courtney who's now in the spotlight, making golf history with a ninth consecutive San Diego Junior Golf Association age class triumph and having recently been signed to play collegiate golf at her dream school, Harvard.  The Hootons have an interesting hole-in-one story too. Courtney spoke about it recently from the Kraft Foods Junior Challenge.

"Golf Girl Junior" - Presenting Jordan Farr

As you may have noticed, there's lots going on in Golf Girl World these days. So much so that it's become tough to keep up! Which is quite frustrating.

To that end, I want to introduce you to Jordan... or Golf Girl Junior, as she's been calling herself... who from this point forward will be assisting me here at Golf Girl Media. As such she'll be making regular appearances on this blog and will also be a regular on "Only Two Things".

She officially started at the beginning of the week, and barring a couple of major mess ups minor mishaps, I've been pleasantly surprised at how imaginative and productive she's been. To the extent that I suggested she write her own Thursday column which she'll begin this week. So, without futher ado, here she is:

Hi! My name is Jordan, I’m going to be working with Patricia at Golf Girl Media as her assistant/intern/idea bouncer... Yeh, you get the idea!

I am delighted to be involved with Golf Girl Media and I’m really looking forward to working with Patricia on a wide variety of projects. I’m also looking forward to getting to know you... the Golf Girl readers/watchers/listeners.

I've graduated from mini golf, honed my swing at the driving range, and taken my game onto the golf course now I'll be working my shots and my scores while venturing into the golf media sphere. Part of that will be a weekly post, every Thursday, where I'll talk about the lates golf news topics, conduct a fun weekly poll, and dispense some insider information on what’s taking place behind the scenes here at GGM... and what we’ve got in the proverbial pipeline as regards future ideas and prospective projects.

Now that I’m a part of the Golf Girl Media Inc. community, I assume you want a bit more info on who I am:

I am currently working toward my Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education. I love working with kids and hope to work for a golf camp or junior program in the future. From reading Golf Girl’s Diary (and other golf blogs) I’ve begun to discover the unique nature of this game... and see how it can instill some great qualities in "little ones". So yeh, I’d love to help get a young generation into the sport of Golf... once I improve my game!

Additionally, I love exploring new things and researching on the Internet. When I am not doing that you can find me rollerblading, swimming, or dancing.

OK... this is the part I need help with readers! I’d love to hear some of your ideas on any topics that you’d like me to write about in the weeks to come. Leave me a note in the comments section... or shoot me an email at jordan@golfgirlmedia.com.

Before I depart, I’ve got my first poll question for you... I actually presented it on last night’s show but ... um ... unfortunately I had my mic way down low so it was barely audible (I think I almost got fired for that one) anyways, here it is:

"The latest season of the popular show DANCING WITH THE STARS began this week. There have been quite a few athletes on in the past, NFL and NBA stars... swimmers, snowboarders, etc, but never a golfer. So... WHICH GOLFER WOULD GET YOU HOOKED ON DANCING WITH THE STARS?" ... It can be a male or a female but... I suggest you think beyond Tiger Woods ;-)

I’ll announce the results next week on “Only Two Things”. Catch the show live on Blog Talk Radio every Wednesday evening at 9:30 PM ET.

That's all for now... Golf Girl Jr. signing off.

My Top 5 Golf Trophies - Weird & Wonderful

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By Jordan Farr aka Golf Girl Junior

Golf Girl, has been on the road a bit recently, so I’ve spent the past few days manning the Golf Girl Media offices. ~ My responsibilities have consisted of Facebook um, work (insert reminder to “like” our page here), singing, and of course...Golf Girl Media-related research. During that feverish research I happened upon an article on The 5 worst golf tournament prizes.

Number one on the list was “Anything Tartan”
Damn!
Darn! I was going to make Golf Girl's Little Tartan Book a prize for my next golf related contest! ~ The funniest prize of the five is a forlorn looking trophy some sadistic organization gives to the losing team. For a consolation prize, it doesn’t look very consoling.

Anyway, this rouges gallery of tournament prizes got me to thinking of the sometimes... um...idiosyncratic trophies awarded at professional tournaments. And I thought it might be a good idea to do my own "top five list" of those. Brent Kelly, one of our favorite golf bloggers, has already created a full gallery of unusual golf trophies over at About.com:GOLF. I took my choices from there:

Golf Girl Junior’s Top 5 Most Awesome Golf Trophies
1. On the top of my list is a trophy that probably looks quite familiar to you. That’s because it was recently awarded to the youngest golfer ever to win a European Tour event. Yep, that’s Matteo Manassero proudly posing with Mr. Potato Head...oh, I mean with the Castello Masters trophy. ~ The adorable little guy (the trophy, I mean) is perpetually giving us the “thumbs up” sign, and as one observer noticed, looks kind of like “an m&m in drag”. In any case, it’s so wild, cute, and fun... it always makes me smile, and that’s what earned it the top spot on my list.

2. Jovial Jason Gore scored an extra birdie with his first and only PGA Tour win. It was at the 2005 84 Lumber Classic, a tournament which is no more. ~ And you know how they say that dog owners sometimes tend to resemble their dogs? Could that also be true with PGA tour winners and their trophies? I don’t know, in any case, the portly pigeon looks to be ready and waiting for the customary kiss from Jason.

3. Here’s a little known fact: I had the same gym teacher as the awesome Meghan Francella. Unfortunately, I didn’t have half the athletic abiltity, thus Ms. F is playing golf... while I’m writing about it. My “player envy” doest’t stop me from being a huge fan however, and I remember being delighted when I heard she’d won the LPGA MasterCard Classic in 2007. The trophy doesn’t look very trophy-like though. In fact, it looks like a 3-wood with two undulating shafts... and it looks like it’s trying to take Meghan’s hat off. Maybe it’s just getting ready to assume its new life as a hat rack? I love trophies that multi-task.

4. Golf Girl keeps saying we’ve got to do some more video for our website. Well, the look on my face when I saw Austrian Markus Brier holding the BC-CA Golf Open trophy would have been perfect for our behind the scenes footage! He won it in his own country, in 2006, and I don’t know what you think, but I’m convinced the trophy is meant to come out of the tube... thing. ~ Pssst: Marcus, the plastic stuff is packaging - just throw it away.


5. Now... THAT is a TROPHY! I’ll bet Rory Mcilroy had to expand his trophy cabinet when he won it, wouldn’t you say? It was at the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic and when I go pro I am SO going to try to win that one... and I too will expand my very small trophy cabinet... OK, my non-existent trophy cabinet.

Well, those are my personal favorites, however there are many more, and they’re all very... unique. So definitely check out the gallery of Unusual Golf Trophies at About.com:GOLF. Also, stop by our Golf Girl Media Facebook page later this week for our amazing “Design Your Own Golf Trophy” contest. BTW, the prizes are going to be awesome.

Photos: Getty Images via About.com:GOLF

Also of note trophy-wise: Each of the World Golf Classic events boasts its own distinctive Wedgwood trophy and each cup is named after a famous golfer.

Golf Girl of the Week - Gia Bocra

In addition to everything else she's got, this Golf Girl of the Week just landed the ultimate golf dream job. Frankly, it's a job I desperately wanted myself, so I do harbor a wee bit of anger bitterness rage envy. Yep, I'm green with envy. You see, Gia Bocra was just selected as the new host of Fine Living Network's The Wandering Golfer. She was chosen from 1,500 applicants and even I have to admit, she's perfect for the job. First of all she's really, really cute with a warm, bubbly personality. Secondly she's a LPGA Teaching Pro who's worked at some of the country's top clubs, with some of the top golf instructors, for the past 10 years. In addition, Gia was captain of the women's golf team at Rutgers and has degree in Journalism.

The dream job in question will take this Golf Girl around the world to explore the planet's most amazing golf destinations. If you've seen the show, you know it's as much about travel as it is about golf. But there's plenty of golf and it's presented in an engaging, informal, fun way. Yes, Gia will be perfect. But I would have been perfect too, damn it. Just because I've only been playing golf for a few months doesn't mean I couldn't host the show, right? Well, maybe they did want someone with a tad bit more golf experience. So, I guess I'll just have to create my own version of The Wandering Golfer. I'll call it The Wandering Quadruple Bogey Golf Girl. Hmmm, that title needs work. In the meantime, I extend my reluctant heartfelt congratulations to Golf Girl of the Week and new host of The Wandering Golfer, Gia Bocra.














Shout out to John Drennen from Beaker's Golf Blog. He blogged about Gia over the weekend. That's how I found out she'd won.

Fashion Meets Function In A Junior Golfer's Innovative Accessories

Hannah Dupay, The 10-Year-Old Founder of Goodie Girl Golf

A 10-year-old junior golfer from Boise, Idaho, has found an innovative... and stylish... solution to the frustration of elusive ball markers.

Hannah Dupay, who's been playing competitive golf since 2011, was exasperated by ball markers that tended to disappear during a round. She and her peers are not fans of caps or visors, so their markers mainly ended up in pockets... where they were difficult to retrieve when needed.

But instead of accepting the inconvenience and/or lamenting it Ms. Dupay came up with a rather fabulous fix: Goodie Girl Golf Ball Markers are multi-chromatic magnetic markers that attach to a fashionable line of hair accessories, keeping them easily accessible at all times.

So the enterprising young golfer launched Goodie Girl Golf LLC and is now manufacturing and selling her unique products to the delight of other lady golfers who've been looking for pretty and practical way to keep their markers from going missing.

Goodie Girl Golf has a fresh, fashion-forward website, where you can peruse the products and find out more about the youthful founder.  They also have a Facebook page and Twitter presence as well as a blog.  Plus they have plans to present the Goodie Girl line at the the PGA Merchandise Show in early 2014.  That's an impressive set of accomplishments for an entrepreneur of any age and for Hannah Dupay, I have a feeling it's only the beginning.

Exceptionally, A Tuesday Post from Golf Girl World.

By Jordan Farr aka. Golf Girl Junior

As you may have noticed... or not... I didn't post my normal Thursday update last week. There are a couple of reasons for this:

1) Thursday was my birthday and all the celebrating distracted me.
2) Golf Girl zipped off to Vegas without me and I was... irked.
3) I was diligently working on a multitude of admin projects and just didn't have a minute for the Thursday post.

Anyway, it's a combination of the above and I figured I'd catch up today.

Here in CT the weather is gorgeous for golf right now, and the fall folliage provides a backdrop of orange, gold and crimson. It's lovely, but I'm having more and more trouble finding my golf balls... particularly after swings that sent them flying into the woods. The fallen leaves are now ankle-deep and they seem to see golf balls as their prey to devour. This is where my recycled balls come in handy.

As an arch-beginner in the game of golf, everything is fascinating to me, so when GolfGirl suggested I create our weekly list of notable links (which BTW we haven't done in a couple of weeks) I had a lot of trouble narrowing it down... but here's what I came up with:

OK, I know Angel Cabrera the awesome Argentine golfer,  but there's another Angel Cabrera. He's a holistic health & fitness consultant, and he takes photos at golf tournaments. The best shot coming out of the Frys.com Open has got to be the one he took of a mysterious golfer hidden beneath an umbrella.  There are some great shots with winner Rocco Mediate too.

You probably know John Raser from all the great social media initiatives he's undertaken. He's got a great new contest going on now with 59Golf.

24 year old Korean golfer, Kyung-Tae Kim, is the Japan Open champion after a stunning final round of 64 saw him win the event by two shots.

The top five women golfers in the world will battle it out in Asia this week at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia. They'll be fighting for World Number One among other things.

After her maiden LPGA win Beatriz Recari is looking towards the 2011 Solheim Cup.

... I may sneak a few more in later today. Catch you later.

Photos: Top Left, Golf Girl Media - Lower Left, Angel Cabrera
  

Golf Girl(s) of the Week - Karyn Erb & Katie Miller

Today's Golf Girl of the Week award goes to not one, but two beautiful, blonde Golf Girls: Katie Miller and Karyn Erb.

The stylish sisters grew up in Park Ridge, NJ, with a Dad who was passionate about golf. And he was one of those Dads who couldn't wait to get his kids involved in the game; trips to the driving range and area courses, hours spent watching golf on TV as a family... Jim Miller's passion was genuine, and the girls came to share their Dad's love of the game.

Though they didn't play competitively while growing up, The sisters formed a real bond around the game of golf. After graduating from college, where Karyn majored in finance and Katie in computer science, they decided to start a business together, and Katie suggested golf apparel. Sensing a definite market need for cute golf styles that were both flirty and functional, Kayrn agreed. So these two intrepid entrepreneurs designed their initial line from scratch. Then they sourced quality fabrics and manufacturers, built a user friendly website... and launched GirlsGreen. Their products are awesome. Polos and Tees with detailing that's both trendy and traditional. At the same time. How cool is that?

Now of course, Katie and Karyn are ultra-busy, but not too busy to hit the links whenever possible. And these Golf Girls both agree that many of the skills and diciplines acquired through golf...patience, planning, precision...are mighty useful in the business world too.

Oh, I almost forgot; Guys, make sure you check out GirlsGreen's new Golfer Gift Buckets. Whether she's is a scratch golfer, a bogey golfer or just a beginner, there's an adorable gift bucket that would be just right for your Golf Girl on Valentine's Day.

Camilo Villegas, Nudity & The Messed-up Game of Golf

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by Jordan Farr

Holy Nakedness... a gentleman golfer posing nude!?!

Camilo Villegas, one of the World’s top golfers and a perennial Golf Girl favorite, will be appearing in the upcoming Body Issue of ESPN Magazine in the buff... nekkid, as they say in today’s lingo ~ And here’s the thing: no one’s really making that big a deal of it.

At first this surprised me, you see, I’m still getting to know golf and its stars... the personalities and past histories. I thought this was a stretch, I mean golf has such a conservative reputation, I was thinking jeez, what is this... a “golfer gone rogue” or something?

Well, as it turns out... not so much. I quickly found out, there was a precedent... Mr. Villegas isn’t the only golfer who’s posed nude, three LPGA players posed for the issue last year, including Christina Kim, another Golf Girl favorite. So far, the reception Spiderman’s gotten has been mild compared to the one that greeted Ms. Kim and her LPGA colleagues when they hoped onto a golf cart in the altogether last year.

Now, Mr. Villegas has been a fitness model for a while, and that’s probably part of why he wanted to be in the issue... after all, he offered to do it. And though he's a stellar golfer he admits it's always a battle. “Golf is a messed-up game." he stated, adding that "When you feel you’ve figured it out is when you’re going to struggle.”

But Camilo is fun loving and even makes jokes on the green. In the NYT article yesterday, he told a story of when two of his friends showed up late for one his tournaments, once they finally arrived he got not one, but TWO birdies! At which point he told them, “Why didn’t you get here earlier?”

Regarding the risque pictorial spread, the Colombian heart-throb declared with a smile, “It was a very interesting shoot”

So, What do you all of you think of these new-style golfers -- younger and more open? Is this good or bad for the game? Personally, I think it is great... But then I may a bit biased.

Photos: Scott Halleran/Getty Images North America
Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Who's That (Golf) Girl?

I've got to admit I'd never heard of Natasha Shishmanian till today. That changed this morning when she appeared, just like that, on one of my numerous google golf alerts.

Here at Golf Girl's Diary, research time is rather limited these days thus my info is still somewhat sketchy but perhaps UK readers can help fill in the blanks. From what I gather this exotic brunette is a rather exemplary Golf Girl; she's sited as both a golf writer who's "written for Golf Punk magazine and reported for the Mirror from The Open", AND a professional golfer. Strangely, I've yet to find many any details on her career as a professional golfer. Hmmm, odd that.

Anyway, Natasha's (unusual) name bubbled to the surface today because she recently married "well known" millionaire DJ, Chris Evans! Frankly, I'd never heard of him till today either, but supposedly he's quite the pop culture celeb in the UK... and he shares with Natasha a love of golf.

As you can imagine, I'm quite curious to find out more about this UK golf girl and her newly acquired media tycoon husband.

Golf Girl's List: Holiday Golf Gifts for Kids

1.Caddy Hat, The Littlest Golfer $19.00  - 2.TLG First Set, The Littlest Golfer $100.00

3.Baby Body Suits, Kelsey MacLean $39.00 -  4.Fancy Owl Golf Bag, Kissi Couture $360

5.Golf Charm Bracelet, Kissi Couture $9.99 - 6.Noochie Golf Set, Noochie Golf $139.99

7.Check Short, The Littlest Golfer $44.00 - 8.Gingham Polo, The Littlest Golfer $40.00

9.Plush Toys, The Littlest Golfer $24.00 - 10.Hello Kitty Club Head Covers, Olympus Golf $17.50

11.Plaid Golf Socks, Kissi Couture $9.99

When it comes to holiday gift giving, it's often the young'uns who take priority (lucky them), and with that in mind we present our hand-picked selection of golf gifts for kids.  

We've chosen a variety of products, from golf apparel and accessories, to golf-inspired toys and games. Included are gift ideas for the young... and the very young... from some of our favorite companies.

Graphics via Polyvore

Golf Girl Gifting for the Golfer Who Has Everything

What do you give the golfer who has everything? How about an awesome golf gift basket? That's what I made for my crazy, golf-obsessed, girl friend, and she loved it.

In this video I show you some of the unique items I included in the basket; like, FiZ the innovative club cleaning solution from FiZGOLF, and Chromax metallic golf balls which are...quite spectacular.

Then, of course, I included Thumb Caddy, my favorite golf training aid... as well as some ultra cute golf jewelry from Pink Diva Golf.

Edgy, elegant accessories from PUMA really take this gift basket over-the-top! It's an easy, fun, creative way to gift your favorite golfer.

And if she's like my friend Jennifer, you may also want to include a male stripper some exotic entertainment.

An Ultra-Easy, Last Minute Halloween Costume Idea

DIY Halloween costume: Gentlemen golfers of the 20's by Golf Girl Media on  Polyvore

The end of October will inevitably find some of us scrambling for creative costume ideas. Halloween, after all, has become huge. In fact, according to the National Retail Foundation, 48% of American adults will dress up for the holiday this year this year.  

A trip to the local department store, especially this late in the game, will yield little in the way of distinctive deguisement. For those seeking something with a bit of sophistication, even those specialized Halloween pop-up shops tend to come up short.  

So why not create your own original costume... one that gives a nod to golf history?  With just a few easily found items of clothing, slightly altered, you can create your own Golden Age Golfer costume. 

For guys, the required pieces are: a jacket and trousers, preferably wool and in a traditional pattern such as hounds tooth, tartan, or tweed. Extra points for a matching vest. Plus fours are... a plus... but regular wool trousers can be tucked into your socks, which, if at all possible, should be argyle. A basic oxford shirt completes the clothing requirements. Essential accessories include dark tie-up shoes, a flat cap and a narrow neck tie or bow tie. If you can round out the look with a pocket watch, an antique hickory all the better. 

I created the inspiration board above to give you a few ideas.

As for the ladies, I'll refer you to the piece I wrote last year on the topic. It's quite comprehensive and includes its own inspiration board for ideas.  

DIY Halloween costume: Lady golfers of the 20's by Golf Girl Media on Polyvore

Easy DIY Halloween Costumes For Golf Obsessed Women & Girls

(first published, October 2016)
There was a time, not long ago, when "sexy" seemed to have become a prerequisite on Halloween. 

Young ladies... and not-so-young ones... were choosing costumes consisting of little more than lingerie. The commercial Halloween costume industry had discovered that virtually any outfit could be made sexy by just paring down the clothing, while exaggerating the accessories. They took the concept well beyond it's early iterations; the French maid, the sexy nurse, the sexy pirate wench... to such unlikely subjects as the sexy goldfish and the sexy squirrel. There were even some sexy golfer costumes which we wrote about in detail several years ago. 

This year however, the whole "sexy" costume thing may not be quite so ubiquitous. The Donald Trump "scandal du jour" has focused the nation's attention on the objectification of women. Though this will probably be short-lived, the scrutiny may make sexy costumes awkward for both the wearer and the observer.  There's also the "Take Back Halloween" movement which has been encouraging female to select more "empowering" costumes this year, costumes that represent strong, successful women... figures from history and the world of sports. That brought to my mind the great lady golfers of the early 20th century; Glenna Collett, Alexa Stirling, Edith Cummings, Joyce Wethered. They were strong and their style was distinctive.
  

Channeling Glenna Collett on Halloween

The basic look is super easy look to replicate, requiring only a below the knee skirt, a white blouse with a high neckline and a cardigan or jacket. Finish with a pair of oxford or wingtip shoes and as a hat, a cloche or beret. Extra points if you can round up some old hickory sticks and/or a vintage golf bag. 

I found the pieces for the four looks above at various on-line stores

Pictured at left is my own version of the Golden Age Golfer costume from a couple of years ago, sourced entirely from our local thrift shop.  

It's a fun theme for Halloween, especially if you have a group, like we had that year. And it did feel empowering to dress like a historical golf champion. Unfortunately I didn't manage to channel any golf skills. Maybe this year.

TOMI OTEE - Style Meets Sustainability in a Very Distinctive Golf Shirt

Polo style golf shirts, it's fair to say, have become ubiquitous.

They're worn by men, women and children in the cities and suburbs of just about every country on earth.   They come in a plethora of colors and prints, and these days they're likely to be made in some sort of lightweight, moisture-wicking performance fabric.

I own several dozen golf shirts, most of which I rarely, if ever, wear. Then there are the few I put on all the time. These are the ones in the colors I love...  that fit just right.  They're the rare gems, and at this point my small, coveted collection is somewhat worse-for-the-wear.

Several weeks ago however, I came upon a couple of golf shirts that have categorically... and very quickly... become my favorites.

The company that makes these stellar shirts is TOMI OTEE, an enterprise with a vision that goes well beyond the attractive, innovative shirts they've created. I met the founder of TOMI OTEE, Thomas Ferré earlier this year in New York City where he'd recently been selected to receive the prestigious French-American Entrepreneurship Award.

Twitter Trend Weekly: Golf Makes Some People Smile

Often, they're annoying and spammy, but at their best Twitter hashtags... and the trending topics they spawn... can offer us an enlightening view of the way things are perceived by the masses.

Over the years I've enjoyed observing the 140 character thoughts and opinions expressed about golf... and I've often been entertained by them.  Frequently funny and sometimes surprising, tweets, when looked at collectively, can certainly tell a story.

That's the idea behind Twitter Trend Weekly, a new feature I'll be presenting here each Wednesday.  I'm thinking it might be a fun way to liven up the middle of the week and a good chance to see what folks are saying about the the sport we love.


This week's topic is #howtomakemesmile

The course alone seems to make some girls happy...

#HowToMakeMeSmile take me to the golf course
— Sam Radke✌ (@RadkeSam) March 5, 2013

...while others want to make sure they get the full experience.

#HowToMakeMeSmile take me on the first date to a golf course, driving range, whatever. As long as we can use real golf clubs.
— That Golfer Girl (@GolferGirl_1) March 5, 2013

Guys, apparently, like to have an audience...

#howtomakemesmile come to my golf tournaments
— Larry Fisherman (@B_Sanner) March 5, 2013

...even if it's just an audience of one admiring female. 

#HowToMakeMeSmile go golfing with me even if you don't golf we can talk while I play
— Collin Pitzer (@TheRealCollinP) March 5, 2013

It's the golf swag that does it for some... 

#HowToMakeMeSmile buy me new golf clothes or shoes!!! #GolferPrincess
— The Preppy Golfer (@PreppyGolfer) March 5, 2013

...while others apparently just want to see their rivals under the wheels of a golf buggy. 

#HowToMakeMeSmile run katie over with a golf cart.
— Carli Cichra ♥ (@carliimarie_) March 5, 2013

Alrighty then.  "Twitter Trend Weekly" will be back again next Wednesday with more hashtag-inspired observations in 140 characters or less.  

Golf Girl of the Week - Cristie Kerr

It's been an ultra busy week. One of those ones where everything converges in a storm of work deadlines, obligatory social engagements and annoying demanding husbands. Then there was the actual storm. Her name was Agatha and she caused us a power outage. Thus creating a bigger backlog of unfinished assignments. It happens every now and again. You deal with it. And you work over the weekend. Oh well.

On a happy note though, this week's Golf Girl makes my blogging job super easy. After all, she's Cristie Kerr, so needs no introduction. She's the top ranked American female golfer, No. 4 in the world, and she's beautiful. Very beautiful. People notice those things. Beyond her obvious physical and athletic superiority, she's got her heart and spirit the right place too. When her Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, she founded "Birdies for Breast Cancer", to raise money for breast cancer research. She works tirelessly on its fundraisers and events, thereby touching the lives of so many. A recent Celebrity Poker Tournament she organized in Las Vegas bought in $140,000! Additionaly she donates $50. for each birdie she makes...and this Golf Girl makes lots of birdies. Cristie also sells some really cute products,from which the proceeds go to here foundation.

Right now Cristie's in Hawaii getting ready to tee off for the second round of the SBS, this less then a week after her third place finish in The Australian Ladies Masters.

Though she doesn't generate as much press as Paula or Natalie or Michelle, I don't think I need to say much more here, it's quite clear...Christie Kerr is one extraordinary Golf Girl.
















Oh, I forgot one thing, Cristie's been featured in Golf Babes, like, ten times. Not too many Golf Girls out there who can make that lofty claim.