New Clubs?

New clubs. Gotta have them. I am convinced that despite my lack of play that I will play infinitely better with new fairway woods this year. So they are on the list. I want a 3 and 5 wood with the baffled on the bottom. Tried it and hit the snot out of it at the end of the season. It was one of those end of season shots that left me wanting more. By Spring those clubs will be old news so they will be in my price range zone. eBay here I come. Let's face it, as we grow older, it is important to do anything possible to increase distance on the fairway. Can you say, "on in regulation?"

Adam and Stevie

Quite an interesting weekend on the course. Tiger fires Stevie, who takes up with Adam Scott. Tiger, as we all know, hasn't won anything in a long time, let alone played.

Low and behold - at today's Bridgestone Invitational, Adam Scott, with Stevie on the bag, takes home first place - his first World Golf Championship title. Steve must be feeling a tag bit smug. He's obviously a good caddy; so good for him. Good for Adam; who is charming and adorable.

Tiger is still figuring things out. He finished 18 shots back with his long-time friend on the bag. Who knows underneath it all what compelled Tiger to fire Steviie - but they sure had a good long winning run. Tiger's losing streak had nothing whatsoever to do with who was carrying the bag for him. It was probably the one thing in his life that didn't seem broken; but hey, what do I know.

I thoroughly enjoy Tiger Woods doing well in golf, don't get me wrong. It will be good for golf for him to return to the golfer he once was. When he's "on" he is a thing of beauty to watch. I look forward to seeing him play and once again enjoying his time on the course; and yes, winning. But I'm also happy for Stevie and Adam.

(Getty image-PGA)

The Open

Two years ago I was mesmerized on the couch as Tom Watson amazed the world with his grace and stamina. The last hole and succeeding playoff had me in despair.

This year, I haven't watched much of it at all, but am cheering of course for the Americans. Dustin Johnson has a powerful swing and never seems to quite make it to the finish line - but he's been in the top 10 for many tournaments. Is this is moment? Can someone please get him another style hat. Just once I'd like to see him with a more traditional hat; although I suppose it is what helps me instantly recognize him.

Rickie Fowler, still so young, and yet, a force with whom to be reckoned, is playing fantastically. For a young man with style - both in swing and in his daily garb, he is a joy to watch.

Lucas Glover has a shot at one of 3 Americans ending the day under par. Martin Kaymer has surprised us before. And you can never count out Davis Love III. He may be the Tom Watson of the group by virtue of his experience. Speaking of Tom Watson, he ended Saturday at +4 - actually one stroke ahead of darling Rory McIlroy. Go figure. With Mickelson at even par - and my favorite American - you just never know; the man might catch fire today...but probably not. It hasn't been his year.

The favorite of course is Darren Clarke - whom I had never even heard of before this tournament. The local favorite from Dungannon offers the crowd a blazing smile and an unassuming air. But his odds are slim. According to an article on The Open site, the 54 hole leader has gone on to win a Major in the last six championships only twice. Tough going, but you never know.

It should be a great day for golf. Because in golf and especially The Open; you just never know.

LPGA and The Founder's Cup

Great the the LPGA is doing something charitable. Who can fault anyone for donating a purse to charity, right? But wait, it's not the entire purse. The inaugural RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup, to be played at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa the week of March 16-20, 2011 has a total "mock" purse of $1.3 million.  RR Donnelley isn't coughing up the purse; they are covering tournament operational costs.

Here's where it gets tricky, though. Players aren't going to pocket any money winnings, but they will be credited for official winnings in their annual talley. The winner will be "credited with" $195,000 in official money, and a big handshake.  All the other players who make the cut will be credited with whatever their portion of the winnings are, too.

However, total tournament proceeds, which are projected to be $500,000, will be donated to the LPGA Foundation. So what happens to the other $800,000 of the "mock purse"? So RRDonnelly is covering the behind the scenes operational costs and they are donating all "proceeds" to the charity. As of their last publicly reported quarter (9/30/10), the company had over $780M in cash and cash equivalents on their balance sheet, a current ratio of about 2:1, and projected annual revenue of $9B. The company earns a profit and pays a dividend to shareholders. They could squeak out another $800,000 to support the LPGA here, dontcha think? Or perhaps they could rally some supporting players to the table.

This disparity is not lost on or sitting well with the players either. Creamer, Kerr, Wie, Petterson and Pressel have not yet committed to the event. While supportive of honoring the great champions of golf that founded the game, Creamer and Kerr have been vocal in their concerns about format and handling of the proceeds and the fact that player input was not requested.

Aside from all that, in my opinion, you never see the PGA players doing these type of events. Why should the women? Men would never play for a "mock" purse. The PGA players send their wives out to play for charity events. And raised $100K in doing so at the Honda classic. Oh sure, their PGA hubsies caddied for them, but it was all in fun, as you can see, with Will MacKenzie assisting his wife on the green. The guys didn't play.

LPGA Founders Cup Information

What's with my irons?

Played it before and wanted to shoot myself. Played it this week and it was like the real me showed up and I posted a 93. Okay except for some iron shots; well a lot of iron shots. Not bad considering I've played seven times this season.

I always try to get to the course and hit the range before I go out to play. I go to the range and I am hitting picture perfect nine iron shots one after another. I nail the imaginary range green every single time. Transfer that same distance shot to the track and out comes a shank, a pull, a dribble, and any other form of miss-hit you can muster. ARGGHGHGH! Why does this happen? It has to all be in my head.

This mostly happens on the par three holes where I truly want to score - or at least get the ball near the green for a chip and putt opportunity. But most of the time, I psych myself out and it's not to be.

The reality is, I am a long ball hitter. Give me a par four or a par five and a big fairway and I can plunk one out there at least 200 yards with my driver. Hell, I was 30 yards off the green on a 265 yard par four, and thank Zod, I made par. But give me a short hole and lately I collapse. If there is water, sometimes I don't think there's a club big enough, because I'm in it.

I know it's all in my head; okay maybe some of it is in the execution, but this has got to stop.

What to Wear on the Course - Dressing Well and Cool

When it's hot what do you wear to keep cool? Less is better, of course, but don't forget the sunscreen and hat. Wick, wick, wick! Remember when we all thought 100% cotton was the only thing to wear and polyester and spandex were evil? Not anymore. Wearing high tech breathable fabrics on the course is the way to go. How did I live without spandex in pretty much every piece of clothing I own?

Women's golf apparel offers women so many choices when it comes to dressing well and comfortably on the course. No matter what your preference you can find something interesting or flattering to wear on the course. Personally I like skorts or shorts, especially those with deep pockets so when I sit down in the cart, the balls don't pop out and roll out of the cart as we drive off.


If I'm walking, I like a back pocket, too, for my score card. While they are very stylish, I'm not a fan of cute little flaps on those pockets with buttons. First, they make it impossible to use the pockets for anything practical. For example, if you want to stick your score card or your glove in there while you putt, you don't want to have to mess with a flap and button. Besides that, flaps and buttons just make your derriere stick out more. Who needs that?

I love the idea of a golf dress, but I keep wondering what people wear underneath these adorable little things. Do they come with matching undies so when you squat down to read a putt, people don't see your leopard print bikini or your polka dot thong. Not that I wear a thong mind you - not even off the course; I'm just sayin. I'll have to ask fellow golfing blogger Heather Jones what she does about this, since she is a big fan of the golf dress.

My favorite things to wear are either long straight Bermuda shorts or a tailored golf skirt. I love brands that offer European styling like Lija. Their style and their color palettes are so appealing to me. If I'm being honest, I'll also tell you they are a little bit above my budget, but having at least one Lija outfit in my closet makes me feel like I'll play better on the course. I can save it for a great golf date!

Even the names are appealing. I was instantly attracted to their catchy design names like, "Dare to Dream" with its sporty plaid skort, bermudas, tops, and more all in shades of sky blue, toffee beige, black and white. Just my colors.  I own a pair of the toffee knee length shorts that are super comfortable on the course (they stretch!).

And how about "Daring Damsel"! It is so smart, with its aqua, grey and yellow styling (yes, I know they gave the colors fancy Pantone names, but for us girls - I'm giving you the basics). LOVE that plaid. The best part is that everything is coordinated so you can mix and match. Will set you back a few? Oh yeah, but you will love how you look. And your golfing gal pals will all be asking where you got the adorable duds.

Check out all the lines on their website and see how great the colors and the lines look. Super feminine without being frilly and very sporty.

The Open in Retrospect

Yes I know I'm a little late getting here with my thoughts and you've all moved on to other tourneys but I've been busy. It was fantastic golf to watch - so much so that at the end of the work day - and yes I work weekends, I'd come home at 5 and sit in front of the tube until it was over, rooting on my guys from the couch. Of course, my guys didn't win, but that's okay. How 'bout it - Europeans take spots 1 and 2 in the US Open - not in 40 years has a European taken this crown. Pretty awesome golf, too.

I admit I'm a Phil-fan, but he just couldn't get it done. I was thrilled to watch Tiger's return to some semblance of his former self on the course. There were so many ups and downs during the the last two days it was a roller coaster and so exciting. I couldn't even imagine having to putt those greens. I take that back - it would be fun to try, but I cringe at the thought of having to do so in competition. Those greens broke the day for many a player - hole number 14 in particular. You probably keeled over on your own couch just like me and died a thousand deaths for all those players whose ball rolled back off the green just when they thought they stuck it.

Graeme was simply amazing. He held on with steely reserve throughout the tournament. It took a lot of focus and concentration to make his dream a reality. He came into Sunday 3 shots behind Johnson and held on tight while Johnson faltered. Despite four bogeys - three on the second nine - Graeme; didn't make any round-killer mistakes, sliding into the finish with a 3 over par 74 to win. His win was made even more perfect as his father dance across the dance floor to congratulate him on the final green. Nice Father's Day gift, eh? I'm not sure who was more "gifted" here. By the way, Graeme, you've got one killer smile.

The big surprise was Gregory Havret, who ranks 391st in the world. Harvet, who was quoted as saying in one interview, "I just do my job, because first of all it's a job. And I want to do it fine. Whatever ‑‑ it's good or bad, I just want to focus shot after shot and do the best I can." And he surely did one heck of a job - rounding out the tourney with scores of 73-71-69-72. Paired with Woods and having to listen to the Woods "throng" for four days, Havret was reportedly a bit taken aback, but he held his cool. Used to quiet, respectful British golf, he bucked up and turned in a spectacular performance. That said, he'll also probably replay that missed putt on 18 for the next ten years of his life. Get 'em next time.

I was thoroughly amazed by the coolness with which Dustin Johnson approached his game through Saturday. Sorry dude, but I also kept saying, Dustin who? With three near perfect founds over three days of 71-70-66, Dustin woke up Sunday morning with a three-shot lead and a spectacular 6-under score going into the championship round. I have to admit I was waiting for what became the fall on Sunday. To hang on to his focus under that mounting pressure on Sunday would have been a spectacular feat. Beginning on the second hole, he fell apart then proceeded to lose six strokes over three holes. He never got his mojo back on that hard and fast playing track. I was impressed that he did as well as he did through Saturday so kudos for three amazing rounds in those difficult conditions. Keep up the good work, but lose the soul patch. It looks ridiculous.

Whether you like Tiger or not, he's one hell of a golfer and I think for the first time in his five starts since returning to golf, we got to see some of that during the Open. Was he his old self, heck no, but he's getting there. Woods nailed only eight fairways and nine greens during the final round on Sunday, bogeying five of his first 10 holes and taking himself out of contention with a 75. The ol' boy was in there somewhere on Saturday when he carded a 66 on the day. Hang in there Tiger. You'll find it.

Phil tied Tiger for fourth. Phil, couldn't get it done. With a slew of missed putts and mental mistakes he went down trying hard. It just wasn't his day. There were moments when I thought he could pull it off, but it wasn't round one, when he didn't card a single birdie. On Friday, he turned back into the Phil we know, birdieing six of his first 11 holes, ultimately caring a best-in-the-tournament 66 that left him tied with others in position just two back of McDowell. But that was it, really. With Saturday and Sunday's rounds of 73 and 73, it wasn't enough. By the way, the US Open site, says Phil is a stately 6'3" and weighs 200 pounds. I know 200 pounds when I see it, and well, Phil isn't. Phil is still my favorite golfer, though, because of his fantastic short game. Although where that was during the Open is beyond me, and I suspect beyond Phil, too.

Sorry to be so late with the article for those of you reading my stuff. I had fun watching and tweeting from the couch.