The Golfchick

That chick blabbing about anything golf related.

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Golf For Women Closing Up Shop

Sad news today – after 20 years, Golf For Women Magazine is closing. The July/August issue is its last.

golf for women closingMy editor from their website still isn’t sure what’s going to happen with their online presence so there could still be some life there.

That Conde Nast couldn’t make the book continue succeed is daunting to anyone looking to fill the gaping void that will be left in the female golf publication market. But, maybe it’s just time for something hipper? Edgier? Golf-chickier? How does Golf Chick Magazine sound. I think it’s got a ring to it.

Dana, Alena, Ashley, Stina… feel like being co-founders? What about Patricia and Gayle? So much to think about. How can we turn this loss into something fabulous?

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An Open Love Letter to Golf

Jackson Hole Golfer Magazine just launched with its inaugural issue. It will be an annual publication, and the gorgeous hard cover books are being distributed (for free!) around Wyoming at hotels, resorts, golf courses and more as well as at the San Diego Golf Academy campuses in San Diego, Myrtle Beach, Phoenix, AZ and Orlando, FL. Look for a copy near you!

I contributed to the debut issue with “An Open Love Letter to Golf,” which can be found on page 49. It might be a little racy, but only if you read it that way, so I think it’s okay for the kiddies. 😉

jackson hole golfer magazine page

A couple excerpts:

I watch as your other lovers come and go (and return again) and I want you to know that I fully support and even encourage you to flirt with, seduce, and stimulate as many people as possible.

I love our open relationship. When I’m feeling intimate, I can have you all to myself. I can bring along a trio of friends and you’re always willing. You even introduce me to new and passionate partners I wouldn’t have otherwise met.

If the magazine isn’t distributed in your area, you can read the rest at the JHGolfer website.

Jackson Hole Golfer is from the publishers of Jackson Hole Snowboarder, which has already distributed three annual books. Congratulations to the team on their new endeavor into the world of golf. There are some courses in Jackson I can’t wait to get my clubs on! I recently returned from a road trip to Wyoming, and came very close to meeting and playing golf with the editor but I didn’t quite make it to Jackson. I’ve got family in the area, though, and I know I’ll be hitting those links in the future.

Stay tuned for more details from that trip including the course I did play and other assorted fun stuff! 😀

“I Wanted to Beat Her, but I Could Not.”

When Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa battled it out here, Ochoa won. Twice in a row.

Back in real life, the two top female golfers went at it in Ixtapa, Mexico on Saturday, where Annika took 11 skins to Lorena’s 7, making it the 3rd year in a row she defeated the now top-ranked female golfer.

lorena annika skins mexico

AP photo from last year’s match in Acapulco.

Since this isn’t an LPGA event, might Annika continue to play it after she retires at the end of this year? That’s something I might submit to the Q&A section of her blog, where she also wrote about this weekend’s event.

Lorena vs. Men?

Before the skins game, Lorena mentioned that she would consider playing against men in the future. She is growing more and more dominant on the LPGA Tour, but she still can’t take down Queen Annika one-on-one. Do you think she should compete against the men either in a Tour event, a skins match or some other exhibition? Here’s a quick poll to have your say, and as always, you’re welcome to share additional thoughts in the comments.

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Golf Clubs on Board

After a whirlwind road trip, I’m back home in time to celebrate Independence Day locally. We drove a total of 2200 miles and arrived home yesterday afternoon and unloaded the filthy vehicle.

When we were planning the trip, we had concerns about fitting everything in the car. We folded down the rear row of seats to make a sleeping area for Vito. That left only the back seat to pack all our stuff, including our luggage, dog food, bowls, toys, treats, etc., our golf clubs and the requisite travel cooler. It became clear that we had to acquire some kind of external system/rack/container to transport our gear.

I knew we would likely be traveling with golf clubs and Vito many times in the coming years, and thought it might be worth investing in the higher-priced solutions like Thule or Yakima carriers. However, facing the ridiculous price of fuel for our trip, we hoped for a more affordable solution. Greg browsed around the ‘net and found one and we jumped on it.

Introducing… the Roofbag.

roof bag

Size matters

Our criteria were pretty simple: it had to be long and wide enough to hold two golf bags at the least, it had to be durable and waterproof, it had to be able to be secured tightly to the roof and allow the back hatch to open, and it had to be priced right. It didn’t have to be pretty, it didn’t have to be sleek and it didn’t have to be fancy.

We put it to the test and it passed with flying colors.

In addition to the bag itself, we ordered an extra set of straps and the protective mat. When not in use, the bag folds up nicely and fits in a handy storage pouch that comes with it standard. And you get all that for a little over $100 including shipping.

How it held up

It not only held our golf bags, we also packed a large suitcase, a large container of dog food, a collapsible set of tall dog bowls, fishing poles, and golf shoes in it. On the way home, we crammed Greg’s big trash bag of dirty laundry in it as well. The rest of our stuff was easily stacked on the back seat between us and Vito’s lounge.

We knew security would be an issue as it doesn’t lock to the vehicle and could easily be stolen in its entirety or cut to get at the goods inside. At each stop along the way, we had to unload everything into our room and repack in the morning. The first loading took about an hour but we had the process smoothed down to about 15 minutes as the trip went on. The most tedious part was securing the straps. We will probably get some ratchet straps for it to make the process easier next time around.

The Roofbag became a centerpiece of our trip. The routine of packing and unpacking it started as a hassle and became a comedic challenge. Vito is so worried he’ll be left behind, he just jumps into his “lounge” and waits as the loading occurs. He will not exit the vehicle under any circumstances. People and animals can pass as they please. We can go in and out of the house as many times as we want, leaving the hatch wide open. The dog’s not going anywhere. We could run around raucously playing with his toys and giving other dogs his treats and he would just lie there. “You will not leave without me.” He’d say Roof, we’d say Bag. Occasionally, we’d follow that up with the Expedia jingle ending… DOT COMMMMMM!

roof bag side view

Surprisingly aerodynamic

We didn’t exactly conduct a thorough or scientific test like the Mythbusters did on the pickup truck with the tailgate down and/or netted, but according to the mileage gauge on my car, having the roofbag on it only reduced our mpg by about 1 (0.7 – 1.2). We started with four straps but quickly discovered that 3 did the trick. We packed it slightly lower in the front and higher in the back (also the way the bag is shaped) and secured one of the straps close to the front to keep it tight to the roof and not let any air catch under it. It didn’t even add much noise to the drive. One leg on the way home, we got a little careless and heard a whirring sound and sure enough, we had left a gap in our hasty packing.

Details, details

We only encountered one brief patch of rain along the way but the roofbag protected our goods. Driving around on dirt roads, some dust did sneak into the back portion where the zippers come together, but nothing damaging. There is a flap that covers the zipper and under normal circumstances, I’d bet nothing would get in there. We really put it to the test. I’ve never seen my car so filthy. Previously unseen fingerprints on the doors lit up with dirt like an exaggerated CSI demonstration. Dust was caked into every nook and cranny around the exterior. It was unrecognizable, which is to be expected on a trip like this. Just like the windshield, the front of the bag was peppered with bugs but the gray color we chose hardly even showed the dirt. And the material is so durable it can just be hosed off (I’ll let Greg deal with that – ewww… bugs).

It is what it is

It’s a bag. It goes on your vehicle’s roof. So they call it the Roofbag. Not a car rack container system with a name like Thule that many people can’t pronounce (I think it’s Tooly), but a roof bag. Simple. Affordable. Comes in gray or black. It may not be as convenient as the locking, snapping hard case jobbies but it does the job. And for us, it will probably do the job again and again until we feel like going fancy and can make room to store a sleek, pretty Thule.

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Road Trip Notes

Rain, cold temps, high winds? Those conditions won’t keep golfers off the course. So what will? Extreme heat!

We are currently driving through Mesquite, NV and the temperature gauge reads 114. Middle of the day, beautiful golf courses, not a single golfer out there. Not one on any of the holes seen from the road. Empty. Wide open.

What keeps you off the course? What are the worst conditions you have endured?

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Star Valley Ranch Golf

I just finished playing Cedar Creek in Star Valley Ranch in Thayne, WY. Beautiful. I’ll give more details later as I’m blogging from my GooseBerry now.

I am about to head back up the Grey’s River above Alpine, where about 35 or 40 of my family members have taken over a great lodge. Big party up there tonight for my uncle’s birthday with a terrific band. My family knows how to party!

We have ZERO cell/internet service up there (not to mention limited electricity) so I figured I’d post this real quickly before making my way back up.

More later!

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Things I Have in Common with Michelle Wie

There aren’t many, I admit, but there are a few. I also admit that while I’m glad for many of the things we don’t have in common, I sure wish I had her potential in golf. That said, here’s what we do share:

  • Skipped a lot of school (wish mine had been for golf)
  • Enjoy Cheerios (educated uneducated guess)
  • Wrist pain
  • Wish we could putt like Tiger Woods (what, you have something in common with her too?)
  • Won’t win the US Open this year
  • Thought we could
  • Occasionally delusional

I think that about covers it.

michelle wie us open putting drill

Photo by Ashley Mayo. Check out her live blogging from the Women’s US Open to read about the putting drill pictured and all the US Open action on the Golf For Women Editor’s blog.

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Road Trip Update

We’re almost there. It has been a leisurely drive and we’re taking our time. We also have company in our convoy but I still can’t release details since the surprise hasn’t happened yet. We have seen many golf courses and Greg may go play a little nine-holer across the street from where we’re staying in the morning while Vito and I sleep (relatively) late. We only have a couple hours driving left so we aren’t in any rush. I’d play with him but we can’t leave Vito alone in the room.

Anyway, here are a few photos from our journey so far. More to come.

road trip

I love Utah.

vito great dane ear flap in window

Flapping in the 70 mph breeze. Too bad the camera didn’t catch the lips in full flap position.

vito great dane yawn

Are we there yet?

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Road Trip!

Would anyone in their right mind take a 2000 mile road trip instead of flying these days? Dunno – you’d have to ask someone in their right mind.dog on board

Despite the insane fuel prices, we’re going on a road trip tomorrow. Of course we have to take Vito with us, and he’s nowhere near ready for the trauma of being stuffed in a giant crate and treated like cargo on an airplane. So we’re loading up the car and heading out. That’s quite a trick with a dog this size and luggage and golf clubs, but we’ve got a plan.

Can’t give you too many details now as our arrival is meant to be a surprise and even though the surprisee will likely never see this, better safe than sorry. I don’t think I’ll have much opportunity to blog while I’m there but I’ll try. If not, I’ll be sure to fill you in when I get back. Meanwhile, stay cool out there!

May they all roll true…

Great Dane Vito

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Great golf course closing soon – play now!

There are a couple of weekends left to get your round(s) in at a terrific golf course. I’ve written about Primm Valley Golf Club before and I absolutely love both of its 18-hole courses.

primm valley golf club lakes course

There are two golf courses on the property – the Lakes and the Desert. They’re amazingly different from each other so you’ll want to play both. My favorite is the Lakes, simply because I play it better and I like all the water. But here’s the thing: Primm uses bent grass on its greens and some poa annua grass has crept onto the Lakes Course greens. It’s spreading around (probably on people’s cleats) but luckily it hasn’t reached the Desert Course. Many courses use poa annua by design or by accident because it takes over. The greens crew is keeping them rolling well for the mean time and the course still plays great (I was just there a few weeks ago).

Rather than attempt the commonly failed overseeding method to fix it as some courses do, Primm is closing the Lakes Course down completely for 3+ months to repair the greens. At least they chose the hottest months to do it. The date of closure is June 30 so the last day to play Lakes is June 29.

That leaves two more full weekends to play both courses on an affordable trip. Primm Valley Golf Club is owned by Mandalay Bay, but they partner with Terrible’s, the casino/hotels on the Nevada side of the California/Nevada stateline. The courses themselves are a couple miles down the road on the California side. They’ve got great rates (even lower in these hot summer months) that allow you to stay and play without breaking the bank like many of the resorts in Las Vegas proper. Two people can stay Friday & Saturday nights and play both courses on Saturday and Sunday for just $195/person. So if you’re tired of “stay-cations” and want a quick getaway, this is a great option. But you’ll want to play both of these golf courses so you better get cracking.

The course reopens on October 18th 2008, when the rate for the above mentioned package increases to $295/person. Still a great deal, especially since the weather is so nice then, so if you can’t get away this month, just wait until fall.

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