Hope everyone had a lovely Easter.
Here’s a special gift I received from a thoughtful someone, or vice versa. Makes me smile.
The Golfchick
That chick blabbing about anything golf related.
Author: golfchick (page 9 of 46)
Brittany Lincicome made the shot of her life on Sunday which led to her fantastic victory at the Dinah Shore, but she’s got nothing on the little golf chicks I played with a few hours earlier.
When Jenna got new golf clubs for Christmas, her original Snoopy set was bestowed on her sister, Kate. I’ve been wanting to play golf with them since then and we finally got together for a golfchick round. It was a gorgeous day for golf. Jenna and Kate were the stars of the show while their mother and I simply filled out the foursome.
Jenna’s new Acculength golf clubs are specially designed for junior players. The only expandable clubs in the world, they will grow with her for several seasons so she can learn the game with a properly fitted set.
They come in plenty of colors for boys and girls, but this golf chicklet is a pink panther in the making, so naturally she got the pink set. Jenna especially loves her driver, which she used on the tee, in the fairway, from the rough and even in the bunkers. Okay, so we need to work on that, but Paula Creamer better watch her back.
Her Snoopy clubs were adorable, but way too small for her these days. Perfect for Kate, though. Kate spent more time thinking and talking about Webkinz than playing golf, but she got some swings in with Snoopy, Woodstock and Charlie Brown.
It was a uniquely enjoyable round and I look forward to playing with them again. I’d like for it to become a frequent occurrence so I can watch (and take part in) the development of their games and knowledge of the rules and etiquette surrounding it. Kate may not have the interest or focus on the sporting aspect right now, but while her attention span lasted – almost the entire round – she enjoyed the social aspect and the walk in the park. Jenna, on the other hand, really seems keen on the golf itself. Her frustration at less-than-stellar shots was adorably grown up and I think she’s got some competitive fire in there.
As if the privilege of golfing with them wasn’t enough, at the end of the round they gave me these custom creations as a parting gift. Thanks, little golf chicks!
As the Kraft Nabisco (Dinah Shore) got underway today, the women of the LPGA were making and missing putts on slick, true greens in their first major of the year. The announcers just would not stop talking about the “Indio effect,” which just means the greens tend to break toward the town of Indio even if they don’t look like they will.
Meanwhile, I went out for a local round and encountered the seediest sandiest greens I’ve ever seen. Seriously, it was like putting on a beach. The bunkers there seem to be mostly hard dirt, so maybe they should reconsider how they want to use all that sand. Waaaah. I’m such a whiner. Somehow I managed to squeak in at 90 but still, I think I want my money back. This photo has not been doctored in any way.
Despite her best efforts, Natalie Gulbis still isn’t quite a household name for some golf fans. At least not with correct pronunciation.
The other night, a few of us were playing some video golf on a friend’s gaming system. We scrolled through the pros to choose our players, and when it was my turn, a friend recommended that I choose “Natalie Goobless.” So he knew who she was, I guess he just thought she didn’t have any goobs. We had a good laugh at that.
Natalie Gulbis, sans goobs. Photo by the brilliant Patrick Micheletti.
Incidentally, I chose Cristie Kerr. I thought this friend would have known I would, since before he became known simply as friend and Vito’s baby daddy, he played the role of my boyfriend for years. But then I guess that makes sense.
Speaking of Natalie, I actually watched a terrible television show just to see how she was on it. I wasted my time because The Celebrity Apprentice gave her all of about 30 seconds of screen time in favor of showing Donald Trump’s embarrassing crush on Dennis Rodman for an hour or more. I swear, he’s in love!
I get bruises on my thigh from my irons. You know, when you take a full iron shot and on the follow through the club comes around over your shoulder and back? It frequently bangs into the outside of my right thigh. It doesn’t really hurt at the time but I always end up with bruises there. The shots are good, but I must be doing something wrong. We can’t be meant to hurt ourselves like that, right? Am I the only one?
You may have heard that Arnold Schwarzenegger was proposing a tax on golf as part of the new California budget. Apparently, golfers who opposed the tax made themselves heard to the Sacramento lawmakers because when the budget was presented, the golf tax wasn’t part of it. Some people surmised that golfers were targeted for the outdated notion of their affluence across the board, but the state originally contended that golf was marked as an easy thing to tax since the infrastructure for collection was already in place at municipal courses. Though the tax would have reached beyond the munis and dug into the pockets of the wealthier golfers, the impact on lower income players, children’s programs and services that would have suffered from decreased funding due to the tax might have been what changed the politicians’ minds and ultimately caused the tax’s elimination from the budget proposal.
California’s financial position is in definite crisis and the new budget, if passed, will include an increase in sales and income taxes, to name a few. However, I agree with the people who opposed the golf tax as it seemed unfair and would do more harm than good. The California Alliance for Golf may have played a key role in getting lawmakers to see that position. They coordinated the efforts of regional golf leagues and agencies like the SCGA and NCGA to get word out to members to make their voices heard. Personally, I know the SCGA did a really good job communicating the issue and keeping us informed on the situation, and I want to thank them and every member who made the effort to get this tax off the proposed budget.
Just a little off-topic post to try to jump start this stagnant blog.
Here’s a little taste of a couple happenings in my absence from the blogosphere. Perhaps you read the headline and thought it was an oxymoronic metaphor for my life, but it’s actually quite literal.
As I let weeds grow around this blog, plant life seems to be taking over other areas as well. So let’s start with the roots in my pipes. I have a toilet that had a really slow flush and one day, ugly dirt (yes, dirt) started bubbling up and over. Time to break down and actually call the plumber. I was disappointed yet relieved that he displayed no stereotypical crack for me to spackle, but he did find and solve the problem.
Yes, that’s an actual tree root.
Since then I’ve had another plumber come in, this time to fix a leak from upstairs dripping down into the shower. Problem solved, but I’m still waiting on the drywall contractor to come fix the hole.
Now let’s move onto the party in my drawers. Sorry, but I’ll leave it up to you to create your own salacious scenario here. What I’m here to tell you about is the party in my kitchen. When I was redecorating, I painted only one drawer red. It is the drawer that contains such handy implements as wine & bottle openers. You know, the “party drawer.” So if anyone asked me where those items were I could simply say “the red drawer.”
Recently, I found out that in the absence of human parties, those implements have been having their own fun. I opened the drawer to retrieve the aforementioned wine opener and here is what I saw:
Looks like MC Ice Cream Scoop (Ice is such a popular handle) decided to pump up the volume and entertain the other misfits in this drawer I obviously care very little about with a few notable exceptions. Good for him.
So, am I back? Will there soon be some actual golf related material here? As a friend recently pointed out to me, this is a difficult horse to get back on once you’ve been off for so long. But it is my sincere hope that now that I’ve posted something, I’ll get on my butt and start writing about all the golf topics that have been piling up in my head and share them with you.
If you’re still here after all this time, thank you! And I apologize for the lengthy dearth of content here.
Yesterday I had the privilege and honor to play in a memorial golf tournament for a wonderful man who recently lost his battle with cancer. It was a beautiful way to celebrate his life and honor his memory.
Pete was kind, funny, warm and respectful, a terrificly proud father, and had an incredible passion for golf. He passed that passion onto his son, who put the tournament together. It was held at the same golf course where he taught his son to play. That son became a successful golf professional (for privacy purposes I’ll not name him) with a loving family of his own and was the most gracious host. He teed off in the last group which allowed him to welcome and thank all 18 foursomes who came out for the event. He bravely held it together throughout that process and naturally his emotions got to him out on the course. I’m sure Pete is as proud of him as ever.
Propped up on the first tee was Pete’s golf bag. Next to that were his golf shoes and two tall Budweisers along with a touching collage of photographs. Ever try teeing off with tears in your eyes?
Pete, you are missed.
There’s a great abundance of coconuts
And there’s even more ifs ‘n’ ands ‘n’ buts
Lots of coconuts, ifs ‘n’ ands ‘n’ buts
But there’s only one of you.
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Can I Get a Ruling?
Should Tiger have incurred a two stroke penalty on the 13th hole in the first round at The Masters?
Tiger Woods, Jeev Milkha Singh and Stewart Cink all landed the 13th green in two on day one at Augusta. Tiger and Stewart both missed their eagle putts. Tiger walked up to his ball, marked and lifted it, then looked around for Jeev. After getting Jeev’s attention, Tiger pointed at his own marker as if to ask “is that in your way?” Indeed, he ended up moving his marker off the line and Jeev made his eagle. So the question is:
Did Tiger give advice to Jeev by indicating the line of the putt? The USGA defines advice as: any counsel or suggestion that could influence a player in determining his play, the choice of a club or the method of making a stroke. The penalty for a breach of either rule 8-1 or 8-2 is two strokes.
Any rules wizards out there? I’m not trying to be a narc, I just like to understand the rules as best I can.
Next post.