Spring 2015: We've got the POWER!

BIRDIE JUICE • FRIENDS + RULES • A 6-DAY GOLF DATE • READER DISCOUNTS

SPRING 2015

We've got the POWER! Unleash yours with the latest tips, tricks and tools for more distance PLUS 3 exercises and 4 drills AND DO IT ALL IN YOUR STYLE

LEXI THOMPSON

CONTENTS COVER PHOTO BY CHRIS TROTMAN/GETTY IMAGES

COVER STORIES: POWER YOUR GAME

Lexi Thompson interview................... 6 Lesson: 4 power moves....................... 8 Expert tips...............................................11 Glossary: Linda Ronstadt.................. 17 Gear: Long drivers............................... 23 Fitness: 3 strengtheners.................... 26

2 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

5 power sippers What's in your flask? Celebrate your new-found distance with the right Birdie Juice.

30

All about style

Scoops on Rules and the pros friendship

Match your attitude with the right brand —and then take the poll.

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Lydia Ko hoists another trophy while Michelle Wie gets airtime and more young players loom large.

56

How to help a pal who's new to the game start playing by the rules. Gail Rogers explains.

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READING TIP Click on the second tool from right in the box up top to expand pages.

OR: Click HERE for SINGLE PAGE view.

A distant memory

Love on the links?

A course for us

What happens when the girl with the natural swing tries to recover her game later in life.

(Don't miss the cartoon.)

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TeedUp and GolfWineDine embark on a sixday golf date to California. What he said and what she said.

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Starfire wins certification from the National Women's Golf Alliance for its many femalefriendly features.

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Women's Golf Alliance Special Section Inside

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GottaGoGolf I February 2011 I 3

Susan Fornoff Founder and Editor-in-Chief Patricia Rose Duignan Business Development Director Andi Bivens Designer Bill Burnett Copy Chief Cheryl Stotler 19th Hole Editor CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kay Rae Chomic, Katharine Dyson, Emily Kay, Katherine Roberts, Gail Rogers, Debbie Waitkus, Sue Wieger ILLUSTRATION Cathy Bowman, Tobe Daranouvong PHOTOGRAPHY Getty Images, Dreamstime, iStock Photo, Shutterstock Website: www.GottaGoGolf.com Email: feedback@GottaGoGolf.com Phone: 510.507.3249 For information about ad rates and sponsorships, contact Rose Duignan at 510.495.4909 or email Rose@gottagogolf.com.

All material ©GottaGoGolf 2015 unless otherwise noted.

4 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

EDITOR'S NOTE Hello again

Welcome to the relaunch of GottaGoGolf, the magazine for women.

We made our rookie appearance 2010-2012 but couldn’t keep our card, as the pros say.

Still, we continued to believe that women golfers deserved a golf magazine of their own, and now we return as a partner with the Women’s Golf Alliance.

The Alliance, an umbrella organization to 20 state and regional associations, is offering the magazine to its 120,000 affiliated members for free. Check out their newsletter after page 46.

GottaGoGolf’s newsletter subscribers as of March 1 also are receiving complimentary copies. Thank you for your engagement and support.

We believe there’s power in numbers, which is partly why the theme of this Spring 2015 issue is: We’ve got the POWER! Of course, we would all like to hit the ball farther (no, we don’t want to hit it further, that would mean we are taking more shots), and so there are many tips in the pages of this issue.

But we also treasure the power we feel

when we look good, which is why our “What’s YOUR style?” feature fits the theme.

It is a fun piece that we hope will help shorten your shopping trials and tribulations.

There’s power in helping a friend learn the rules, in rediscovering the game after 10 years away and in toasting a birdie. And how about the middle-aged couple that meets online and agrees to a six-day first date that’s all about golf? We’ve got her story AND his story, and they are gutsy.

A word about our format: We’re using 16-point type that we hope you’ll find easy to read on your smartphone or tablet. But when you open the reader on your laptop or home PC, you’ll see this button on the top bar: . Click on that to go to full-screen view.

You can also choose the type size you prefer from this bar at the bottom of your screen: Share your impressions with us at feedback@GottaGoGolf.com. And, please, be sure to visit our advertisers’ sites. They all support women’s golf and are making special offers for you. We wouldn’t be here without them, and you.

—Susan Fornoff, Founder and Editor-in-Chief

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GottaGoGolf I FEBRUARY 2011 I 5

COVER INTERVIEW

Lexi Thompson talks hair color, training— and good parenting

Lexi Thompson’s not a teenager anymore. The defending champion in the LPGA’s first major of the season—for so long the Dinah Shore, then the Kraft Nabisco, and April 2–5 for the first time the ANA Inspiration—turned 20 on Feb. 10 and celebrated with dinner with the family.

Now she’s geared up for a comeback of sorts. Ranked 10th in the world in 2014, Thompson didn’t win a second tournament after her plunge into Poppy’s Pond at Mission Hills.

GottaGoGolf caught up with the 6-foot Puma poster girl at the PGA Show in Orlando, Fla., and went fishing for a long-drive tip from one of the tour's biggest sluggers. Did we get one? See for yourself.

On being blonde at 19 and brunette at 20: “I just wanted to be blonde, I had natural blonde highlights. But my roots were showing with my blonde hair, so...

“It’s been a good reaction. My natural color is dark, my eyebrows are dark.

Everybody thinks I was a natural blonde, but (she smiles), I wasn’t... It’s just hair, I can always go back.”

6 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

“People

think to hit it farther you need to swing harder, which isn’t necessarily true. You just need to get that center contact feeling.”

—Lexi Thompson

Lexi Th

COURTESY OF COBRA GOLF

On 2015: “I think overall I’m trying to play consistently throughout the year. I’ve worked a lot in the offseason practicing and working on some swing changes, so we’ll see how that goes. I mean little stuff—mainly footwork and the way my body comes through impact.”

On working out: “I used to run a lot, but now it’s mostly biking. I like to bike at least 10 miles a day. And then strength training is a lot of balance and flexibility work—bosu ball with medicine ball throws, or bosu squats while holding weights. It’s not too much straight-up lifting, because I don’t want to pull anything, just keep everything safe.”

On her mom Judy’s golf game: “She played in high school and college—played on Christmas the last few years, and she’s still got it. I think that’s where I got it from.”

On how best to parent a golf wunderkind: “I would say what my parents did the best was they were always supportive of everything I did, all of my golf decisions— turning pro, playing in certain tournaments...They never pushed me. I was the one saying, ‘I’m going to go practice till dark so I can figure my golf swing out,’ and they just let me go. But they were always there for me.”

On how the rest of us can hit the ball farther: “People think to hit it farther you need to swing harder, which isn’t necessarily true. You just need to get that center contact feeling. Then when you get that center contact feeling of what you are doing throughout your golf swing, that’s when you can start swinging a bit harder. Good tempo and posture are very important. And yes, it does take a lot of practice. I started golfing when I was 5 and did online schooling so I could practice 5–7 hours a day.”

hompson will defend her Kraft Nabisco trophy April 2–5 in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

GottaGoGolf I SPRING 2015 I 7

COVER LESSON

By Sue Wieger

Hit it farther without changing your swing: Learn PRESSURE Sue Wieger, an 18-year LPGA Class "A" golf professional who operates the Sue Wieger Golf Academy in Arizona, has a master's in psychology and bachelor's degree in education. Check her schedule at suewiegergolf.com.

8 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

Women tend to lose distance by releasing the club’s energy too early, causing lower clubhead speeds and errant golf shots.

We all know lower clubhead speed will reduce the distance on shots. So how can we increase clubhead speed? The key is to pressurize your body to the club and build pressure through the golf swing until your finish.

Think of martial arts training, for example—breaking a board with your bare hands. This motion and outcome result from storing energy in the body and then releasing it to strike with energy into the board.

We do the same in the golf swing: We build energy and then strike a golf ball. If you lose pressure and have a “perfect position” golf swing, you still will not hit the ball very far.

Remember, pressure is not the same as tension. Tension (bad) causes slower clubhead speed because the body is tight and cannot move freely or with ease and with power and strength. Pressure (good) is a great component of building strength in your golf swing.

Another great distance factor is balance, and you gain balance by learning pressure. Stay pressurized and the body will stay balanced. If you lose balance you will lose clubhead speed because you body will want to recover or move or compensate so it does not fall over, causing errant shots and lost distance.

1

2

3

4

Teach yourself the following simple steps to start learning pressure.

1 Hold your fist out in front of you while standing with elbows at 45-degree angles. Squeeze your fists at a pressure of 2 on a scale of 1-10 (feeling like they are just barely squeezing your fingers into your hands).

Next, start counting up to 9, and as you count start squeezing your fist to match the number.

Count slowly at first. Start by squeezing at 2, squeeze at 3, etc.

Then practice counting faster. Practice building pressure from a 2 up to a 9.

Then count slower between numbers and squeeze, then count faster between numbers so you can start to feeling the difference in pressure.

Change up the sequence of the speed of the count. Count slowly up to 4 then speed count up to 9 then change it up again. Learn to feel the difference between speeds and pressure feel.

2 Take your address golf position without a club and interlock your fingers and do the same exercise. Start at 2 and count to 9, building pressure in your hands and forearms and upper arms.

Practice the same routine count at different speeds without moving your arms. You are going to feel the arms feel lengthened naturally.

3 Act like you have a club in your hand and practice building pressure in your golf swing. Start at 2 and build up into 9 as you take your golf swing.

Practice building up the pressure as you swing.

You start your backswing at 2-3 and as you swing keep building the pressure so that you finish with a 9.

Allow all that energy to be released at the end of your swing, not during.

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GottaGoGolf I SPRING 2015 I 9

LESSON “If you lose pressure and have a ‘perfect position’ golf swing, you still will not hit the ball very far.”

4 Take a volleyball or lightweight basketball and hold onto it within your golf setup posture. Practice building pressure while holding the ball. Take half swings while building pressure.

As you feel pressure building in your backswing, I guarantee you will want to toss the ball underhand with some force.

Practice tossing the ball into a wall with both hands together to feel the release of the swing.

We use this drill and love tossing the ball into walls to practice building pressure and swing sequence. It’s fun, and a very functional exercise for the golf swing.

You will be amazed how much harder the ball flies into the wall when the body is properly pressurized and you build the pressure as you swing.

10 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

For golfers of all abilities and all levels of flexibility.

PLAY BETTER. PLAY STRONGER. PLAY LONGER.

NO YOGA EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Katherine Roberts’ Yoga For Golfers® (YFG) applies yoga-based physical and mental conditioning to the biomechanics of the golf swing to extend your body’s ability to play. With YFG, you’ll play better and longer with more confidence and increased enjoyment.

YFG’s New Par Level Series ³

Available in both Instant Download and DVD formats.

YFG Golfer’s Profile ³

Instantly create your free, personalized YFG workout.

Certified YFG Instructors ³

Certify with Katherine LIVE or through online home study.

www.YogaForGolfers.com RESPECT TRADITION. EMBRACE INNOVATION. TRANSFORM YOUR GAME.

To Your Success!

COVER TIPS

How does your drive compare to that of the typical LPGA Tour player?

According to the measuring system TrackMan, her swing speed with the driver is 94 mph. Her attack angle is 3 degrees, her launch angle 13.2 degrees and her spin rate is 2611 rpm. Her ball speed is 140, her maximum height is 25 yards and the drive travels 218 yards on the fly.

And then there’s Yani Tseng (shown at right), who led the LPGA Tour in the early going of 2015 with an average drive of 280 yards.

Ah, so you have a ways to go? The equipment companies would recommend you get fitted for a new driver. The teachers, however, have some other ideas that cost much less and can help you much more.

See if you can find one good tip on these pages and give it a go. Who knows, maybe then you’ll be watching your golf ball go, go and go.

2014 PHOTO BY CHUNG SUNG-JIN/GETTY IMAGES

EXPERT ADVICE: How women can drive for distance

Yani Tseng credits trainer David Donatucci for her booming drives of late.

MORE GottaGoGolf I SPRING 2015 I 11

TIPS

“Did you know that after 35 we lose one degree of flexibility each year? Did you know that the loss of flexibility negatively impacts balance? One of the best bits of advice I have given to my students with GREAT results has been for them to take one fewer lesson from me each week and seek out practitioner-assisted stretching. My students have seen such a tremendous impact on their lives that I became a certified practitioner with Stretch Zone, and I myself get stretched twice a week.”

—Jane Broderick, Director of Golf (PGA Master Professional, LPGA Master Professional), PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

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“

This tip is for all level of players, but especially those who have lost distance or are just stuck at where they are: Get the clubhead moving. First, find out if you are hitting in the center of the face by spraying it with some Dr. Scholls foot spray. You will see exactly where the ball strikes the face. Second, swing the club head faster! Too many women become protective with the driver and try to steer the ball down the fairway. The best drivers of the ball are free and flowing, having a specific target but swinging like they are swinging out to the ocean. The swing must have energy and the clubhead must get "thrown." The right wrist flexes and extends. To get the feeling take a long head cover, hold on the sock part and throw or fling it around you in the finish. Overhand serve in tennis is the same motion.

Take a golf ball in your right hand and feel like your hand is going to brush your left hip as you throw it around you, palm up. ” —Krista Dunton, Senior Instructor Berkeley Hall Club (PGA, LPGA) , Bluffton, S.C.

“ Make sure that your grips fit you

properly so that you can hold the club in the fingers. Grips that are too large eliminate this ability and if you hold the club in the palm, you have to hold so tightly to keep the club from slipping that speed is sacrificed.”

—Kellie Stenzel, Director of Instruction (LPGA Professional, PGA Master Professional), Palm Beach (Fla.) Par 3, Boca Raton Resort & Club

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GottaGoGolf I SPRING 2015 I 13

TIPS

“

PHOTO BY ETSYSTATIC.COM

Not many women can beat a man in arm wrestling. I feel that if a woman can build strength in her wrists and forearms (the small muscles), that newfound energy will feed the big muscles and result in a confident, powerful swing. Develop forearm strength with this drill: Attach a rope with a weight at the end to the middle of a broomstick.

Extend your arms parallel to the ground and, using your wrists, roll the weight up and then slowly back down. Start with a pound or two and challenge yourself with a weight that makes it difficult to hold your arms parallel to the ground from the start.”

—Jim Wysocki, “San Francisco’s Favorite Pro,” www.theswingfixer.com

“If you do this three times a week, you will find your golf swing will have more speed along with more balance.”

—Robert Penner, Level 2 Certified K-Vest Instructor, Ted & Dave Custom Golf , Calgary, Canada.

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WATCH NOW

WATCH NOW

“Here’s the tip I give ladies who want more distance.”

—Nancy Quarcelino. Founder, Nancy Quarcelino School of Golf (PGA/LPGA, LPGA T&CP Hall of Fame), www.QSOG.com

“Most of us could use more hand and forearm strength. These work better than squeezing a tennis ball.”

—Dede Braun-Moriarty, LPGA and PGA, Presidio Golf Course, San Francisco, Calif.

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PHOTO BY CHOKESPORTS.COM

GottaGoGolf I SPRING 2015 I 15

“ An important element for the beginning

to intermediate player searching for those few extra yards is the first move on your takeaway. The width of a player's swing arc will assist with those needed extra yards.

The first move the club needs to make on your take away is to extend the club head low, close to the grass for about 3 to 5 inches behind the ball. Then allow the club to proceed up the swing plane. Always remember to extend your club head and swing that extra 3 to 5 inches as you swing back through to the ball on your follow through. Try to match the width of your arc on your take away with the width on your follow through.”

—Beth Blevins, Director of Instruction (PGA), Summergrove Golf Academy, Newman, Georgia. www. summergrovegolf.com

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“ Some ladies have been taught to slow down their swing in order to hit

the ball. Perhaps it's a fear of losing balance or losing control and wanting to guide the ball, but whatever the reason, ditch that idea. Don't be afraid to move fast. Start training today! Try the seven-ball speed drill.

First, tee up seven balls in a row. Set up to the first shot and as soon as you are set you hit the ball. You then go on to the next shot and hit all seven balls as quickly as you can. This eliminates the time it takes to get set up to the ball. It helps you shut down your intellect and access your inner athlete (motor cortex) so that you stop thinking and let it go. You will be surprised at how many good shots you can hit when you are not really trying to focus, over-think and take a lot of time. ”

—Wendi Wiese, Texas Team Junior Golf and Director of Golf Instruction (PGA), Pebble Creek Country Club, College Station, Texas, TexasTeam.org

The power of the 'Linda Ronstadt' You’ve just belted your best drive of the day, and as your companions watch your ball come to rest several yards farther down the fairway than theirs, one of them says, “Wow. Linda Ronstadt.”

What do you say? Try, “Thank you.”

It’s a great compliment – and not just because Linda Ronstadt could really belt out a song. (And if you need a refresher on that, please visit YouTube and watch young Linda’s “Love Has No Pride.”)

No, the Linda Ronstadt golf expression (at first more popular with baseball pitchers) actually originated with one of

her hit songs, “Blue Bayou.”

A golfer who hammered her drive could turn to her opponent and say, “Blue Bayou,” meaning “I just blew by you.”

Eventually, the rather rudesounding “Blue Bayou” evolved into the sweet sound of “Linda Ronstadt.” As with most golf compliments, it’s best offered to others than boasted of one’s self. — Susan Fornoff

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GottaGoGolf I SPRING 2015 I 17

TIPS In a study done by Dr. Angelo Scarpati in New “ Jersey, using the members at his club he found

that the best way to increase club head speed and ball speed (measured using the TrackMan) was to incorporate the Titleist Performance Institute golf fitness program with SPEED circuit training.

Try this lower body speed and strength exercise I call “Skaters” Bend slightly forward at the hips and jump from side to side building up speed similar to a speed skater. Do that for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds and repeat 4 times.”— Helen Kurtin, Co-founder of Golf Body Performance Center in St. Louis, Missouri (LPGA-PGA), www.golfbodypc.com

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“ Try teeing the ball higher. Most

amateurs tee the ball too low and try to "help" the ball get into the air. Let the loft of the driver/club do the work for you! Keep your takeaway low to the ground, and this will help you swing up and through the ball at contact. And it's a must to make sure you have the proper equipment, it will make a world of difference.”

—Nikki Gatch, Co-Owner/Operator (PGA), Emerald Isle Golf Course, Oceanside, Calif. (www.emeraldislegc.com)

GottaGoGolf I FEBRUARY 2011 I 19

COVER GEAR: INTERVIEW

It’s not all about pink shafts and purple heads When Powerbilt sent GottaGoGolf an Air Force One demo driver, out of the box came a most manly, macho piece of equipment that appeared to be built expressly for our hairy-chested friends.

But this particular driver came in a flex, length and loft suited for the average woman player, so we tried it. And we liked it. The nitrogen-pressured head swings easily yet makes the kind of audible contact with the golf ball that will make your foursome’s heads pop up to see what just happened.

So we caught up with Powerbilt CEO Ross Kvinge in his Palm Springs office to ask about the technology behind the Air Force One. What we found out just might make us come to love black and gold.

Ross Kvinge, CEO, Powerbilt 20 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

COURTESY OF POWERBILT

ON THE NITROGEN: “With the technology enabling us to pressurize the head with nitrogen, we’re able to thin up the walls and face of the golf club. We call it weightless space support...What we’re able to do is find a very consistent shot time after time – and because of the nitrogen our ball speed is faster, especially for seniors and women who are looking for more distance, it really helps. Everyone asks, especially after they hit it, ‘Is this legal?’” (It is.)

ON FIT: “Our goal with the Air Force One is a 5-mph improvement in your swing speed. That’s 8 to 15 yards more, depending on your overall swing speed. If you’re not getting that, you need a custom fitting so that you have the appropriate length, loft and launch angle.”

ON THE LOOKS: “It is a little bit manly. To be honest, we’re a small company and we haven’t been able to have a huge offering of product. One thing we have done is

have the influence of Lynne Cowan, one of the country’s top women amateurs and our sales rep in Northern California. She’s pushed us, and we’re going to be adding a 14- and 16-degree loft to this. We do have to improve from a cosmetic standpoint and get something a little softer. But on the other hand, I had a couple of women friends over the other night who thought it looked pretty cool. So we don’t all want pink and baby blue and purple.”

ON OTHER PRODUCTS FOR WOMEN: “We have a Countess set (shown at right) we do in an inch longer or shorter than standard, and also in petite, left-handed and right-handed, with four color options. That is a driver (14 degrees), fairway wood (15 degrees) and high-launch (19 degrees), plus a hybrid 6, and 7-8-9-PW-SW. We’ve found that to be a good combo. Otherwise you get too many clubs and there’s not enough distance between the clubs, so it’s not worth it.”

ON COLOR CHOICES: “We introduced the Countess in a magenta pink, light blue and lime green, and then added a black one. That’s one of the top colors now. It’s interesting – it kind of depends on region. In the Northwest we do a lot of lime green, the Midwest more light blue. At the end of the day it’s black, and then after that it’s pretty even."

GEAR

GottaGoGolf I SPRING 2015 I 21

SHOP NOW

COVER GEAR

By Emily Kay

Upgrade your power tools with these 7 new drivers Wanna play like a girl who won’t settle for anything but eye-popping distance off the tee? Then these new drivers are for you.

It’s spring. You’re ready for a new season, and above all, you want to earn oohs and aahs from the gallery by smoking the bejesus out of that little dimpled ball as you launch it down the fairway.

It also means that, as Symetra Tour golfer Alexandria Jacobsen, the face of Coates Golf’s new sticks for women, says, you want performance, not forgiveness, and respect, not patronizing.

Above all, you, as a serious golfer for whom length matters just as much as it does to the boys, want to be taken seriously.

On that note, let’s kick off our sampling of drivers for women who are serious about gaining distance off the tee. Boom!

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GottaGoGolf I SPRING 2015 I 23

GEAR

AIR FORCE ONE

Powerbilt’s Air Force One DFX driver looks more like a weapon than a women’s golf club – but the DFX does come in a shorter-than-men’s length and 10.5- and 12.5-degree lofts. Soon look for the 14- and 16-degree lofts considered ideal for short hitters.

The nitrogen-pressurized head feels practically weightless, yet it creates consistent hits at increased ball speed. Women will love the 60-day trial, with money-back guarantee if you aren’t hitting the ball 10 to 20 yards farther.

MSRP $249.99.

Powerbilt 24 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

CALLAWAY XR, BIG BERTHA V

The XR is made for women who want to generate higher ball speed that results in greater length for golfers with slower swings. A sleek aerodynamic crown reduces drag during the downswing and boosts swing speed. Available in 10.5-, 12-, and 13.5-degree lofts.

COATES ELAND

The new kid on the block followed its splashy debut as a vendor of clubs just for women at the 2015 PGA Merchandise Show by sponsoring the LPGA Tour’s season-opening Coates Golf Championship. The 460cc Coates Eland driver is available in two lofts (10 and 12 degrees) and three shaft weights and MSRP $349.99. flexes. Added head weight in key

The lighter overall club weight of the Big Bertha V (some areas helps pull the large, thin, titanium-faced clubhead through 20 grams lighter than other impact to minimize spin and models) – sporting the same maximize distance. aerodynamic shape as the XR – helps slower swingers create MSRP $290. more speed. Comes in 10.5- and 13.5-degree lofts.

MSRP $399.99.

Callaway

Coates

COBRA FLY-Z, FLY-Z XL

Cobra specifically reconfigured the Fly-Z – available in 10.5- to 13.5-degree lofts, eight adjustable hosel settings, and three flashy hues – and 15-degree Fly-Z XL to maximize performance for slower swing speeds. The Fly-Z is designed for the woman with a handicap of 5 to 25, the Fly-Z XL for the woman with the slower swing speed who needs help getting the ball in the air.

“We know there are a minimum of two different women golfers,” said director of product marketing Jose Miraflor. He encourages women to be fitted.

MSRP $329 FOR THE FLY-Z AND $279 FOR THE FLY-Z XL .

Cobra

KNUTH HIGH HEAT

You’ll bring the high heat with a driver that offers a center of gravity 25 percent deeper and 18 percent lower than other clubs on the market. For those who don’t do tech-speak, here’s what Knuth wants you to know: A deeper center of gravity delivers more distance by increasing ball speed, reducing backspin, optimizing loft, improving accuracy and providing a game-changing sweet spot.

MSRP $399.

PING RHAPSODY

Ping’s latest women’s collection comes in teal and a la carte, and that includes the Rhapsody driver. It has a 460cc head that helps maximize speed and distance, especially from slower swing speeds. And how about those “crown turbulators” for reducing drag and adding pop to clubhead speed and ball velocity?

The 12-degree loft can be ordered 1 degree higher or lower and, as always, the best part of Ping is the custom fitting process. Check it out online or with a club fitter.

MSRP $349.99.

Knuth

Ping

POLARA ADVANTAGE

Polara’s Advantage is too big and has too much “trampoline effect” to meet USGA specifications, so it’s not tournament legal. But for the new golfer who is playing recreationally, it may be just the ticket to elevated play, literally, as it propels the ball higher and farther than she’s used to.

The HL1, with an 18-degree loft, is recommended for players who hit the ball between 140 and 190 yards, and the HL3, at 24.5 degrees, is the stick for those whose drives travel 160 yards or less.

MSRP $299.

Polara

PHOTO/ISTOCK PHOTO

GottaGoGolf I SPRING 2015 I 25

COVER FITNESS

By Katherine Roberts

Power your swing with just 3 moves Say the word “yoga” and most people immediately assume you are referring to flexibility. But yoga provides your body and mind with much more than just flexibility.

Physically, the practice of yoga will give a body more strength, balance and core stability. With the integral use of breathing as part of every pose, yoga practitioners also learn how to quiet the mind, relieve physical tension and cultivate mindfulness both on and off the golf course.

And all of this can help you hit the golf ball farther.

As a golf conditioning coach for two decades, I have trained thousands of golfers of all fitness levels. One common issue I see in women is hyper-mobility: too much flexibility in the joints, which causes muscular weakness and joint instability. In the golf swing, hypermobility often presents as the dreaded sway-and-slide, lifting up out of your spine angle and a loss of potential power.

26 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

These simple yoga poses will help women create more power in their bodies— specifically by strengthening the lower body and producing a more powerful turn.

Chair pose

Begin with your feet hip width apart. Inhale as you lower your hips down as if sitting into a chair or sitting onto a ball. Once in the chair pose, “drag” your feet apart until you feel the muscles on the outside of the legs activate. Hold for five breaths, return to the starting position and repeat five times.

GottaGoGolf I SPRING 2015 I 27

FITNESS

Revolving side angle pose

par level: Begin with your left knee forward to a lunge position

until your knee is at a 90 degree angle. Draw your navel toward your spine and lift your ribcage off your waist. Keep your posture in an upright position. Inhale and press your hips forward, exhale as you return to the starting position. Repeat these hip drives 10 times. birdie level: Place your right hand on your left knee. Inhale deeply

and on your exhale turn from the base of your torso. Press your hand into your knee and your knee back into your hand. Repeat 5 times.

Switch sides. eagle level: Place your right elbow on the outside of the left

knee. Bring your hands together and pull your right shoulder away from your right ear. Pull your navel towards your spine, engaging your core. Press your elbow into your knee and focus on a deep, powerful torso twist. Hold for seven deep breaths. Switch sides.Â

28 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

Warrior III pose

Place club over head or at waist. Balance on left leg with a slight bend in left knee. Pull your navel towards your spine to activate your core. As you lift the right leg, your body lowers. Focus on activating the glutes on the standing leg. Imagine your body moves in one piece and does not bend at the waist. Hold for five breaths, repeat three times. Switch sides.

GottaGoGolf I SPRING 2015 I 29

&

COVER 19 HOLE

By Cheryl Stotler TH

A few years ago my friend Susan played a round of golf with a couple of Canadian ladies warming their cockles in sunny Palm Springs. The three women played well, and on the 17th hole, one of the snowbirds sank a birdie putt.

She threw up her arms as if she’d just won the Kraft Nabisco and declared, “Birdie juice!” Then she hurried to the cart to dig out of her golf bag a flask decorated with birds and the words “BIRDIE JUICE.” She took a sip and then offered the flask to each of her companions. Susan took one 30 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

taste, smacked her lips and said, “Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner? I’d have played much better!”

So there you have the power of the birdie juice: Not only does it create an instant party to celebrate a birdie, its very presence can inspire success.

If, that is, you have the right liquid inside your flask. When you do a shot, the alcohol is only in your mouth for less than a second, so quality for taste or smoothness doesn’t really matter (unless of course you would like to avoid a headache).

Because alcohol from a flask

PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK

There’s power in the right BIRDIE JUICE

IE D R JUIC I E B

“What’s in your flask?

Come tell us”

is intended to be sipped rather 2. wild turkey honey bourbon than shot, I think quality should (or jim beam or jack daniels). play a factor, so I am not a big The new honey bourbons fan of Fireball except for giggles are both sweet AND hearty, (and probably a hangover). I also with such a smooth finish don’t recommend Jaeger Meister that they’re a good bet unless you can figure out a way for pleasing your whole to keep it cold. foursome. Try them all and The ladies from Canada carried decide which one is right for butterscotch schnapps, a very your taste buds. feminine choice. Here are 5 other 3. hornitos tequila (gold) or suggestions ranging from sweet patron silver tequila. If your to hearty. Choose the one you most recent tequila memories like best and you will have bigger date back to sorority shots incentive to birdie. garnished with salt on your 1. the best peppermint schnapps hand and lime in your fingers, you can afford. This is the you have missed out on the best choice for the sweet tooth joy of sipping tequila. Try who really doesn’t care for the these two for quality at a taste of spirits. Shun reasonable price – or, if your $3.99 pretenders for a $35 flask has no leaks, spring for bottle of Rumple Minze and a super-high-end tequila and even spirit lovers will be able to go off to the ladies room to pretend to enjoy it with you. sip by yourself.

Wine Train in California.

How’s your flask etiquette?

4.

paul masson vsop brandy,

or hennessy or remy martin.

Paul Masson delivers a quality low-end sipper for birdie girls who like their kick but don’t want to take one in the wallet; the Cognacs (at $40 and up) represent a significant upgrade.

5.

jameson or bushmills irish

whiskey. For birdie, double-

bogey and everything in between, these are the traditional sippers that your old-time links-loving duffer wouldn’t do without. Purists drink them neat, and if you love whiskey, these are your best flask fillers.

Flasks.com offers the following tips just for women, or perhaps “ladies.”

• First offer your flask to the other women in the group, then take your sip. Next, offer it to any men in the group.

• No gulping, noisy chugging, belching or lip-smacking.

• If you do not know what is in the flask, it is better to ask. Then, instead of sipping, spitting and yelling, “What IS this s---?” you can politely pretend to participate.

• For the hygiene-fussy, some flasks come with collapsible cups. But it might be easier to carry small, disposable plastic shot glasses and pour out sips.

Cheryl Stotler is wine educator and manager of the Napa Valley GottaGoGolf I SPRING 2015 I 31

GARB INTERVIEW

PHOTO BY BJORN ANDERSSON, SWEDISH GOLF FEDERATION

Dressing women around the world

Ulrika Skoghag took the Daily Sports helm from her parents in 2011.

32 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

Ulrika Skoghag’s parents started Daily Sports in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1995, and quickly built a golf collection with great woman-appeal for its sporty yet feminine looks and consistent colors from year to year.

So when Elisabeth and Rolf retired four years ago, the good daughter said, “I think I should take care of what they started, a good brand.” She took up golf and became CEO. GottaGoGolf caught up with Ulrika at the PGA Show in Orlando, Florida, this winter, and learned some things about women’s tastes in golf apparel around the world.

Some will surprise you. About others, you’ll say, “Duh.” ON THE COMPANY’S GROWTH IN THE U.S.: “This is a market where we believe we are growing well and the ladies love our goods. The collection suits Americans. They like the details, and our strength is that we have a very good feminine fitting for the woman who actually plays golf. She is probably 40 and up, the 30-year-olds are busy raising kids – and the fitting is key. You want trousers that are comfortable and secure, not too low-cut.”

ON THE COMPANY’S STANDING AT HOME: “Sweden is our largest market. There, we can sell more cotton than synthetics, while in the U.S.

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cotton is almost impossible to sell.”

ON THE COMPANY’S OTHER “A” MARKETS: “Germany and Great Britain are our other A markets. In Europe they like more logos, more written words on garments, that is the big difference.

The U.S. doesn’t like ‘Daily Sports’ written across a shirt. England is more conservative, they sell more longer skorts – 52 (centimeter) length (about 20 inches) instead of 45 (about 17 inches) . And Germany sells a lot of the high-water (ankle) pants while England sells more of the capris.”

ON BARE ARMS: “Sweden sells more sleveless shirts; in the U.S. the trend is to the longer sleeve because you want to hide from the sun. In Spain, they want to expose the arms. They want a suntan. The U.S. is more conscious of the danger.”

ON GLOBAL COLORS: “The English always like pink and lilac.

Germany is more conservative, Sweden is more sporty, and the Netherlands are not afraid at all, they love bright color and logos, and the more detail, the better.”

ON GOLF CLOTHES IN ASIAN NATIONS: “It’s a very different taste. They only use long pants, not skorts, and they really cover up, with big visors and such. We have decided not to focus on Asia because they have different demands. We are not doing these things yet, and I am not sure we will.”

®

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GottaGoGolf I FEBRUARY 2011 I 33

Comfort and Sophistication for the Active Woman 2015 Collection Please Visit RoamingDhabiDesigns.com

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WHAT’S YOUR STYLE? A guide to finding the women’s golf clothing brands that match your attitude

By Katharine Dyson and Susan Fornoff MORE

PHOTO BY PGMDRESSFORM.COM

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A man walks into a golf shop, picks out a shirt, holds it up to his chest, and heads for the cash register. But the woman golfer of today faces an incredibly diverse array of golf apparel options, from retro plaid shorts to capris, to shirts of all sleeve lengths and collar treatments, to eye-teaser skorts and even dresses.

That’s good news: No matter what your flavor of the day is, you are certain to find the perfect outfit. The trick is how to marry the fashions and accessories and brands with who you really are, so that you can quickly identify a great find, even online, and not spend hours locked in a converted-closet-now-dressing-room when you could be golfing.

So…who are you?

LIFE OF THE PARTY

LOUDMOUTH

She starts her day—usually late—with a cappuccino then lets the day unfold. Loves it if something serendipitous happens, like an offer to go for a spin on a Harley. She doesn’t mind ordering her own Pinot Gris at the bar and only gets her mojo going after 11 p.m. She watches SyFy and superhero movies.

FOR HER CLOSET: Definitely loudmouth for the course. Cassie Kovacevich at Loudmouth says, "You can't wear Loudmouth and not get attention." Embroidered rubber ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE BRANDS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

duckies, bright pink flamingos, Jolly Roger skull & crossbones, blueberry pie, disco balls—the list of designs and colors just gets more and more cheeky.

LOP also digs kevan hall KEVAN sport’s playful dresses that HALL seamlessly shift from swinging on the golf course to swinging on the dance floor. Jamie Saddock is another winner with her daring bling and shimmering fabrics. On cool golfing days she’ll keep warm by wearing Lady Skinz leggings in eyepopping colors and patterns.

MULTITASKER

SUNICE

She’s hip, she’s busy, she’s involved. She helps out with charities, plays tennis, and scrapbooks—all the while maintaining her 10 handicap. She reads to her kids every night before unwinding with a Netflix movie.

When she buys clothing, she looks for things that are classic with lasting power so that they still look good after many rounds.

Throw in a little spandex and sass and she’s there.

FOR HER CLOSET: Kristin Debany, team head of golf apparel at cobra puma, says, “Our sweet spot is 35–50, with a youthful mindset and multisport interests. Our DNA brand is bold, graphic, colorful and fun." Other good bets include Lija Style for form-fitting sports attire in surprise prints and fabrics, and sunice’s jackets and pants that are beautifully cut and come in solids punched up with bursts of color.

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COBRA PUMA

GARB ADRESSITGOLF

FASHION DIVA

She’s really not that much into TV. Saturday night she’s out with her friends going to dinner or taking in a concert. She shows up wearing Pucci and Prada knockoffs; valet parks her Audi R8; changes her hair color every six months; and is jazzed by the fountains and gardens at Trump’s tracks.

FOR HER CLOSET: For FDs who dare to be different, think aDRESSitgolf where stripes and blocks of Mondrian-meetsMiro-like color light up the fairways. CEO Lloyd Eisler says, “We offer lots of reversible tops and dresses with sneaky cap sleeves so they're course legal.” Our Fashion Diva also favors classy Ralph Lauren and catherine wingate’s fab dresses that look as great on the course as in the clubhouse dining room.

Among classic brands, look to EP Pro and Bette&Court for even more dresses.

38 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

CATHERINE WINGATE

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TRADITIONALIST LIZZIE DRIVER

Our Traditionalist watches “Downton Abbey,” “60 Minutes” and “The Good Wife.” She belongs to a book club; has worn the same perfect-on-her hairstyle for years; volunteers at club benefits; and likes to have her family and friends for dinner.

Put her in a golf cart with a bottle of water and her GPS watch and she’s good to go.

FOR HER CLOSET: lizzie driver co-owner Lorrie Forgatch says, “We’re traditional and classic. Some have called us the J. Crew of women’s golf.” Fresh upbeat colors and classic cuts are safe havens for our preppy Traditionalist, including snappy fashions from Bette & Court, Chase54 and greg norman.

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GREG NORMAN

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EP PRO

FIT-CHALLENGED

She’s talkative and heaps of fun. She loves to cook and try new recipes, and is forever looking for golf clothes that fit her comfortably yet still make her look sharp and sexy. She drinks Prosecco, reads “50 Shades of Grey” and the New York Times, and likes to play courses that showcase her long drives.

FOR HER CLOSET: Finding flattering golf attire can be a challenge. Those shorts and skorts that look great in the ads on Paula Creamer may not look so great on our girl. But help

is on the way. Apparel in plus sizes that have great cut and some give in the fabric as well as longer shorts and elbowlength sleeves can do the trick.

Fashions that come in plus sizes by ep pro, tail activewear, Cutter & Buck, Bette & Court, Nancy Lopez and JoFit work, as well as Monterey Club shirts in jewel colors accented by flashes of rhinestone bling. And more good news: Almost all of the bottoms by these brands have stretch, and many are pull-on.

TAIL ACTIVEWEAR

GIRLY GIRL

GOLFTINI

With a sunny disposition, she laughs a lot and loves surprises.

She bakes cookies once a week, lunches with her girl friends and is determined to read all the alphabet books by Sue Grafton in order. Her golf bag and clubs come as a matching set.

FOR HER CLOSET: Details like ruffles, ruching and pretty necklines with touches of contrasting color can make all the difference. Take fashions from roaming dhabi (offering adorable dresses) or golftini (with an irresistible lineup of pink and white coordinated outfits).

Sweet.

ROAMING DHABI

MORE MORE

GottaGoGolf I FEBRUARY 2011 I 41

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ICONIC SPORT

SUN SAVVY

She may have used a reflector in her youth, but today her bronze look comes from a tube.

No sun for this moisturizer-loving babe. Hats and sunscreen are a must, but she refuses to sacrifice her great fashion sense and cover up under a nun’s habit.

FOR HER CLOSET: Apparel from sansoleil and iconic sport uses fabric that is treated to protect you from harmful sunrays. Much of Tail’s apparel is 40+, and the Annika Collection from Cutter & Buck also offers long-sleeve shirts with 35+ UV protection. Hats from Tilley Endurables and Head ’N Home hats have been certified to 50+UPF.

42 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

SANSOLEIL

JOCK GIRL

CUTTER & BUCK

She wears Chaco sandals; drives an SUV with room for her clubs, kayak paddle and beach chair. She likes to walk the course and carry her lightweight stand bag. She watches Golf Channel and relishes settling in a hammock with a good book. Her favorite shows include “Bones” and “CSI.” FOR HER CLOSET: Sarah Marai, global product manager of taylormade adidas golf, says of the Adidas women’s apparel collection, “Our tagline is ‘Built for an athlete, designed for a woman.’ She's beautiful, she's strong, she's a competitor, she's fierce—and she's a fashionista.”

Think Paula Creamer and Natalie Gulbis, who is shown at right. cutter & buck’s Annika line also kicks in with its sporty, athletic clothing geared to high performance worthy of its namesake. Other contenders include Nike, Greg Norman, Antigua, Sunice, Daily Sports, Tail Activewear and JoFit.

ADIDAS GOLF

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GottaGoGolf I SPRING 2015 I 43

GARB

THE JUGGLER

SPORT HALEY

44 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

Saturday afternoon she may meet girlfriends for lunch and run errands, while that night she could dig in at home and savor a glass of wine with cheese and crackers. In her dreams she waltzes to Strauss at the Vienna New Year’s Eve Ball but is a happy girl at her club’s Summer Dance.

She's always struggling for balance.

FOR HER CLOSET: haus of gray co-founder Kelli Marie Riley says, "We like tone on tone—we are a much more subtle brand. We want our line to be something you can wear on and off the course. The last thing a woman wants to do is have a bold look and have people remembering you wore that outfit last week." Then there are sport haley with luxurious fabrics and details, mood-setter GG Blue for upbeat happy prints and plaids, while Nivo Sport marries European style with athletic-inspired designs.

HAUS OF GRAY

PHOTO BY ZACHARY EPSTEIN

Gotta Ask: The Poll

Now that you’ve got a better understanding of which brands might suit your style, tell GottaGoGolf:

Who are you?

And because we know one size never fits all, we’ll let you vote for two.

• Life of the Party: You like your outfits to be noticed and remembered.

• Multitasker: Your golf clothes take you through an active day.

• Fashion Diva: You love the posh magazines and are happy to pay for quality.

• Traditionalist: You have had the same flattering hairdo for years and tilt toward the preppy.

• Fit-Challenged: You are always writing to us and asking, why don’t they make that outfit in my size?

• Girly Girl: You’re not opposed to pinks, ruffles and matchy-matchy looks.

• Sun Savvy: You check the labels because you know some golf clothes have high SPF properties.

• Jock Girl: You buy golf clothes for swinging and walking.

• The Juggler: Neutrals and tonals fit your busy lifestyle.

• Eco-Girl: If it’s sustainably made and didn’t have to travel far, you’re impressed.

VOTE Look for results in the May 1 newsletter and at www.GottaGoGolf.com. diversify us please!

We at GottaGoGolf couldn’t help but notice that the models in the brand images are pretty much all fair-skinned and all thin. We’d love to have real-life golfers in our Summer 2015 feature—so please send an email to feedback@gottagogolf.com if you know someone who has great style, or if you yourself could use a style makeover.

ECO-GIRL

She believes our planet is warming, dabbles with gluttonfree diets and uses only organic compost in her garden. She reads the New Yorker, votes as an independent and drives a Tesla. EG recycles everything including cat litter. When she travels, she actually goes out of her way to stay at a place with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

FOR HER CLOSET: EG likes aur Aware classic fashions created in eco-friendly fabrics. She loves 100% cotton shirts like Alibaba pima cotton polos, and looks for the “Made in the USA” label from the likes of Kevan Hall Sport and Lizzie Driver, because she knows that means her outfit’s journey required less fuel. Another wardrobe staple is Kentwool’s Sport Skinny socks made from bamboo and wool, said to last longer and resist odors. Now there's a challenge!

AUR

SEASONAL STYLE ADVERTORIAL:

Clothes to Wear Right Now from

The Power of COLOR, Iconic Sport “After winter blizzards and too few daylight hours, I'm loving the power of color,” declares Iconic founder and designer Leslie Chow. “Springtime calls for getting outside and kicking it up with high-energy brights.”

For GottaGoGolf’s Spring issue, Chow definitely went bright.

LEFT: The clean lines of the Kate mock turtle top in ultra lightweight tech fabric and 17” Simple skort kick it up a level with an easy, sophisticated look.

1449-3 UPF 50+ tangerine Kate (XS-XL). Also in fuchsia, azure, iris,

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dawn blue, blush pink, black and white. 3211-8 UPF 50+ hot pink Simple Skort (XS-XL) 17" in size M with SmoothSeam(TM) reversed seam and gusset construction in the ultralight undershort, a mesh kangaroo inner pocket.

RIGHT: The peony print is a modern tropical print, perfect for turning up the heat with turquoise, orange or hot pink pops of skort color. 1432-3 UPF 50+ peony print (XS-XL), other prints available. 32218 UPF 50+ Turquoise Club skort (XS-XL) 19" in size M. Also in orange, white and black.

SEASONAL STYLE ADVERTORIAL:

Clothes to Wear Right Now

from

Outfits for Golf & Life Tail One of the biggest challenges for women golfers is finding a wardrobe that allows them to perform well on the course, but also look stylish and put together.

Women’s golf fashion has come a long way from plain polos and illfitting khakis, and Tail’s Blue Skies golf collection (right) is a shining example of how the latest fashion trends can be translated into golf attire in a sophisticated way. The chic patterns and serene blue hue will stand out (in a good way!) on the course.

A huge trend in women’s golf fashion is the pull on bottom. Tail’s Mulligan Collection (below) will look appropriate almost anywhere from the golf course to a casual evening out.

The Forever Forgiving fabric slims, shapes, and hides imperfections, making it the most flattering golf bottom on the market. Selecting fashionable pieces that cross over into everyday life is the best way to ensure you get the most out of your golf wardrobe.

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CLICK TO WIN

President’s Message:

Going to WARM with women’s golf leaders

by Mary Pomroy

INSIDE 2 Celebrating with Oklahoma and Kansas 4 The 411 on the Women’s Golf Alliance’s 20 member associations 6 Who is the Women’s Golf Alliance and what is it up to?

The treasured Oaklahoma Women's State Amateur trophy stands almost 4 feet tall.

Each year we hear statistics from notable national golf organizations reporting that women are taking up the game at a faster rate than any other segment of our population. Yet, no one has figured out how to keep these new players in the game, let alone encourage them to play more rounds, spend more on golf equipment and accessories and become avid golfers.

We with the Women’s Golf Alliance think the answer lies not in more studies to confirm this information, or in more programs created at the national level, but in connecting with the leaders of grass roots associations who can actually influence the growth of women’s golf; the women who are already champions for the game; who spend their days promoting and managing golf for women.

We started in 2003, when the leaders of four western state women’s golf associations gathered to discuss ways to better guide their associations, improve their programs and increase their membership. The founding members were from Arizona, Colorado, California and Nevada. And so WARM—Women’s Associations Roundtable Meeting—was born.

This year on March 9-11, in Phoenix, the initiators of the WARM will mark its 12th birthday. But now, women’s golf associations from all around the nation are participating. The interest is growing and more states are continually being represented. More participants equals a more accurate picture of the woman golfer, and a larger presence in the business of golf.

MORE ON PAGE 6

2

Oklahoma and Kansas get their parties started: 100 years of women’s golf JUNE 2–3: KANSAS

Starting in the 1950s, KWGA began expanding its programs and membership.

The Kansas Women's Golf In the mid-1950s, KWGA was an "early Association will kick off its centennial adopter" of a uniform handicap system, and celebration with a banquet at its by 1958, when the USGA came out with a birthplace, the Salina Country Club. uniform handicap system, Kansas already From there, the plan is to take the had 48 women's clubs indoctrinated in celebration to all members. the need for standardized handicapping Created solely for the purpose of procedures. In 1958, KWGA began holding a match play championship once establishing course ratings for all its a year, KWGA has grown and evolved over member clubs. KWGA has offered a GHIN the years to be the voice of women's golf service since 1987, and has won national in Kansas, forging bonds among women awards for the quality of our GHIN golfers throughout the state and beyond. administration program.

During the very early years, the clubs KWGA started a Junior Girls program in 1961, and in had wood shafts, the balls were much 1968, Kansas teamed with Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska to create an less resilient, the greens were sand, and of annual invitational Junior 4-State Championship,. (Junior styles have course the wearing apparel was ponderous. KWGA has conducted a definitely changed over the past half-century.)

Women's State Championship every year but four, the years of World Still an all-volunteer association, KWGA now not only hosts a War II. myriad of events and tournaments throughout the year, but provides At the 1950 U.S. Women's Open Championship, held at one of individual and club services, and continues to develop regional and our member clubs (Rolling Hills CC in Wichita), the formation of the national relationships that promote and grow the game of golf and LPGA was announced. (Babe Zaharias won that Open.) enhance the golfing experience for women and girls in Kansas.

3 KWGA past presidents and past State Amateur champions will be honored at the banquet, held in conjunction with our Senior/ Super Senior Championship June 2-3 and kicking off the Centennial celebration. Adding to the festivities, each member club is invited to host a special "play day" during the year, each KWGA member will receive a Centennial memento, and we will wrap up our golf season with a Par 3 tournament at Rolling Hills CC in Wichita.

We honor our long heritage and the many dedicated women who have gone before us, and we eagerly anticipate the future, excited about the prospects of our next 100 years.

— By Judy Morris, Past President, Kansas Women’s Golf Association

JULY 26: OKLAHOMA

The Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association will remember, honor and toast 100 years of women’s and girls’ golf in Oklahoma at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club in Oklahoma City on July 26.

The evening will be celebrated in conjunction with the 97th playing of the Women’s Oklahoma State Amateur Championship. The Centennial Gala will unite former State Amateur champions, special guests, supporters of women’s and girl’s golf in Oklahoma and members of the organization to celebrate at the site of the first Women’s State Amateur Championship in 1915.

About 24 prominent women gathered for that first Women’s

Oklahoma State Amateur Championship 100 years ago, when players’ primary concerns were tripping on long dresses and playing quickly enough to make it to the fair. Times have certainly changed, but for 100 years women and young girls in Oklahoma have shared the common bond of golf and cherished competition as well as the friendships made on and off the course as a result of the existence of the Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association.

One of the most valued possessions of the Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association remains the State Amateur Championship Trophy. It is considered the most spectacular sporting trophy in Oklahoma and could very well be considered a top candidate for this title worldwide. Standing almost 4 feet tall and designed by the famous Reed and Barton, her beauty serves to inspire the talented players who dream of their names being engraved on this magnificent piece of art.

On July 26, 2015, the Women’s Oklahoma State Amateur Championship Trophy will shine in all her glory and pride the night of our Centennial Celebration.

The Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association is one of the most prominent state women’s golf associations in the country, yet it does not receive handicap revenue that would allow the association to employ full-time staff. It is a true testament to the loyalty and dedication of the members whose volunteerism makes the association go and ensure that it will be enjoyed by future generations.

As Rogers and Hammerstein once wrote, “You are doing fine Oklahoma.”

— By Sheila Dills, President, Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association

4

Click the logos for more information

The Arizona WGA (AWGA) is the voice of women’s golf in Arizona. We offer programs for members and the golf community that encourage and provide opportunities for women to learn, play, compete and administer the game for themselves and their clubs.

Programs include information and outreach, player programs, USGA programs, and volunteer development.

MEET THE

OF THE WOMEN’S GOLF ALLIANCE

The Colorado Women’s Golf Association (CWGA) is a nonprofit amateur golf organization established in 1916. We promote women's golf in the state and preserve the integrity of the game. We represent 17,000 individuals and 250 clubs and we serve as a regional operating partner of the United States Golf Association.

The Kansas Women’s Golf Association promotes the game among women and girls by maintaining strong relationships with member clubs and individual members; conducting annual championships and other events; and offering a range of programs that develop and enhance the golfing experience for all.

The Missouri Women's Golf Association promotes women's golf by holding annual competitions for female juniors, amateurs, mid -amateurs and seniors. Scholarships are awarded each year to graduating high school golfers through the MWGA.

Founded in 1952, the Delaware Women’s Golf Association shares a mission to promote interest in golf for women and junior girls in the State of Delaware and surrounding areas.

The DWGA reaches golfers of all abilities through tournaments, travel, social events and education.

The Maryland State Golf AssociationWomen’s Division was formed in 1995 to promote amateur golf for women of all ages and abilities. The MSGA-WD is dedicated to providing a full range of services for more than 9,000 members including competitions, handicapping, course rating and rules seminars.

The Montana State Women’s Golf Association is devoted to promoting educational, social and recreational advantages for women and girls in golf. They do this by encouraging sportsmanship, amateurism, skill and respect embodied by the honorable traditions in the game of golf.

The Desert WGA was formed in 2000 as a regional association for Southern California desert clubs and their approximately 700 members. It issues course and slope ratings as well as handicap indexes to its members. DWGA also sponsors golf tournaments, team play competition and other events for members.

The Michigan Women’s Golf Association was established in 1986 to help promote the game and provide competitive play and education for female amateur players of all ages and skill levels. An on-going MWGA goal is to give back to the community through our successful LPGAUSGA supported junior program.

The Nebraska Women’s Amateur Golf Association is an organization of golf clubs and individuals governed by amateur women golfers and formed in 1973 for the purpose of promoting and conserving the best interests and true spirit of the game of golf for all women in Nebraska.

The PWGA went "red" in February.

MEMBERS The New Hampshire Women’s Golf Association (NHWGA), founded in 1923, is a nonprofit organization governed by a volunteer 15-member board. We offer our 750 members more than 40 golf events: weekly tournaments, mixed events, specialties, juniors and championships. We conduct rules clinics and annually award college scholarships.

The WGA of Northern California promotes and serves the interest of women's amateur golf in Northern California. We provide services for more than 100 member clubs' women's organizations from Tulare County north to the Oregon border, with a membership of more than 11,000.

Pacific WGA was founded in 1947 to promote the best interest of amateur golf for women.

PWGA supports women golfers playing at public and semi-private courses in Northern California. In addition to funding several benevolent projects, we provide educational, competitive and social opportunities for our members.

Founded in 1899, the Women’s Metropolitan Golf Association is the second oldest women’s golf association in the U.S. and has a membership of 201 clubs and more than 2,300 individuals In Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. The WMGA annually conducts spring team matches and more than 30 competitions, including a USGA Championship qualifier.

Founded in 1934, San Diego County WGA is a nonprofit organization, chartered to promote, supervise and conduct competitive golf for SDCWGA members in accordance with the Rules of Golf of the USGA as modified by Local Rules determined by the Board of Directors.

The Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association began in 1915 at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club with the goal of crowning a Women’s Oklahoma State Amateur. Its mission is to support, promote and grow the game of golf for women and junior girls in Oklahoma.

5

Founded in 1916, the Women’s Texas Golf Association encourages and promotes women's golf in Texas. We also raise funds for college scholarships and educate others about USGA rules.

The TRANS Amateur Championship began in 1927 and in 1992, the TRANS Senior FourBall Championship for women was added.

Among past TRANS Amateur champions and/or competitors are Brittany Lang, Paige MacKenzie, Nancy Lopez, Lorena Ochoa, Grace Park, Judy Bell, Carol Semple Thompson, Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Patty Berg.

The Women’s South Carolina Golf Association was founded in 1949. The WSCGA membership consists of women’s golf associations throughout the state: 140 member associations with more than 12,000 women golfers receiving USGA handicaps.

The WSCGA is licensed by the USGA to provide handicapping and course rating services.

The Women's Southern California Golf Association, established in 1922, is the largest regional women’s golf association in the U.S. Its goal is to promote and foster interest in women's amateur golf through friendly organized competition.

We-Ko-Pa's Cholla course in Arizona.

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In case you were wondering...

What is the Women’s Golf Alliance?

Formed in 2009, the Women’s Golf Alliance represents 20 state and regional women’s golf associations comprised of 120,000 women golfers.

Its goals are: to increase the voice and visibility of women golfers; to enhance the benefits and services provided by member associations; and to offer marketing, management and governance resources and tools for member associations, staff and boards.

Who can join the Alliance?

The Alliance has various levels of membership. Please contact your local women’s golf association if you are interested in joining the Alliance.

How can I get more information about the Alliance?

Go to www.womensgolfalliance.org

Why am I receiving this magazine?

Because you are a member of a state or regional women’s golf association that belongs to the Alliance, you are entitled to receive a free copy of GottaGoGolf Magazine.

I see these meetings as invaluable to the health of women’s golf. There’s no such thing as the typical association. We are all unique in at least some small way, and we all have something to learn from each other. In even the largest (with as many as 30,000 women), we depend heavily on volunteers who, because of our small staff sizes, play key roles in the daily management of our business. In many cases, all of the work to manage the associations and their programs is done by volunteers, with no paid staff.

There has long been an association for executive directors , the IAGA (International Association of Golf Administrators), that conducts an annual conference for staff members. We wanted our volunteers to get to participate in this sort of industry learning and networking experience. We needed to create an outlet for them to share successes and challenges and learn from each other. The WARM has opened up that avenue.

So what happens at these annual WARM events? The three-day meeting is full of group discussions, brainstorming sessions and evaluations of past projects. Participants share information about their methods of communication with their members, sponsorships to support their programs and services, publicity materials, educational programs, member benefits and charity tournaments. They also discuss tournament administration and sites, golfer development programs, long-range planning, board configuration and responsibilities, interaction with men’s associations, junior girls’ golf, annual meetings and membership campaigns. There

are speakers who teach best practices on board development, sponsorships cultivation and alternative revenue stream development.

Of course there’s a little fun too. This year we’re sandwiched between the Legends Tour event in the west valley, and the LPGA Founders Cup in the north valley, and there’s plenty of golf to be played in all corners of Arizona.

Over the years, the WARM has spawned a brand new organization, the Women’s Golf Alliance, which was incorporated in 2011 to make sure that the WARM continues and grows and that the grass roots leaders of women’s golf have the numbers, the visibility, and the voice they need to make their contribution to our game that they so passionately support.

If you missed this year’s WARM, it happens every March in Phoenix. Join our email list so you keep up with announcements on next year’s event.

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PROS

AROUND THE TOURS

By Emily Kay

News and social media chip shots on the game's stars A tale of two child prodigies While Michelle Wie earned accolades for her acting debut in a cameo appearance as herself on Hawaii Five-0, Lydia Ko was a smash hit down under.

Ko, today’s teen phenom, has smashed just about every age-related record there is. The youngest golfer of either gender to ascend to the top world ranking, the 17-year-old South Koreanborn New Zealander celebrated her third week at No. 1 by becoming the youngest to win the Women’s Aussie Open.

Wie, the former child prodigy, has battled injuries and illness since her breakthrough major 56 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

victory at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open.

The native Hawaiian was pretty convincing in her TV stint as a swing coach, offering advice to a scuffling Steve McGarrett (played by Alex O’Loughlin) in the episode that aired Feb. 20.

McGarrett is playing a round with his unhelpful partner, Lou Grover (Chi McBride), who is chiding McGarrett about his “military golf” (“left-right, leftright”) when Wie happens upon them.

Up drives Wie, flabbergasting Lou by her mere presence, to offer Steve, who has no idea who she is, a few quick tips—“Widen your stance a little bit, bend your knees, keep your head down, keep your eyes on the ball, and just swing through.”

With McGarrett immediately outdriving his buddy, and Wie doing a pretty impression of Vision54’s Pia Nilsson, the Stanford grad may have a future in Hollywood or in teaching – but we hope the four-time LPGA winner, who is just 25, isn’t quite ready to give up her day job.

Retirement planning Catch Ko’s wizardry while you can. Seems the six-time LPGA winner who has yet to miss a cut on tour is already eyeing retirement, with plans to hang up her spikes by the time she’s 30. She turns 18 on April 24, so that gives her another 12 years.

The 2014 Rookie of the Year (the youngest to earn the honor) doesn’t plan to sit around the house counting her millions when her playing days are over; Ko will begin studies at Korea University next month and hopes to earn a psychology degree.

Inked up In case you forgot that Ko is really still just a teenager, maybe the way she celebrated her first win as a pro – at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic last April – will remind you. With her parents’ permission (she was a minor, after all), she had tattooed the April 27, 2014, date in Roman numerals on her right wrist. “My parents were there and I felt like it was a very memorable win, so I got that tatted up,” she said after her latest win.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL DODGE/GETTY IMAGES

Speaking of footsteps A 12-year-old qualified for the New Zealand Open last month using Ko’s old clubs. As Golf Digest pointed out, the parallels between Bohyun Park, who shot a 2-under 70 to MORE

Lydia Ko was already smiling on the first tee in the final round of the LPGA Australian Open last month.

GottaGoGolf I SPRING 2015 I 57

make it into the event, and Ko are striking. The sticks Park used were built for Ko by her old coach, Guy Wilson, who, instructed Ko until their split in 2013. Ko was also 12 when she started her first Kiwi Open, and Park plays out of Ko’s home course, Gulf Harbour CC in Auckland. Seriously, what are the odds?

Forever young Ko may be hearing footsteps. Hannah O’Sullivan (shown at left) became the youngest player to win a Symetra Tour event when the 16-year-old cruised to a four-shot victory in the LPGA minor league’s seasonopening Gateway Classic. O’Sullivan, an Arizona high school junior, fired a 15-under at Longbow GC in Mesa, Ariz., shattering the age record that LPGA star Cristie Kerr set in 1995, at 17. That was O’Sullivan’s mom, Kyung Hwa Hur, on the bag keeping her calm.

COURTESY OF SYMETRA TOUR

A Jaguar taunts a Tiger Unless you’ve been trapped for weeks under the record snowfalls in sub-zero mercury readings that have many U.S. golfers especially cranky this year, you know that Tiger’s short game is a hot mess.

Things have gotten so bad, Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee jokingly challenged the 14-time major champion to a high-stakes, $100,000-per-hole match. “Tiger - meet me at San Jose Country Club tomorrow, $100,000 a hole,” Scobee tweeted two weeks ago. “You get 2 a side.”

Scobee’s jab did not go over well on social media, where humorless Tiger fans called the kicker out for disrespecting the fading ace. Scobee’s damage-repairing

Twitter followup two days later: “uhhhh if anyone thought I was serious then they're an idiot.”

Even World Golf Hall of Famers need to tweak their games to prepare for competition, and the newly created 2018 U.S. Senior Women’s Open is motivation enough for Pat Bradley, who turns 64 this month. The six-time major champion has been tuning up with top LPGA instructor Jane Frost, who reports that Bradley is working on her swing and short game.

Bradley has been a longtime campaigner for the contest that the USGA finally announced this month. It will have the same format as the U.S. Senior Open for men— 72 holes of stroke play on four consecutive days with a cut after 36 holes. The venue and details of the qualifying process have yet to be announced.

Though thrilled that her dream will finally come to fruition, Bradley would have preferred a years-earlier tee time. “I’m not getting any younger,” she told Frost.

Was it the club or the player?

Nothing makes an equipment company happier than shipping a new driver to one of its touring pros only to see her shoot 29 on the front nine.

That was Stacy Lewis making Mizuno look good in the first round of the Honda LPGA Thailand, with her new JPX-850 in the bag. Earlier that day, the company announced that it had re-signed Lewis, the 2014 Rolex Player of the Year – and not only for 2015.

“2014 was a very special year,” Lewis said, “but as we begin

COURTESY OF MIZUNO

Bradley preps for Senior Women’s Open

Stacy Lewis signed on with Mizuno for four more years and put her new driver in play.

2015, I am excited to know that our successful partnership will continue for another four years."

Also in her bag: JPX-850 Forged Irons, JPX-850 Fairway Woods (3 & 5) and JPX-850 Hybrid (19.0) and MP-T5 wedges, Ironically, though, she gave some credit to Callaway for her first-round 66. It seems her Mizunos hadn’t yet arrived, so she played her practice round with a set borrowed from a rep.

“You know, I kind of think it might have been to my advantage,” Lewis said. “You come out Tuesday and maybe you're sweating like crazy and taking some energy out. If anything, I got to save some energy on Tuesday.

“I knew my game was where I needed it to be, so I just came out and swung somebody else's clubs and just got loose.”

Emily Kay is a Golf Writers Association of America member and golf writer for SBNation. You may follow her on Twitter @ golfexaminer GottaGoGolf I SPRING 2015 I 59

GUIDANCE GUIDANCE

By Gail Rogers

A guide to nurturing your friends on the Rules of Golf Gail Rogers has served as a USGA rules official for many USGA championships. She now serves on the Northern California Golf Association Board of Directors and frequently officiates NCGA events.

Her home course is Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz, Calif.

Let’s start “each hole out correctly. ”

Q. A friend of mine has taken up golf and she

has finally moved from the range to the course.

I've noticed, though, that she seems a bit selfconscious about not observing the rules as I and my more experienced friends try to do. How can we help her learn the rules as her game progresses?

What are the most important points to learning?

A. Before your friend plays her first round with your group in a tournament you might consider playing a friendly round, including having breakfast and discussing three important areas before you tee off.

PHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE

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THOUGHT 1: Let’s start each hole out correctly. Explain that many players like to tee up their ball as close as possible to the front of the teeing ground, which is the front of the tee markers.

She needs to make sure that some of her ball is behind that invisible line that connects the front of the markers. While she can be up to two club lengths behind the markers, and yes that measurement can be with any club in her bag, if all of her ball is in front of the markers she would be making a stroke from outside the teeing ground. It is a two-stroke penalty after her first stroke in stroke play. Not a fun way to start the day. Now she must play another ball from within that magical two clublength area of the teeing ground.

HINT: BE A FRIEND TO ALL IN YOUR GROUP. Stop another player from making this simple error by asking her to, “Please check your ball position,” before she hits the ball. If you want to know more about the teeing ground you can read Rule 11.

THOUGHT 2: Do not reach down and pick up a ball on the course to see if it is your ball. There is a simple procedure to follow when trying to determine if a ball you see on the course is your ball:

1.

Tell another player in your group that you need to see if this is your ball.

2.

Put a tee in the ground next to the ball to mark its position when you lift it.

3.

Let your fellow golfer watch the procedure if she wishes, and then…

4.

Lift the ball.

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GUIDANCE If it is your golf ball, replace it, remove the tee and play on. If it is not your ball, keep searching.

Tell your friend that even some longtime players have this bad habit of touching the ball without following the procedure for identification. Perhaps in 2015 your club can resolve to stop this incorrect procedure of touching, lifting or rolling a ball lying on the course without following the proper procedure. It is a one-stroke penalty each time a player does this during a round. Read Rule 12–2 Searching for and identifying ball if you want a review.

HINT: ANOTHER WAY TO BE ABLE TO EASILY IDENTIFY YOUR

BALL IS TO PUT A MARK ON IT THAT IS EVEN EASY TO SEE IN THE ROUGH. I have a friend who uses large stars on her ball. You could use a permanent marker and put a colorful line around your ball or draw a flower, heart or symbol that makes you happy.

THOUGHT 3: When your ball is on the putting green, lifting your ball is allowed. Once your ball lies on the putting green, you can use a coin, decorative ball marker, or other small object placed immediately behind your ball to mark its position. You can then lift your ball and clean it if you wish. When it is your turn to play carefully replace the ball on the same spot from which you lifted it.

HINT: REMEMBER, YOU CAN ONLY TOUCH THE BALL WHEN THE

MARKER IS IN PLACE. Once you remove the marker, it’s hands off! If you rotate or touch the ball, even if the ball stays in contact with the grass the entire time, you receive a one-stroke penalty just like you did when trying to find out if the ball on the course was your ball.

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NOW IT’S TIME TO PLAY Go out and enjoy a round of golf with your friend. Do not discuss the rules unless asked. Let her get to know members of your group in a happy setting. At lunch you might say, “I observed a couple of things you did on the course that do not follow the rules. If you are interested we can discuss them.”

This allows her to be in charge of her learning and lets you see her commitment to the game. If she is eager to talk explain one or two rules breaches, then tell her that on the course it is good etiquette to stop another player from making a mistake and she should expect others to do that for her. You might also talk about the need to have the proper score in each box on the scorecard. Explain that no one wants to get disqualified and that is why we discuss a rules breach so the score is correct.

about what happens when your golf ball ends up in strange places on the course. It tells us how the Rules of Golf expects us to handle each situation.

Begin reading the Decisions book anywhere you find interesting. It is not an Agatha AND HERE’S AN IDEA FOR Christie mystery that must be EVERYONE PLAYING GOLF read from the beginning to the end. That approach will make this Please purchase a Decisions seem more like a punishment on the Rules of Golf book and encourage your friends to do that than a fun adventure.

Because most courses have also. Yes, it is the big fat one (over cart paths, benches, stakes, 1 inch thick), but do not let the thickness fool you. It is really just restrooms and other manmade a collection of very short stories objects you might want to start

with Rule 24 Obstructions, and suggest to your friend that she begin there. There are two parts to this rule: movable obstructions and immovable obstructions.

Read the “short stories” and learn how to handle those situations.

Then skip to another part of the rules where you have interest or questions. If you have lots of water hazards on your course and your ball likes to take the occasional swim, you might want to look at Rule 26 Water Hazards, where you will learn the difference between yellow and red stakes as well as where to drop your ball when

taking relief from a water or lateral water hazard.

Consider leaving your Decisions book next to the place where you watch TV or normally read. Mute the commercials and read a few Decisions while waiting for the program to return. You will be amazed at how quickly you get a sense of the rules.

Note: You can purchase a Decisions on the Rules of Golf from the USGA. Go to usga.org and under the rules section you can find a place to purchase or download the book.

6 tags included in set along with attachment for golf bag • Easily understandable, the most common rules of golf simplified.

• Small in size (credit card sized), BIG on information.

Knowyourgolfrules.com

• Weather proof. Water proof.

Convenient for the golfer to quickly check the rule and get back to the game. Great for camps, clinics, tourney giveaways, ladies league, junior golf and more!

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GottaGoGolf I SPRING 2015 I 63

OUR GAME ESSAY

By Kay Rae Chomic

A Comeback for the Aged After receiving my online purchases of ASICS golf shoes, TaylorMade clubs, and a stylish, light gray golf bag with azure trim, I search my closet for golf attire and find nothing. I dress in a camp shirt and jeans, and visit the driving range.

I take a few practice swings with a 7-iron. Something's wrong. The clubs feel like oars. They seem too short, and weighted with lead. Did I get scammed online and the clubs are rejects that never passed inspection? Should I have taken a friend's advice and gotten fitted for clubs?

I dub a few shots, cannot connect with the sweet spot, and even shank the ball!

There are no long-irons in the set, not even my old favorite, the 5-iron—instead, hybrid clubs like my hybrid car. I skip the hybrids and choose the power club, the driver. The grapefruit-sized clubhead goes so far under the ball, I come close to injuring the golfer next to me with what I can only call a blooper! I've never had this result before, and there's no autocorrect inside me.

After more embarrassing bloopers, I realize I have no rhythm, no feel at all for the club-ball-sky connection. I pack up my clubs, leave a half-full bucket of balls, and cry about my broken swing.

Bad dream, you think? No. This was the beginning of my golf comeback after a 10-year leave of absence.

I gave up the game to have more time in my life to write a novel. You might MORE 64 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

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OUR GAME

think that was extreme, but while golf was my passion in my youth, writing fiction became my passion in middle age. My full-time job and need for a wellrounded life contributed to my decision to stop golfing.

I cheated a little because in my novel, A Tight Grip, the protagonist, Par Parker, was obsessed with competitive golf, and the younger players upstaging her fueled a mid-life crisis. The golf action in the novel comes straight from my experience, though fictionalized, and I enjoyed reconnecting with that period in my life. fter publishing my novel, I knew I’d return to golf.

Part of the reason I expected my swing to be intact was because I had been a good golfer and had always been complimented on my natural swing. Also, I had given up downhill skiing for 10 years, returned to it, and after two runs, my legs and hips returned me to slalom-mode.

OK, so I was younger, and skiing is different. But, I sure didn’t expect total amnesia of golf-muscle memory!

Last March, I joined EWGA to jumpstart my comeback into golf. But it didn't happen. I only attended their pre- and postseason wine-tasting events, and met some of my future playing partners.

We talked golf, books, and the regular stuff of life. That

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was the best I could do while my book tour swallowed up the summer. ctober came. Feeling vexed about not playing the entire summer, and impatient with those new clubs (possibly fake) lying in my trunk, I read an EWGA e-mail promoting a winter league that would play "indoor" golf at The Swing Doctor in Kirkland, Washington. Having no idea what virtual golf was, I drove over the day before league started to familiarize myself with the large-screen simulations, and to take the complimentary lesson. Mostly to take the lesson.

The Swing Doctor had two large-screen simulations set up and several smaller practice areas to putt or hit into a small screen. The pro, Joe Brown, asked me about my golf experience, and let me hit a few balls into the screen. Right before I asked him to evaluate my fake clubs, he showed me my broken swing on the video playback. OMG my whole left side collapsed and swayed sideways on the follow-through, like some oldfashioned dance move. He helped me focus on a full shoulder turn, keeping my head still (no swaying), and pre-loading weight to my right leg.

I played every Tuesday for five weeks, and with continued guidance from the pro, my swing has hinted at coming back. Playing indoors is not my

O

full comeback, but it has me swinging. We have two foursomes and one player brings snacks and wine.

Social golf—indoors. live in Seattle where the weather accommodates writers better than golfers. The cloudy, wet climate offers no bounce-and-run shots, the sun doesn’t come out until late afternoon, shoes squish, mud splatters on pant cuffs and ankles. Necessary accessories here that I never needed when I lived in Phoenix: umbrella, rain gear, fleece jacket, and the rare dab of sunscreen. I will write during the fall, winter, and part of the spring, and any future book tour will not be scheduled during summertime.

I’m counting down the days for EWGA’s spring kickoff event because the real comeback happens when I tee it up on real grass under a real sky, and then walk the fairway of a real course. Golf will be how I remember it, how my main character, Par, describes it: There are surprises in every round. Surprises like sinking a long birdie putt, skipping the ball over water, getting a favorable bounce away from a hazard, holing out a chip shot, and the ultimate—making a hole-in-one.

I’ve experienced all those surprises, and now I’ve come back for more.

"A HILARIOUS, HIGH-DRAMA NOVEL WITH A DELIGHTFUL ANGLE OF APPROACH TO THE INNER WORKINGS OF WOMEN IN GOLF, FAMILY, AND THE POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES OF MIDDLE AGE." -- BOOKS INC

I

Kay Rae Chomic is a writer living in Seattle, Wash.

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What happens when TeedUp meets GolfWineDine for a six-day first date on the Monterey Peninsula? Read on for HER story and HIS.

TRAVEL

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HERS

The Sequel to ‘Confessions of a Golf Slut’

By Susan Fornoff

TRAVEL ILLUSTRATIION BY TOBE DARANOUVONG

It is Sunday morning and I am agonizing over what to wear for the day’s round. Once I assemble a navy skort, white shirt with navy trim, navy sweater and navy capris tights, I realize my hands are shaking too much to apply my blue eye liner with any more skill than that of a crayongripping 4-year-old.

Clearly, I have bargained for more than my usual play day with the Sharp Park Business Women’s Golf Club. I am on my way to

meet TeedUp, who boarded a plane into Northern California from his cold-weather state for a six-day golf date with me, also known online as GolfWineDine.

We have emailed, chatted and Skyped, but never really met.

I started it all.

Readers of my book Confessions of a Golf Slut know that I would never turn down a golf date—or, even, abandon one at the turn when things were not going at all well. But disappointments

with the likes of PracticeMan, SarcasmMan, OlympicMan, SingleDoc and, especially, RedTeeMan, had redirected my rangefinder from the flag to anywhere that was still in play.

Recently instrumental in this changed approach: a wealthy surgeon who made us a Saturday afternoon tee time at a course he liked and told this struggling entrepreneur, “It’s $84, I hope that is OK with you.”

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his Golf Romance After 50: Giving it Another Swing

By TeedUp It’s disheartening enough to hit a golf ball after the age of 55. They say that’s when you really start losing distance and power in a never-ending trend that follows you from the blue tees to the whites and reds and on to the grave. If golf’s not bad enough, try dating at that age.

It’s fine to throw yourself out there but you know you’re not fooling anyone.

Mother Nature is the ultimate plus handicap opponent in the match play of life. And there’s all that worry about baggage: yours, hers, which golf club travel bag to buy. I decided to stick my toe out there anyway. Online dating profile written, now I had to have a name. Best to be honest, I was looking for a golfer to skip down the fairway of life with. I chose “TeedUp.” It attracted one response in particular that caught my interest, because no one

else who had responded even mentioned golf.

She contacted me mostly because she saw my name.

Hi—I'm really not one to look for long-distance romance but you came up in a search and the things you had to say in your profile really resonated with me.

So I just thought I'd say hi, if you're ever out this way, I will drop what I am doing to play golf with you— GolfWineDine. more on page 73

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he 18-hole dates I had once accepted enthusiastically had given way to “Let’s just play nine and see how it goes,” or, worse, “Why don’t we just meet for coffee?”

My new pre-shot routine was to avoid long discussion about the wind, the lie, the distance, and simply grab a club and swing. No long-winded emails, please – let’s just meet. So I ignored any flirtations from zip codes far from my own, and read no profiles of golfers outside of 100 miles.

Then one of those nifty “if you like so-and-so, then you might like this guy” features brought up a photo of TeedUp. He looked happy and attractive, one year younger than I am, so I read his profile: Professional, self-employed 72 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

ex-jock turned serious golfer. I am financially stable and have an excellent credit rating. I believe a good mature relationship is based on integrity and mutual kindness… Like to read adventure novels, cook and a good drink at the end of the day. I haven’t given up on sex and affection. I don't like pot or drugs and the biggest turn-off would be a religious person who does not tolerate gays.

Politically I'm a fiscal conservative and liberal on social issues. I tend to be laid back. Most of all, I have a good sense of humor.

I like all of it. And I am struck by the nakedness of another comment: I'm just looking for that special someone to share the rest of my life with.

It sounded so much like me and like what I sought, but, he was so far away. I emailed

anyway, and in his friendly reply he revealed that we had more in common than I realized, because he too had been a journalist.

He wasn’t looking for a longdistance thing himself, he said, but we could explore friendship. nd so we did.

Immediately. After a phone conversation, he ordered Confessions for his Kindle and finished it over a single cold weekend. That book, which is about my life with golf but also about my marriage to my late husband and subsequent attempts at dating, touched him deeply, because he had lost his first wife to cancer the same year I was married. He had married quickly on the rebound, and when he shared a long, eloquent and heartfelt email he had sent to a friend years earlier, I could

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see I had met someone with depth, who was surprisingly fearless about examining—and revealing—his feelings.

We talked a lot about our values—emphasis on experiences, not riches—and our dreams, which for both of us are an interesting, shared life replete with golf and writing, a bottle of wine or a well-made cocktail at the end of the day. Not only that, he seemed to have come to the conclusion I had reached: It is not that easy to find that special someone to share the rest of one’s life with. And if he or she didn’t live in the neighborhood, maybe that wasn’t such a dealbreaker after all. owever, considering the distance between us,

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onsidering that both of us are professional writers, it’s not surprising that we beguiled each other through our correspondence. We even stayed interested after Skyping a couple times. However, no one can predict chemistry.

GolfWineDine worked out a six-day itinerary of golf, including a trip to Monterey and Carmel.

Gutsy, maybe, but we looked at it as we were already friendly, and we were golfers, so at the very least the backup plan would be to play golf, travel, have some drinks and I could sleep on the couch.

Within a second of her stepping out of the car in the airport passenger pickup, the backup plan flew out of bounds.

We could not hide our beaming smiles. I’ll never forget how she

covered her mouth with her hand, standing beside the open driver’s side car door. While sparing our good reader the details, let’s just say it was the best hello hug I’ve ever had.

From the airport, it was on to her home course, Sharp Park in Pacifica. This was to be the practice round for the week, as conditions were tough after a summer drought and recent rains turned much of the course to mud. We played a fun round of golf. Neither of us seemed to make any etiquette mistakes. I was aware that she was watching for ways to judge me, or outright ax me as a suitor. Yet I didn’t worry about it. I’ve played enough tournament golf to know how to act. I haven’t thrown clubs for years, and I try not to swear after bad shots. I know where

to stand. On the other hand, she earned my admiration for being a tough walker, without complaining or needing anything from me. She impressed me by wanting to play a match against me every day – in a nice way – for a drink. GolfWineDine played golf by the rules and played fast. Plus this statuesque blonde flirted with me wildly. I was in heaven.

I also liked her friends at the 19th hole. This is what I was looking for: Loud, raucous, the women together but not far from the men. You can see they play here for more than just the classic Alister MacKenzie design.

Monterey From the iconic 17-Mile Drive and its crashing breakers backdropped by a grey, looming sky

and ripping wind, to the sunny serenity of Bayonet and Black Horse, the middle part of the trip felt like a blur. Bayonet is the more difficult of the two courses, mainly because of its hills and tight tree-lined fairways. In fact, its operatives claim it is the most difficult course on the Monterey Peninsula, although those who play Spyglass Hill might differ.

Of the courses I would play on this trip, I liked Bayonet the best, probably because it was in the best condition. word about California golf conditions. The drought has stressed the turf on the courses, causing the ball to settle between the thin bent grass down to the dirt, or in our case, mud. Combine the tight, wet

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TRAVEL

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HERS POPPY HILLS: A redesign by Robert Trent Jones Jr. opened up the views and widened fairways at the member course of the Northern California Golf Association in Pebble Beach.

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lies with the marine layer and a little wind and it feels like you’re hitting into a sack of potatoes.

In my native Colorado with its altitude, dry air and plenty of water for the courses, we get a lot of carry, roll and cushy bluegrassrye lies, and the little poa annua grass that there is dies out in late June’s heat. A 6-iron that travels 190 yards in Denver only went about 165 in the hills on the California coast. t each course I would consult the pro staff as to which tees I would play, given my 7 index. To a man, they answered white tees, and I’m thankful I followed their advice. I struggled to shoot 84 at Bayonet, where the whites are just under 6,000 yards, the blues just over 6,600. I played the whites on the front and blues on the back.

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y playing partner didn’t look like the photos in her profile: She looked better.

She has the habit of wearing these leggings that many of the female tour pros wear. It was chilly enough for them, but I can remember the dismay I felt by her covering up those fantastic legs of hers. It was like covering the Mona Lisa’s eyes with a table cloth, or putting board shorts on Michelangelo’s David. What a waste.

GolfWineDine and I enjoyed a spectacular two-day stay at the Briarwood Inn in Carmel, where she had booked a great deal, just $75 a night. The suite was humongous and included a big jetted tub, fireplace and a king-size bed. We ate at the Hog’s Breath Inn, didn’t see Clint Eastwood, but enjoyed

the meal and then the bottle of white wine that the inn had left us in the room. The chemistry between us still raged, and it was to my chagrin that I awoke one morning to realize, because we could hear the crash of the surf in Carmel Bay, that we had left our windows wide open. In order to avoid the stink-eye at the B&B’s communal breakfast, we decided on getting there, eating and leaving early. Our backup plan was to ask each other loudly, “Can you believe those rude people?”

Pebble Beach Poppy Hills has also been redesigned, reportedly because pros playing the AT&T Pro-Am thought it was unfair. Robert Trent Jones Jr.’s new course eliminated a lot of stupid 1980s fake mounding to improve

sightlines, widen fairways and replace deep rough with broad, playable waste areas, something every course should consider in order to speed up play. This is a natural-looking, friendly layout that has large gentle greens.

Our group complained about the slow bent grass greens, but that’s to be expected because they are new. At Poppy the white, or three-poppy, tees play about 6,300 yards and it’s an easy walk.

Again, GolfWineDine impressed me with her strength of body and character by walking and pushing a cart alongside me and the two very funny guys playing with us, Steve and Dave from the Bay Area.

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hers what’s a middle-aged couple to do? kype, of course, so we could look for annoying, dealbreaking ticks, facial expressions and bodily flaws. But our Skype sessions were so much fun, in the second one he was looking up flights into Oakland, and I cheered him on with, “Push the button! Push the button!” Well, he decided, “I have to find out if this is going to be a thing.” Not to mention, he was hoping to score a better pseudonym than the placeholder I’d given him, LongDistanceMan. He pushed the button.

He would arrive on a December Sunday, and stay until Friday, up for whatever golf outing I planned. That would have to be the Monterey Peninsula, my definition of golf nirvana in any season. But in

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winter the famously temperamental climate can be clear and calm, the secret paths of Carmel-by-theSea empty of tourists, and the romantic (sometimes ancient) bed and breakfasts beg for occupants.

Best of all, it becomes affordable to those who can visit between storms. f course there were the touchy conversations about what would happen if we didn’t like each other, what would happen if we did. Who would pay? Would there be sex?

All of it, we addressed like a twoperson scramble team politely negotiating which shot to use and when.

Then there I was (in my shakily-applied eye liner) pulling up to the airport’s arrivals curb, looking for a red travel golf bag and finding it, stopping the car

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and gazing over the steering wheel for a few transformative moments at the red travel bag’s owner.

I felt suddenly calm. Some voice inside me wanted to say, “About time you got here.”

He gazed back, listening to his own inner voice, and we both finally smiled. And I got out of the car and went for a long hug.

Looking back, it is tempting to say, that’s when we knew— tempting, but overly simplistic.

For we drove off to Sharp Park, where I spend most of my Sundays playing in the Business Women’s Golf Club. The club would already have teed off when we arrived, but I knew they’d be out there watching over me, ready to meet LongDistanceMan at the 19th hole.

This was his idea. I warned

him about the decidedly par-plus conditions. (Remember, subpar is good for golfers, over par is not.) Recent rain meant two temporary greens were in play— and even the regular greens and fairways left much to be desired. But Sharp Park is Alister MacKenzie’s only coastal course design, and I love the setting and layout almost as much as the company of our members.

LongDistanceMan wanted to see me in my element. nd I saw LongDistanceMan in his element, which seemed to be anywhere. He quickly befriended the staff, told them he had just flown in, hustled up air for the tires on my spare push cart, and off we went.

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Pasatiempo Golf Club was designed in 1929 by Alister MacKenzie, famous for Augusta.

Photo by rob babcock/pasatiempo golf club

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of bunkers center, with a blind tee shot that is not unreasonable.

The huge right-to-left green sits across a stream. It's a fun and interesting hole that represents the positive changes at Poppy. olfWineDine had warned me that not only does she enjoy playing a match, she indulges in gamesmanship. At Poppy, I had gone up a couple of holes early. We were standing on the 421-yard, par-4 fifth hole watching Dave get ready to tee off, and I felt something soft and warm being pressed into my elbow. After realizing what it was, I admonished GolfWineDine. The rattled Dave heard our exchange about the “boob rub” and skulled his drive into the trees. So did I. Ultimately she lost the new standing bet: A Manhattan, up.

The Manhattan at the bar at

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Bayonet had been stupendous.

This time we would drive to the Tap Room at Pebble Beach to enjoy the ambiance. The club sandwich was so big it came on two plates and we wound up having half for breakfast the next morning. The Manhattans were tasty and unusual, mixed with rye and a rare vermouth.

seaside hills, and this old lady of California is of the latter variety.

Pasatiempo looks fabulous after the Tom Doak renovation, which to my eye was mostly to replace lost bunker complexes and green areas and improve drainage.

In the marine layer conditions, tight, hilly Pasatiempo was the hardest course I’ve ever played. No wonder Juli Inkster is so good; she grew up playing Santa Cruz there. I played the middle tees It was sad to leave Carmel at 6,125 yards, which felt more but we had Pasatiempo on our like 7,000 in the heavy, loaming agenda. Alister MacKenzie’s atmosphere. grand old course was soaked Somehow I had the best round already from previous rains and the entire staff was awaiting the of the week, a dismal 83, including arrival of the Pineapple Express, a a birdie on the par-5 13th.

GolfWineDine’s tired body rainstorm that would shut down the course in a couple days. They started to hit the brakes after a week of golf and she shot a say along the California coast high score, yet still didn’t play that you are either playing golf slowly. Unfortunately, we were along the beach or up in the

paired with “Million-Dollar Check Man,” who interfered with our on-course canoodling.

The little dude showed us a million pictures on his phone of things we didn’t want to look at, including his son’s car accident and a check to his business for $1 million. Then he dropped $11 on the bar that barely covered his drink and left us with the rest of the check. e had planned to spend the last two days of our “first date” golfing in the Bay Area, but the Pineapple Express hit hard. Between Scrabble games that I never came close to winning, bottles of Mumm sparkling wine, hot tubs in the rain, the ferry to San Francisco and miles of walking in the downpour, she protected by

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id I mention LongDistance-Man’s single-digit handicap? Even after all of the stress of the trip and the meeting, he hit the ball long and straight, putted our bumpy greens beautifully. His challenge for the day was adjusting club selection to compensate for our heavier marine air at sea level, and of course the sogginess of the course.

I felt instantly comfortable with him on the golf course, even when we were joined by Peter and one of the regulars, Allen. “He came all this way to play Sharp Park,” I told Allen. He replied, “I’m sure that’s not why he came all this way.”

On the 18th green, Peter patiently took a series of pictures of us at the end of our first round together. In the one that speaks loudest, I am looking at 80 I SPRING 2015 I GottaGoGolf

First round, 18th green.

the camera and beaming, and LongDistanceMan is laughing and looking at me. When we went in for the 19th hole, I introduced him to my friends and said, “And I have decided I am not letting him go home.” eally, that was that. Except we had three more rounds of golf to play at three lovely Monterey Peninsula golf courses—but what I remember

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are snippets of those days that told me things I needed to know: His reluctance to have a competitive match—sort of a sweet, old-fashioned view that women are to be kissed and not defeated… His pleasure when we finally did have a match on the back nine at Bayonet and he saw that it was OK, just fun, a Manhattan at the end of the day (that I was buying)… His generosity on a day when we played Poppy Hills and then went to the legendary Tap Room at Pebble Beach for two amazing Manhattans, and we ended up ordering sandwiches, including the best burger the world has ever known, and he would not allow me to pick up the tab, even though he had won… And, especially, on a really challenging day at MacKenzie’s great

Pasatiempo, his grace whether he was having a good hole or a terrible one, and his grace whether I was having a good hole or a terrible one. t occurs to me now that I had been hoping to find someone who met the definition of “sportsmanship” that as a volunteer I teach kids at The First Tee—being kind and gracious whether you win or lose. I hadn’t really thought about it in those terms, but I was looking for someone who had sportsmanship in life, who could take the bad days with the good and, most likely, the bad Susan with the good. It was probably a lot to ask for, a lot to look for, and, even, a lot to hope to recognize.

But the golf courses that most

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PHOTO BY TOM O'NEAL

her white Sunice jacket and me by my Zero Restriction GoreTex jacket and Forrester rain hat, it was a match made in golf.

I’ll never forget the martini at Heinold’s First and Last Chance Bar on the waterfront, because its most famous patron, local legend

and author Jack London, was a boyhood hero of mine.

Although it was sad to leave her at the airport, plans were

made for our next match. When you birdie the first, the rest of the round only looks bright, no matter what your age.

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HERS resemble the winding path of life have par 4s and 5s where we stand at the tee and cannot see the goal. We know the flag is out there, calling us, but we cannot expect to approach the target unless we first set our sights on the aiming point. In Scotland caddies there are said to give one clear instruction to the player trying uncertainly to find a way to a hidden flagstick: “Aim at the rock.”

Just aim at the rock, they will say, and go from there. Of course, there is no guarantee of execution or success, only that from there the way becomes clear.

I aimed, and now LongDistanceMan may retire his preliminary nickname. I’m looking forward to a second date with The Rock.

The book Confessions of a Golf Slut is available online and through your local bookstore.

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A little golf, a little romance

Golf

Poppy Hills (1986)

Pasatiempo (1929)

in the Pebble Beach was restored to Alister forest underwent a MacKenzie’s original Bayonet (1954) and complete redesign vision during a 10-year Blackhorse (1964) in in 2013 by RTJ II and restoration by Tom Seaside sit on the hills reopened in 2014 with Doak and Jim Urbina above the Monterey a much more playerthat returned trees and coastline and boast friendly feel. There bunkers to their original of some of the best is rumored to be a locations. Perched winter drainage in the USGA championship above Santa Cruz, it region. Both courses in its future. $210, as is consistently rated were renovated low as $70 for NCGA among the top courses in 2007. $155 on members. in the U.S. $260, $32 cart. weekends. www.pasatiempo.com www.bayonetblackhorse.com. www.poppyhillsgolf.com.

Romance

Carmel is surprisingly

We loved our stay at the Briarwood Inn, where a wonderful room with hot tub and fireplace can be had for $155, including breakfast for two and a civilized port/sherry hour. www.briarwoodinn-carmel.com/

Of course golfers who posh for a village want to play famed where buildings bear Pebble Beach should no address numbers. stay at the Lodge It is full of bed-andthere or at the Inn breakfasts and small at Spanish Bay for hotels, all ranging guaranteed widely in price and tee-times. condition. For tourism resources, visit

www.carmelcalifornia.com.

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By Debbie Waitkus

Spring training baseball, or golf? Choose both

Speaker, author and business/golf networking consultant Debbie Waitkus is the founder and president of Golf for Cause, which has joined with EWGA and Jan Bel Jan Golf Course Design to form the National Women’s Golf Alliance. The NWGA team certifies golf courses identified as women-friendly.

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March marks the beginning of spring training in Scottsdale, Ariz., a great place to bask in the sun and watch your favorite baseball teams play in the Cactus League. And while you’re in Scottsdale, bring clubs and tee it up.

A great venue to play is Starfire Golf Club. Certified by the National Women’s Golf Alliance (NWGA) as a female-friendly facility, Starfire consistently puts out the welcome mat for women.

Golf course playability Starfire has 27 holes. If you’re an average hitter looking to score, this could be your place: All three 18-hole combinations of nines have rated sets of tees at less than 5,000 yards. You’ll have numerous opportunities to be on the green in regulation and line up your putts for birdies!

Starfire Golf Club

11500 North Hayden Road Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 www.starfiregolfclub.com 480.948.6000 Green fees $29–$75

Starfire Golf Club, located north of downtown Scottsdale, wins over women golfers with a warm welcome, flowers and lots of information about the many woman-centric events there.

Customer service Expect to be greeted warmly at Starfire by EVERYONE, from the outside service staff at the bag drop, the personnel in the restaurant, the golf shop and out on the course. Yet you truly know that Starfire wants women on site by simply looking around—there’s a large monitor on the wall behind the counter in the golf shop boldly displaying information about the women’s leagues. And go into any of the restrooms and you’ll see flowers and postings about golf clinics specifically for women.

Golf course amenities It can get quite warm in Arizona, and Starfire is ready for you with water available every few holes and a beverage cart that circulates around the course quickly. And there’s nothing better than finding a clean restroom on the course when you need it. Starfire has them at appropriate intervals.

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Golf facility amenities Come to the golf course hungry.

Starfire has a fabulous menu with a tremendous selection of healthful options. There’s even a refrigerated display case filled with items to grab and go—wraps, humus and veggies, cups with tuna salad and chicken salad.

In fact, stop in when you’re not playing golf, too—the Sunday brunch is fabulous.

If you’re a visitor from out of town, Starfire has plenty of golf programs for you—even as a beginner. In addition to the option for 9 or 18 holes of golf, there are regular clinics taught by LPGA Class “A” professional Sue Wieger and even an on-course golf mentoring program called Nine & Wine.

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PHOTOS BY DEBBIE WAITKUS

Golf programs for women

What’s the WOW factor for women golfers at your favorite course?

Send a quick note to: feedback@gottagogolf.com (be sure to name your course!) and we’ll publish feedback in future issues.

The WOW factor After a management change two years ago, one of the first things that the new general manager did was to tee it up. Yep, Matt Lupton teed it up with the women during league play. He thought it was important to see how they play the course and to find out what they enjoy and where they feel overly challenged.

He opened the doors of communication wide open. It’s rare to find a golf course that wants to understand your experience at their facility and then takes the initiative to make it even better.

Next time you’re in Scottsdale, even for MLB spring training, be sure to play a round at Starfire—a golf course that loves the ladies and goes the extra mile to help you have your best golf day possible.

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