The Golfchick

That chick blabbing about anything golf related.

Month: May 2007

Ron Mon’s playing 100 for charity

May 31, 2007 / / 1 Comment


Golf may not be reserved for the elite like it once was but let’s face it – it can still be an expensive hobby and we’re privileged enough if we have the luxury to play. That’s why I love it when people use golf to give back.

Long time travelgolf blogger, Ron Montesano (wasn’t he killed off in the Sopranos?) is playing 100 holes of golf on June 18 and seeking sponsors to benefit the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation and its fight against cancer on behalf of “Carly’s Club.”


Please visit this site and contribute what you can for this great cause.

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Women’s golf week June 2 – June 9

May 30, 2007 / / 3 Comments

I wrote about Women’s Golf Week in my Worldgolf column this month. Also, check out the Play Golf America site for more information.

I suppose that’s a better name than Golf chick’s week, but either way, let’s get out there and play.

Honorable mention: it seems the photo Worldgolf used for my column was taken by “Christ” Baldwin. Has Baldy’s ego reached new heights or does it just mean I’ve been blessed?

Update: The photo credit has been edited to read “Chris” instead of “Christ.” Just to prove I’m not insane, here is a snapshot of it before the adjustment. I may still be insane, but this won’t be the proof. Unless I’m crazy to prolong this but that’s another story.

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There’s a new golf chick on the scene…

May 24, 2007 / / 3 Comments

… and she means business!

Her name is Elizabeth Jones, and she’s a +3 handicap. That’s right – PLUS 3! I’m only a plus ONE… in my dreams.

As a recent college grad, she’s struggling to make ends meet while working two jobs and fitting in practice time so she can work towards her ultimate goal of playing on the LPGA Tour.

She started a new blog where she writes about golf stuff like many of us do, but her site also promotes her products that are instructional books to help people improve their golf games. She’s just trying to earn enough money to help her pay for the tests she needs to become a pro and start her golf career. She recently wrote about some pink golf shoes she got, and as an Imelda myself, I can appreciate that. I think I’m gonna like this girl.

Not only is she adorable, but she can really play golf!

It’s always nice to welcome another female golf blogger to the scene, but it’s a rare treat to have one who plays so well – I guess the same can be said for the guys, right? Check her out and let’s hope she sticks around awhile (where have you gone, Megan?).

Update: broken links removed.

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I am a Birdie Girl – with a minor in Ogio

May 19, 2007 / / 2 Comments

I’m also giving new meaning to the term “bag lady.” I guess when a girl obsessed with handbags develops an obsession with golf, it’s only natural that she will start to collect golf bags.

Awhile back, I posted about Birdie Girl’s great looking bags and especially lusted for the orange stand bag. It was still in production so I had to wait but in the mean time I got my hands on the pink and white tour bag. Because I was still traveling for work quite a bit, I also got their travel bag. I don’t think these two items were meant to go together, but I’ll get to that later.

The tour bag is gorgeous and adds a powerful, feminine touch to any golf course. (No, guys, that’s not an oxymoron.) But it is a tour bag and is meant to be carried, not carted. It’s a touch too bulky and the pockets aren’t the most accessible from a cart position. Much to my chagrin, I’m not on any tour, don’t have a caddie and wouldn’t dream of carrying this baby myself. The bag lady in me just thought it would be cool to have a tour bag.


Here it is pictured in action – providing some much needed brightness at a miserable 5 1/2 hour round at the rock hard Knollwood Country Club in Granada Hills, CA where it was a wrist-breaking risk to try to take a divot on approach. Ugh – but at least my Birdie Girl bag made me smile. You can see the beautiful detail work in the close up shot. The side view shot was at Black Gold Golf Club in Yorba Linda, CA. This golf course certainly didn’t need any dressing up but the bag still stood out – far more than my performance in that tournament.

Throwing some Ogio in the mix

Since the tour bag is a bit unwieldy and much of my golf is played on courses that aren’t too walker-friendly, I knew I needed to revert back to an actual cart bag. I love my chocolate Ogio and think Ogio makes the most tricked out bags designed from a planning perspective based on what golfers need. From what I’ve seen, some other bag manufacturers are catching on, but Ogio innovates and the others seem to follow. I decided to upgrade from my chocolate bag to the latest and greatest.


I chose this cool bag, the Atlas, in the indigo color scheme. Ogio thinks of everything but my enjoyment of the handy pockets, ball dispenser, individual club dividers, and sleek look only lasted for a short while. Why? Because Greg liked it just as much as I did and it turned out that indigo would have been his color selection as well. He doesn’t lust for products too much, so I took the opportunity to make a sneaky trade along with a friendly couple’s wager (the details of which shall remain private) and he is now the proud owner of this bag. We both ended up winners in this deal.

Back to Birdie Girl

Then the long awaited orange stand bag was off the Birdie Girl production lines and on my doorstep. I was giddy. It’s even better looking up close and personal – and with my stuff in it! The attention to detail of the designers isn’t evident in the photos of this bag on the Birdie Girl website.

When I first opened the package and saw the tiny pink and white polka dots on the stand’s legs, I thought “whaaa?” Then I set it down on its stand and noticed how the white mesh on the orange side pockets almost looks like pink polka dots and it all made sense. It’s even hard to tell with the lights and shadows in this photo, but trust me, this is such a cool touch!

If you zoom in on this photo, you’ll see the neat splashes of other colors in the detail work on the logo and handle. I never would have thought of the polka dots or putting all these colors together, but I love the way they work together! Kudos to the Birdie Girl designers.

Here it is on the course and on the cart. Again, I love the brightness!
Here it is with Greg’s new Ogio bag. What a cool looking pair!

Yes, I’m using it as a cart bag. My chocolate Ogio just looks so dull after having my Birdie Girl bags out there. Oh yeah, something else after which to lust. I guess now I need this powder/chocolate Luxe Cart bag for my collection! We play walking rounds with our friends Lou and Leslie on Friday afternoons in the spring and summer so my orange bag could still see some action. Well, I play other walking rounds but I use my push cart for those so I can strap on either kind of bag and I’ll be able to mix it up.

Now to the travel bag

My one complaint with Birdie Girl is about their travel bag. It looks smart and is easy to spot on the luggage carousel – I’ll give it that, but then I’d expect that from Birdie Girl. It’s the size that bothers me. Of course I never expected the tour bag to fit in there, but I did expect it to accommodate my golf clubs in any other golf bag with ease. No go. I understand that it is designed with women in mind but even if I had shorter golf clubs, that’s only another inch or so of room. After taking off the club head covers, it was a really tight squeeze to get my golf clubs in this travel bag. I worried that when TSA searched it and tried to repack they might damage my stuff. And I worried that such a tight fit might cause a snap with a rough throw. Thankfully neither happened and my clubs made the trip unscathed, but I won’t risk it again. How about just a couple more inches of leeway in the length, Birdie Girl? Maybe it would be good for a junior set of clubs.

Accessories

The club head covers I got with the orange stand bag are nice, but not for me. First, they’re too big. I don’t like it when club head covers are too tight and difficult to take off and put on, but I also don’t like them to be too baggy and loose. I know, I’m hard to please size-wise. Many women are. They’re also orange and black instead of orange and white, which, unlike their other color surprises doesn’t work for me. Besides, though it might not be hard to displace my Ruger and Taylor Made headcovers on my 3- and 5- woods, nothing’s going to take the place of the Goose on my driver.

My accessories of choice by Birdie Girl are these snazzy umbrellas!


Yes, I am a Birdie Girl

So what if I miss a lot of birdie putts? So what if the most birdies I’ve had in a round is a whopping 2? I’m a Birdie Girl – my bags say so! Birdie Girl makes the cutest stuff and keeps me stylin’ on the golf course whether I’m making birdies or not.

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Ask the Goose – question from David

May 18, 2007 / / 0 Comments

I’m channeling Kess today so I went into her inbox and found this old question that she never got the chance to answer. So, in her first column since her passing, the ghost of the Goose takes this question from David Joseph:

Dear Goose,

I have been golfing for a long time. I have been living for a long time too. As I get older I am getting faster. I need to get where I am going before I go croak. As golf gets older it is getting slower. This incredibly slow play is driving my friends away from the game.

I would like to know if there are any rules governing pace of play at public golf courses. I (and my quickly disappearing friends) need to be able to play a round of golf in less time than is currently possible. Can you help us out here?

David Joseph


Dear David,

If you haven’t already, I recommend going ahead and “croaking.” The golf courses are wide open and you can reunite with all your friends and play at whatever pace you like on any course you choose.

If you’re still circling the drain, try going to your favorite local muni on a weekday when the non-retired people are too busy in their offices to be on the golf course. Also try the more expensive courses where you can enjoy the senior rates and the faster pace of play (because the greens fees are too high for the young whippersnappers).

Maybe even join a senior league so you can share your common concerns like creaky hips and slower swing speeds. Stepping up to the forward tees might also speed up play for you and your friends. Make sure you all watch each other’s tee shots for a better chance at finding them with all those old eyes. Spread the word so that others do the same (especially the groups in front of you).

Good luck and I’ll see you soon,

The Goose

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Once again – beware of rattlesnakes!

May 16, 2007 / / 2 Comments


It’s rattlesnake season again, so be careful out there!

If you’re daring (or stupid) enough to go into the brush looking for your golf ball, at least take a club with you and make lots of noise as you go about it. For me, that $3 ball just isn’t worth the risk of a bite.

Sure, they rattle to warn you, but you might come across one without the time to warn you because they hide and camouflage themselves so well. A friend of mine saw his playing partner get bit on the arm as the guy just reached in for his ball. End of round, hospital visit and about a week of agony. I think he learned his lesson.


Here’s an ambitious little snake that wants to be a rattlesnake when he grows up. He was stretched out on the cart path, blocking my way down a hill last week. I touched his tail with my toe to get him to move along and he got all badass on me. From then on, I treated him with the respect he was seeking. I managed to just squeak the cart through between his tail and the tall brush on the side of the path at top speed so he didn’t have time to strike. Sure, he might not have the venom of a rattler but I’m sure a bite would still hurt. I even let out a little squeal as I drove by – but only to make him feel better about himself.

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The Armchair Golfer’s new digs

May 16, 2007 / / 1 Comment

The Armchair Golfer has a new gig. The people over at The Most Valuable Network have wisely chosen Neil (evidently that’s his name) to write their golf blog, “Down the Middle.”

He has been blogging steadily about golf since September 2005 – almost as long as I have. Like he says on his new site profile, golfers persist!

Congrats and good luck, Neil. I’ll be reading.

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“New” rental clubs?!?!?

May 11, 2007 / / 5 Comments

Mom needs some golf clubs!

My mom has only played golf a few times but she really enjoys getting out on the course with me and swatting the ball around. The last time we played, I was impressed with her as she thwacked some really good ones from the tee, the fairway, the rough and the bunkers and made some really good putts. And she did all that with a beat up set of clubs she rented.

Before they brought out the rental set, I inquired if they had any used rental sets for sale (since Mom’s in the market). He said they didn’t sell (or have) demo clubs. I repeated that I was actually asking about rental sets and explained that I thought maybe when they upgraded their rentals they sold the old ones. He told me that all their sets are still quite new and they weren’t ready to be replaced. Then he brought out the golf clubs in question. I laughed out loud.

I know rental sets see some abuse, but to describe these as NEW and to sound so proud of them was ridiculous!

The photo doesn’t even really do them justice. Each and every club in the set (including the putter) looked like it had been through a few good rounds of street golf. And if they hadn’t been used on asphalt, they had seen hundreds of hard rounds with hackers in the weeds and rocky, dried-up hazards. However many times they have rented out this set, I’m sure they were paid for many times over and they were ready for retirement.

I later looked up the set online and found a brand new set of the same model (Aspire M3) for $80 – with a bag. I’m no math whiz, but at $20 per rental, which is what they charge, I think they can afford to get a few new sets with what they’ve brought in from this old bag of nuts and still have enough left over to pay the water bill.

Time for Mom to get some golf clubs of her own, ’cause she’s got skillz! Hmmm… if only there was an occasion for a gift, like a day celebrating all things Mom. Oh, wait.

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Charity Event at Moorpark Country Club

May 3, 2007 / / 1 Comment

On Thursday, May 17, Moorpark Country Club will be the site of the Phillips & King International annual charity golf tournament.


This year, Phillips and King has chosen the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation as the recipient of the proceeds. This foundation is working to improve the lives of families in the villages surrounding the town of Caribe in the Dominican Republic. They do this by helping to build much needed schools, health clinics, recreation facilities, a safe drinking water network, youth programs, adult training and much more. Last year, the tournament raised almost $19,000 and would love to make that same kind of contribution to this year’s recipient.

The details

When: May 17th, 2007, 12:00 PM shotgun start.
Where: Moorpark Country Club (I’ll post an update when I find out which two of the three nines they will use)
Update: The tournament will be played on the Ridgeline and Canyon Crest nines.
Women: White tees, Men: Blue tees
Entry fee: $225

The entry fee includes lunch, a full course dinner, a gift bag and lots of cigars.

Prize opportunities include a new BMW or Harley Davidson, airline tickets, a Caribbean cruise, rounds of golf, trophies and more, and are awarded for Hole-in-one, Long Drive (Male and Female), Closest to the Pin (Male and Female), putting contest, 1st and 2nd place and a raffle. There will also be a live auction.

Since this event is only two weeks away, sign up soon using the registration form below (click on it to get a larger version) or by calling (805) 744-4188 or (800) 532-4427 x 188.

I know it can be difficult to get out to play at noon on a weekday, but I hope to see you there! (You can also just come for the dinner, auction and raffle for a $100 contribution.)

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The Dreaded “Y word” at Worldgolf

May 1, 2007 / / 5 Comments

Well, it’s that time of month again. No, not the time when I get all cranky and roll around in chocolate – my latest column is up at Worldgolf. Since their disaster of a new site design isn’t just ugly, but a navigational nightmare, you might want to use my link below if you want to read it. Hmm… maybe it is that time of the month after all. I hope I don’t get fired for voicing that opinion.

Anyway, the column is about understanding the bizarre phenomenon called The Yips. WAIT – hear me out: as a superstitious person myself, it was a daunting topic for me at first. But the more I learned about it, the more comfortable I was talking about it without fearing that I’d catch it.

Unfortunately, I have a small word count range in these columns so it’s difficult for a long-winded writer such as myself to turn in anything substantive. I plan to follow up that article with more about the topic here on The Golfchick blog. I have a very cooperative friend named Neil who is suffering from the putting yips and I hope to include video clips in future posts. I guess the column could be considered an introduction to what might become a series here. We’ll see!

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