Girls and Golf Monthly

I may be kidding myself, but my article in last month’s Golf Monthly deploring the low standing of women’s golf, seems to have borne fruit. As well as two responses on the letters page. (To Maurice of Didsbury, if only I lived nearer I'd be happy to experience your ladies’ facilities for myself!) I think I detect a slight increase in examples of the female form in this month’s mag (Ten great women golfers, Curtis Cup news, and a good sprinkling of girls in the junior section, not to mention a feature on Lorena Ochoa).
Keep up the good work boys, but did you have to print that letter about the pink golf clothes? Sometimes I think that women are their own worst enemies!

Dress code for winter

Twice this week I've forgotten to take my camera out on the course to record the frosty weather, including a disconcerted duck standing on a frozen lake, and other scenes that would grace any Christmas card.

Don't fancy sub-zero golf? As someone said recently on Golf Monthly Forum, there's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing, so girls, here is my recipe for winter golf (without going out and spending a fortune).

• Long vest - silk - from Patra (longer than is strictly necessary but perfect for bridging that sneaky gap between jumper and trousers!)

• Roll neck sweater - wool & cashmere - from Next (bought many moons ago as a fashion item, now put to much better use).

• V-neck sweater - Shetland wool, by Cross Creek - extravagant? From a Pro-shop discount rail - good buy!

• Goose down duvet - oops - gilet - from Landsend, as shown above but in dangerously lurid pink. Might not pass muster with the Solheim Cup ladies, but perfectly adequate, with good deep pockets for balls, tees, and for the other occupational hazard, tissues for a runny nose

• Woolly hat - from Pringle (Xmas gift from way back, still warmest)

• Winter golf mitts - Masters - pop them on between shots and never have cold hands again - well worth the hassle.

Thus attired, I have learned to putt positively on frosty greens and shot two very respectable rounds (so far). What's your excuse?

Fashion Round-up

Since it's source of constant frustration that golf clothing for women is usually expensive and rarely stylish, I rushed off to check out Death to Argyle (catchy brand name!) as recommended recently by Golf Girl, but my excitement was short-lived, as the range is limited and I don't know that I want my polos with playing cards on (Queen of Clubs, get it?)

Our local golf range shop stocks a good selection, but prices for basic items like polo shirts strike me as over the top and I usually confine myself to the sale rail or head for a chain store. But even if we've been playing in glorious sunshine this week, winter is on its way and so is Christmas, so for all golfing girlies or even men-folk with golfers to buy for, here are my recommendations!

On the high street I find the best bet is Debenhams Maine collection. Although not strictly golf wear, there's a good range of sporty tops and trousers that are smarter than keep-fit or 'slouching' clothes. Right now there are long sleeved tops suitable for autumn or spring, not bad for £16, and I've also found some stretch trousers for £25 that feel smart enough to wear off the course and fit really well. Here are the pics, or of course you can see for yourself at Debenhams.

If you want something more obviously lady golfer, JRB and Daily Sports have good ranges that cost less than some of the more traditional golf 'fashion houses'. Both are stocked by Sport a la Mode where there's a good selection of brands, though some of the knitwear comes with the usual taste warning. Do I like these 'half-zip tops', or are they in the Death to Argyle category? Think the jury's still out!

Another name I didn't know is Moose clothing. Ladygolfer has several items on sale at the moment, though they are mostly summer range. I particularly like this one for £10, though I'm a bit worried about the headless woman!

Well, that completes my pre-Christmas round-up of golfing wear that doesn't make me cringe. Please let me know if you have other suggestions.

The Dredge connection

Played two rounds last weekend at Bryn Meadows near Caerphilly. Great weather and a nice course, though wet rough was pretty punishing. It turns out that BM is the 'home' course of Bradley Dredge, as evidenced by a kind of scroll in the bar with a list of his achievements. On the other side of the bar was a framed newspaper cutting explaining how the course had been developed from a pig farm - maybe not as big a selling point as the Dredge connection!

Here's another Dredge connection. The Welsh pro writes an occasional blog for Golf Monthly who have invited me to write one of their 'Clubhouse Chat' pages on my experiences as a woman playing golf. I think it's great they have asked, since like all the mainstream golf magazines it seems to be aimed at a male readership. I looked back through six months of back issues and didn't find a letter from anyone identifiably female (unless I am doing 'Jackie' in July a disservice!) Not sure if that means there are no women reading, or if those that do simply aren't moved to write in, maybe dissuaded by the general lack of any page featuring women or women's golf! Anyway, if I can come up with the goods, maybe that's all set to change, so three cheers for the editor. I'll let you know when I get into print!

Solheim Cup

I'm getting to like the Golf for Women blog. They have someone at the Solheim cup giving us detailed low-down on the teams and the course set-up without skimping on the girly gossip like Annika Sorenstam's engagement ring. The beauty editor also tells us the best coloured nail polish to wear this season - or do I sense some not very covert advertsing there? Personally I've never had nail polish that stays on for more than a round, but then I confess to not very often having nail polish on at all, clearly something I'll have to consider if ever turning Pro (!)
As regards the competition itself, Laura Davies is described as 'den mother.' Without being quite sure what that means, I have a feeling it's about right for our grande dame who is said to be encouraging the cubs in the pack while indulging in a bit of back-biting at the other team. (Well, hey, this is a competition after all!)
More info on the Solheim here and also an interview with Laura by Lewine Mair in the Telegraph. Let's hope the weather is less dire than expected and that Laura's play matches her confidence.

Power to your elbow

One final word on distance for women. I’ve just been given a very old (1975!) golf book (The Complete Woman Golfer, by Vivien Saunders - amazing what turns up in the charity shop!) which has at least one comment I haven’t seen elsewhere, viz, that for a woman to hit distance she has to consciously use her strength to damn well hit the ball. Men will naturally use a lot of power, hence all those exhortations to use a relaxed swing and not try to hit the ball too hard. But for women of average physique and athleticism, that’s not going to be enough. This rings true with me. I spent a long time trying to learn a decent serve in tennis. I didn’t think my action was too bad, but where was the speed? Answer, I wasn’t hitting the ball hard enough! The same goes for golf. You have to get a decent swing, but when you think you can do it, give it some wellie!
Okay, maybe I'd better qualify that, i.e. giving it wellie as in 'producing speed through impact while maintaining the tempo of the swing' rather than 'hitting it hell for leather', as we know that's rarely a good idea. (You can see I have all the jargon. Think I've been reading too many golf books!)

Gentlemen please look (and walk) away

I’m sorry, but nothing on this earth would persuade me to use the recently advertised Shewee, or portable urinating device for women, and if I am ever senile or incontinent enough to change my mind, I hope that someone will tell me to give up golf!
It just smacks too much of the kind of ‘surgical appliance’ I would rather not think about, never mind deal with.
As to the problem of being ‘caught short’ on the course, I fail to see why this is more of a problem for women than for men, and think that the solution should lie with the golf club, not the suffering golfer. Okay, so it’s easier for men to unzip and let flow, but does that make it a good thing? I play with men who see no problem in relieving themselves more or less in front of me, and I really wish they wouldn't. Similarly, although I’m no longer embarrassed at excusing myself for a quick sojourn behind a bush, I’d just prefer not to.
Luckily, many modern courses are designed with a return to the clubhouse between 9 and 10. Where this isn’t the case, I think there’s no excuse for a club not to provide toilet facilities on the course and keep them clean.
To me this is the sign of a good course. What a shame there are so few of them.

Phil Mickelson and Hugh Grant - blood brothers!

A friend of mine has a soft spot for Phil Mickelson, and I know what she means. Even if his looks verge on the goofy, he has a sort of boyish charm. One of the first tournaments I watched on TV was the Volvo PGA at Wentworth and without knowing much about the game (maybe because of that!) I did find him quite appealing. Fast forward to last night when my daughter was watching Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason with Hugh Grant doing his rakish bounder act and it hit me quite forcefully that there's a definite resemblance there. Phil would have to lose a few pounds, but if that day ever dawns, I think they could pass for brothers. Sadly unable to provide visual evidence on this page, but check out these two photos. http://www.thesportstruth.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/mickelson_phil.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37158405@N00/473415807/

See what I mean? I think it's the eyes. Anyone care to comment?

Goddess or what?

Yes, I’d like to call myself a golf chick, but to my mind the female of the species falls into two classes:
a) the golf chick, identifiable by long brown legs and a pony tail tucked through the back of her cap.

b) the grande dame of golf, characterised by long brown shorts and a noticeably big bottom.
In the past it has struck me that the pony tail and the big bottom may each contribute in some way to the balance of a good swing, and that as someone who possesses neither I may be forever debarred from any golf hall of fame. However, yesterday changed all that. 93 is not my best ever round, but it’s definitely one of my better ones. Not only that, I was playing in a club medal where through lack of a ladies section I competed with men and received an extra 3 shots on my handicap to compensate for the difference in SSI. I won’t bore you with the maths, but I ended up with a net score of 63. My male partners were looking pretty sick, and if my handicap is cut I shall take the pain like a man (?)
The moral of the story is …. if you have neither a pony tail nor a big bum, never fear, you can still be a goddess of golf.

The picture shows the goddess on another good day. (Sorry about the shoes, they have long since been consigned to the dustbin of bad golf decisions!)

Ladies! (Or should I say chicks?)

If you’re still fretting over whether to cal yourself a lady or a woman golfer, why not cast caution to the wind and go for golf chick? The original golf chick is Kristen Williams, a US golf writer and blogger. She’s clearly a golf addict and her blog is worth a look. She also tells us that this is women’s golf week in the States, a promotional event with special offers and activities for women. Sounds like a good idea to me, and a quick visit to the English Golf Union site reveals that in this country ‘85% of golf clubs have membership vacancies for female members’ and ‘70% of golf clubs are actively seeking …adult female members.’

So what are the EGU doing to address this? Frankly, not a lot that I can see. There’s a leaflet for clubs to download and they are urged to make an action plan. As a result one club offers special introductory packages for women - costing £100. Great, what if they don’t like it? At that price I doubt they’ll bother to find out.
I took up golf as the direct result of a free trial lesson a few years ago after which we immediately signed up for six more lessons. (Golf is that addictive!) The free trial may even have been sponsored by the EGU. What I’m saying is that these things obviously do get more people into the game, so let’s ditch the action plan and have some action.

Goddess of Small Things

Here are two items that cost next to nothing* but make a big difference to enjoying a round of golf. The first is a ball marker. Yes, it can be a disk bought for the purpose, a coin, or one of those flat studs attached to a glove. Anything will do, but make sure you have something and have it to hand. You know you have 20p somewhere? Maybe, but how irritating is it for the rest of us to hang around while you turn out your pockets? And if it happens once in a round, you can bet your bottom dollar it will happen again … and again. Don’t hold things up! Get one and get it out fast!
The second is that funny prong thing you see lying by the till in the pro shop - a pitch mark repairer. You may rarely execute the kind of pitch that leaves a nice indentation in the green except when that green is horribly soggy, but we’ve had soggy greens aplenty of late, and even if you don’t have a mark of your own to repair, it makes you feel tremendously virtuous to repair one that someone else has left. If you’re not sure exactly how to do it, get someone to show you. There’s no point in leaving the green in a worse state than when you found it!
*Of course, if any girl has serious money to squander, she can always spend 100 euros on these stylish ball markers from fluffbabes.com. (As ever, I take no responsibility for the contents of external sites ...)

Venus and Mars

Lady Golfer magazine is not something I especially rate for a good read, but this issue provided unusual (though somewhat indigestible) food for thought. Their columnist Madeleine Winnett reveals she has a problem with sex (?) What this boils down to is that she objects to men regarding women golfers as sex objects when the opposite doesn’t really apply, i.e. women don’t watch golf for the inherent physical attraction of the blokes playing it. I’m afraid my first reaction is to think that maybe it’s to do with the attributes (sorry chaps) of current tour players. I’d be hard pushed to think of one that does it for me. However, next day I spotted something in the Daily Telegraph that offers a scientific explanation for this state of affairs. Research has apparently proved that men in general get more pleasure from ‘studying the female form’ than women get from eying up men, though I’m still not sure this lets them off the hook.
If you’re wondering where the ‘indigestible’ comes in, that’s when M.W. proves her point by suggesting we ladies might admire Colin Montgomerie’s swing without ever wishing to ‘see him in a thong.’ Oh Madeleine, you are so right, but did you really have to pick that particular example?

Just to reassure us all I've found this photo of Monty fully clothed, (It's from Flickr and provided under a Creative Commons License. Thanks john1710!)

Ladies' Choice - or not?

Following on from the last item, men may have a bit of bargaining power, but the choice of equipment for ladies is so limited I’d be surprised to get anything like such a good deal, haggling or no haggling.
Just what is the problem? I can’t believe there aren’t enough women golfers around to create some competition in the market, but as it is a lot of pro shops don’t even have a ladies’ section, and a friend of mine who’s naturally left-handed was told she was lucky to have chosen to play right handed because ladies’ left-handed clubs are only available on special order and by implication at a very special price.
The same goes for clothing. Men can walk in and get branded goods at discounted prices, but the best I can do at the local range shop is ‘buy one get one half price.’ At those prices I don’t think I’ll bother!
It seems to me that women just get less choice. Is this a case of golf mirroring life? If anyone can tell me where to get a decent range of ladies’ clubs or clothes, I’ll be eternally grateful!

Calling All Golfers

Club regulars, fair-weather golfers and those who can’t stay off the course ... I know you’d all rather be golfing, but on the days when you can’t venture out, why not roll up here and share your wealth of experience, or just give us your opinion on whatever is getting your goat this week?
A special welcome is extended to absolute beginners, in some ways the true heroes of the game. It’s not so long ago since I was there myself and on some days it feels like I still am. Here you have a special place in the Beginners' Bunker.
Also welcome are the legions of women golfers. If you think you get a raw deal in clubs and golfing venues, the Green Goddess has granted you equal status here, so post your comments to the main blog, or take a look at Ladies' Locker for matters dear to the female heart.
Just for starters here's a video from Videojug that everyone should get something from (or maybe you already have the perfect swing?)
What do you think of the video, or what else do you have to say about this crazy game?