A golf hero has risen from the ashes of the California wildfires. Golf Course Superintendent Dave Buckles of the Rancho Bernardo (Calif.) Inn, along with eight course workers, is credited with saving six homes that border the golf course. "It was either pick up a hose or get out of there," Buckles said. "I chose to pick up a hose." 

Read the full story on SignOnSanDiego.com.

Other interesting stories from around the Web:

The Honolulu Advertiser: Now here's a deal you don't often come across: Parks & Rec approved a twilight $3 green fee for nine holes at Waiehu GC in Maui, one of the oldest municipal courses in Hawaii. Non-county residents have to give up $5.
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The Salt Lake Tribune: A near-fatal car crash six months ago that severely injured BYU golfers Natalia Jimenez and Hannah Summerhays has ironically made their friendship stronger.
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ReportOnBusiness.com: Peter Pocklington, the former Edmonton Oilers owner who sold Wayne Gretzky to the L.A. Kings and turned to golf interests in the U.S. after his Canadian business empire crumbled, filed for bankruptcy in Nevada. Private shareholders claim that Pocklington, the chairman and CEO of GolfGear International, along with four other men, "virtually destroyed GolfGear International (GGI) as a viable operating company and misappropriated for themselves essentially all of GGI's assets."
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MyrtleBeachOnline.com: Paul Whitten, Horry County, S.C., director of public safety, wants to lift a ban on golf carts on area beaches, including Myrtle Beach, during the winter. "If we're going to allow a 1,500-pound horse on the beach, why wouldn't we allow a golf cart?"
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The Arizona Republic: The PGA Tour Superstore in Scottsdale has asked the city to permit the construction of a 100-foot flagpole, which exceeds the city's height restriction by 35 feet.
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Interesting stories from around the Web:

Stuff.co.nz: Ariya Jutaukarn, 11, is now the youngest player ever to qualify for an LPGA event, the Honda LPGA Thailand. Here's why she chose her 13-year-old sister, Moriya, who is only slightly taller than the bag she is carrying on the course, to caddie for her: "She has a lot of experience, she can give me good advice. She knows more than my dad."
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The Independent: James Corrigan compares Jutaukarn's abilities to Michelle Wie and other young golf prodigies. He also highlights unsettling similarities to the Wie Camp, especially Michelle's dad.
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MileHighNews.com: Nancy Haley, Tehama CEO who credits her husband's pal, Clint Eastwood, for inspiring her to create a stylish line of women's golf apparel: "Why would anyone say no to Dirty Harry?" Haley is the first female recipient of the PGA's Ernie Sabayrac Award for lifetime achievement in the golf industry.
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The Herald: The Ladies Golf Union has called on Ian Poulter's design company to create a line of "sporty, sexy and funky" outfits for the GB&I's 2008 Curtis Cup team.
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USA Today: Mattel consumer products will introduce their first ever set of Barbie golf clubs next month. "Our objective is to get girls active and have them understand the benefits of being active on their own and with their parents and inspiring them to take on new interests," said Juan Gutierrez, senior director of Mattel consumer products. The clubs will be marketed to girls ages 4-6.
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The Independent: Ruaidhri McGee, a 16-year-old Irish boy who is his country's top-ranked junior golfer, is working with Dr. Jay Brunza, a retired U.S. Navy captain and clinical psychologist. Earl Woods hired Dr. Brunza to give Tiger a competitive mental edge.
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Star Tribune: Rick Misencik, from Minnesota, made two holes-in-one in a single round at the Preserve at Grand View Lodge in Pequot Lakes. It didn't even bur a hole in his wallet -- there was only one beer put on his tab.
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Palm Beach Post: Tour players, according to Craig Dolch, don't like the Arnold Palmer-designed course, Tesoro Club, in Port St. Lucie. It?s hosting this week's inaugural Ginn sur Mer Classic. One caddies said it?ll be a "walk-off" course, predicting that a player will walk off the course mid-round because it is quirky and long.
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San Francisco Chronicle: The Lincoln Park GC, the city's "oldest and most scenic golf course," is a sad state of disrepair.
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At the annual luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria hosted by Intercoiffure, an international organization of high quality hairdressers that count over 3000 salons in over 50 countries as members, I mingled with stylists and colorists from across the nation who gathered to honor each other's work, trade ideas and get the forecast for the upcoming year ( I'll give you a sneak peak: its all about above-the-shoulder cuts, a return to precision cutting and less dimensional hair color). 

This year, Intercoiffure honored Vidal Sassoon, the man applauded as a key force in turning the craft of hair styling in to a multi-million dollar industry. His latest Hairdressers Unlocking Hope is an initiative that benefits Habitat for Humanity to raise money in support of the families who lost everything after Hurricane Katrina. This November, from the money raised thus far- 19 homes will be built in St. Tammany Parish, La., which was hit hard during the Hurricane.

So far the initiative has raised $1,150,997!  Salons are either donating directly or raising money through their customers. We can get involved too! Find a participating salon near you at  www.whodoesyourhair.com.

Another reason to catch George Clooney's new film, "Michael Clayton," this weekend: If the Barry Grissom character (seen here with Sydney Pollack) seems very familiar to you, you're not alone. A former colleague of mine recently forwarded a note from a friend who discovered that the actor, Michael O'Keefe, is none other than "Danny Noonan" from "Caddyshack"!

Here's how he looks now (left). I checked out his bio pages on the New York Times site as well as IMDB.com and discovered a few more tidbits. Since "Caddyshack", he's spent time on the small screen (most notably as the husband of character Jackie on "Roseanne")   and was married to singer Bonnie Raitt! Who knew?

And did you know he was a student of  Zen Master Bernie Glassman? Be the ball, Danny!

This week is Golf Digest's annual Hot List Summit, where the equipment editors of Golf Digest, Golf World and Golf for Women test  the latest in clubs and balls in order to decide which products to bless in the 2008 Hot List. This year's summit is being chronicled by our sibling site, golfdigest.com, on its  equipment blog, Bomb & Gouge. Today's session focused on the women, all part of the research for an upcoming story by Stina on new equipment (expect to hear more from Stina on this soon). Their findings? As Bomb, aka Mike Stachura,  reports: "Our women found out today that the companies who are really committed to understanding women golfers are producing products that can change women's games."

Another takeaway, one that Stina has chronicled in her "Try & Buy" series, is the frustration of women with the pro shop experience (you can share your experience on our Try & Buy forum). "What do women want?" asks Bomb aka E. Michael Johnson. "The same as us: Good product, good selection and good service. And a little respect wouldn't hurt either."

Amen to that.

Lorena Ochoa clinched her second consecutive Rolex Player of the Year award on Sunday with her win at the Samsung World Championship, her seventh on the LPGA Tour this season.  So what's the big news coming out of the LPGA Tour this Monday? Why, of course, it's Michelle Wie.

No, she didn't withdraw from the Samsung or fail to break 88. Nor, did she get disqualified, as was the case two years ago at the same tournament. Seems her agent, Greg Nared, has had enough of Camp Wie and resigned after less than a year on the job.

So once again, the headlines belong to the Stanford freshman, and not the remarkable Ochoa, who beat Wie by a mere 36 strokes this past week at Bighorn Golf Club (Wie finished 18-over-par overall, one stroke out of last place). It's been like this all year -- Ochoa whupping Wie on the course but not in the headlines -- although, until Nared's resignation today, most of the news about Wie has focused on her train wrecks on the course. In eight LPGA events this season, Wie has made the cut only three times (one being Samsung, where there is no 36-hole cut), has failed to break 70 once, fired four rounds in the 80s and withdrawn twice. Her low moment came at the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika in South Carolina, where she was 14 over through 16 holes and in danger of invoking the LPGA's "Rule 88" before walking off the course.

For all of Ochoa's successes, they don't seem to draw as much attention as Wie's failures. And that's a shame, because 2007 should be remembered as the year women got to tee it up at St Andrews in a major, and Lorena Ochoa finally won a major -- and just about every other event on the LPGA Tour.

There are still five events remaining on the LPGA Tour schedule in 2007, including the season-ending ADT Championship and it's million-dollar first-place check. Maybe a few more wins and a $5 million dollar season (Ochoa has earned $3,318,421 through Samsung) will gain Ochoa the recognition and headlines she deserves. That, and maybe Wie will prefer to stay in the classroom for the remainder of 2007.

Interesting stories from around the Web:

New York Times: "He said it was because I hadn't won a tournament." Natalie Gulbis, on why she had to use range balls while working with Butch Harmon at his instruction facility in Henderson, Nev., while some of his other clients (Tiger Woods, Adam Scott) hit new Titleists.
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USA Today: Katie Walker, a freshman at Cal State Bakersfield, plays on the women's golf team despite having a prosthetic leg.
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St. Petersburg Times: Alyssa Serino, an 8-year-old golfer from St. Petersburg, Fla., is the only girl in her age group who qualified for nationals in the Drive, Chip and Putt competition. She also plays with (but isn't allowed to compete for) the boys varsity team at Oldsmar Christian School. She hits from the white tees!
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Washington Post: Our very own Sally Jenkins proposes that athletes should be allowed to use at least some of the banned performance enhancers. ?Why are athletes the only hardworking professionals not allowed to enhance their performances, or to avail themselves of the most powerful medicines for their ailments, which is what many of these "drugs" really are?? she asks.
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Memphis Flyer: Justin Timberlake, after waiting for a hard-to-come-by vacancy, has finally landed a membership at the exclusive Mountain Gate Country Club in Los Angeles. The club only allows 895 members to play its 27 holes and the roster is nearly always full. After the paid the $50,000 initiation fee, he must now pay $600 a month.
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Chron.com: Roger Clemens is taking advantage of his time off after the New York Yankees' exit from post-season baseball: He played in the Champions Tour's Administaff Small Business Classic celebrity pro-am. According to GHIN, he's an outstanding 4 handicap.
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ASAP Sports: There he goes again: Woody Austin's comparing himself with Tiger: "If it's okay for Tiger to play only two weeks in a row and say he's tired, how do you think I felt? I'm 12 or 13 years older than he is, how do you think I felt after eight?" Woody Austin, break-out rookie on the U.S. Presidents Cup team, defending his decision not to compete in the 2007 British Open because he had played eight events in a row.
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Palm Beach Post: Pete Dye's latest work, the Dye Course, was re-opened at the PGA Golf Club. Dye wasn't looking to turn the Dye Course into a typical resort-style layout so this wasn't a traditional golf course renovation as much as it was a historical restoration. He's proud of the links-style course not found near water. "I really like that golf course," said Dye, the PGA's Distinguished Service winner in 2004. "It's one of my better golf courses. I think it may be the most environmentally-sensitive course in the world."
Dye has nine courses listed among Golf Digest's America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses.
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Stuff.co.nz: Steve Williams, the New Zealander who has been caddying for Tiger Woods since 1999, has donated more than $1 million to Starship Children's Hospital cancer unit in Auckland.
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The Sydney Morning Herald: European Tour chief executive George O'Grady grants British Open champion Padraig Harrington and US Open winner Angel Cabrera honorary life membership of the European Tour.
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The Kansas City Star: Zebra mussels, an invasive Eurasian mollusk, invaded a pond at Winfield CC in Kansas. It cost club members almost $10,000 to control the spread of the mussels and save its irrigation system. ?It had clogged up irrigation heads, such that it took me two weeks to get the shells cleaned out of them,? said golf course superintendent Steve Hollembeak.
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Associated Press: Sayed Khaled El-Waraky, a 25-year-old Egyptian national college student, pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless endangerment after ramming his Jaguar into four people at Glen Cove Golf Club, an upscale golf club on Long Island. He was sentenced to 2 1/3 to seven years in prison.
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A wonderful book came across my desk recently, one that every fan of women's golf should read. By the time you finish Dave Andrews' book, Pops and Sunshine (June 2007), you'll realize the importance of the Futures Tour's season-ending event, when the top five money winners of the year clinch their fully-exempt LPGA Tour cards.

Pops and Sunshine is a fictional story that takes place at Beaver Meadow Golf Club, the author's home course in Concord, New Hampshire. The book chronicles the tale of Lisa Nelson, an imaginary Futures Tour player who has to grind it out and win the final tournament of the season to receive LPGA playing privileges.

Rarely have I begun to read a book with such uncertainty. I honestly didn?t think I?d be interested in a fictional account of a woman?s experience in a season-ending Futures Tour event. But I was hooked after the first 10 pages, and I finished the book in less than a day (a personal record). It?s not only a story about the young women striving to make a living in professional golf; it?s also a story about love, triumph, anger and loss. As Andrews says, "it?s a combination of Tin Cup and Love Story."

After driving from her hometown near Nashville, Tennessee to Concord, N.H. to play in the tournament, Lisa meets Dave Johnston, a local golfer in his early 50s, who ends up caddying for her. The two quickly learn they have something in common: Lisa lost her father the previous year; Dave had lost his wife and daughter in a fatal car accident. A strong father-daughter connection ensues and they draw on each other for strength, not only on the course, but to help each other through their losses. When Dave?s nephew, 21-year-old Harvard student Rob Johnston, becomes Lisa's romantic interest, the threads of love, loss and anger come together in the novel, making the story appeal to golfers and non-golfers alike.

I do have one bone to pick with Andrews. His fictional story grossly exaggerates certain events. The relationship between Rob and Lisa heats up extremely quickly and, for me, became a little unnecessarily sexually explicit. And Shelly?s character, a successful but mean-spirited Futures Tour player, makes it seem as though deep conflict among the players exists on Tour. From my experience with the players,  there's much more camaraderie than hatred or jealousy on Tour.

LPGA Tour pro Tracy Hanson e-mailed Andrews, informing him that although she enjoyed reading the novel, she didn't think Shelly's portrayal and the rivalry between Shelly and Lisa accurately represented the way women professional golfers deal with each other. Andrews, who admits the relationship between Shelly and Lisa was a stretch, says he created Shelly as the ongoing conflict within the story to keep the reader's interest. "I'll plead artistic license," Andrews told me. "I thought the story would be too bland if I didn't include these elements. You don?t know if Shelly or Lisa will win in the end."

Currently, Andrews' self-published book is sold exclusively through his website. He doesn't have a credit card processor yet, so he often sends people the book and they send a check in the mail (very quaint). "So far, every single person has sent the money," he says. "I've been stunned."

This novel struck a chord with me because it's more than a golf story; it's a book about relationships and the way people are drawn together by loss, joy and tragedy. It also reminds me that there's more to life than merely satisfying myself or thinking about my own problems. Life can be most rewarding when you try to help others. As in golf, in life you've got to stay focused and you've got to know how to handle the bad things that happen unexpectedly.

As the dog days of summer wind down, make yourself a cup of hot chocolate and settle down on the couch with Pops and Sunshine. And when you?re finished, wait for its sequel, Goodbye, Pops, which will be published next year.

Annika Sorenstam just proved to me—and to the world—that she has more integrity in her pinky than the entire Michelle Wie team of lord knows how many people have as a collected group of fully-grown adults. When presented with a "special exemption" to this week's Samsung Championship, for which she had not automatically qualified because of an injury-plagued season, Sorenstam politely declined. The limited-field event only has room for 20 players, and Sorenstam didn't want to take the place of a more deserving player above her on the money list. As a result, 28-year-old Brit Sarah Lee gets to play instead.

Sorenstam's was one of two special exemptions offered for this event—the other was extended to Michelle Wie back in May, and she accepted. Since then, Wie has played a pitiful season on the LPGA Tour riddled with scandal and criticism, and has enrolled as a full-time college student at Stanford University. If she manages to break 80 this week, it will be a miracle. But did she do the right thing and pull out of the event to make room for the next player on the LPGA money list, Evian Masters winner and Solheim Cup player Natalie Gulbis? Nooo. Apparently, integrity has no place in the Wie camp. They'd rather rack up more bad PR for the poor girl.

So let's recap: the best player in the history of women's golf decides to sit out a limited-field tournament to allow a higher-ranked player to take her place. And a college student with a season-best T-69—who's not even a member of the tour nor has any plans to become one—decides to play despite taking a spot from a player of Natalie Gulbis' caliber. It's flat-out embarrassing, both for the Wie camp and Samsung. Sorenstam, on the other hand, just looks classier every minute.

Anti-aging creams, serums and treatments aim to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on our face, neck and decollete, all in an effort to preserve our youth. But what about the rest of our skin?  Is it not aging, too? And as golfers are all too aware, excessive sun exposure can damage the skin on arms, legs, hands and feet as well as faces.

So stop neglecting them with MD Skincare's Alpha Beta Daily Body Peel ($78 for 30 applications). Based on the success of its Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel, aimed at reducing signs of visible aging,  the peel consists of a simple two-step application process using pads that contain Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids to rid the skin's outer surface cells, smooth out texture, attack acne-prone areas and remove discolorations. Since they're safe enough to use every day, add them to your daily routine for a quick and easy way to keep your body beautiful.

We just shot our first-ever GFW instruction videos!

Last week, a group of GFW editors gathered at gorgeous Glen Arbor Golf Club in Bedford Hills, NY. On deck were five of our  Top 50 Teachers: Cheryl Anderson, Debbie Doniger, CJ Reeves, Kellie Stenzel and Suzy Whaley, as well as  Senior Instruction Editor Dave Allen and director Lorin Anderson (husband of Cheryl), a former colleague of mine at Golf Magazine who has helped create some of the best video instruction in the business.

Our purpose? Create an instructional video package geared specifically to our readers. While there are many video tips available online,  none of them specifically address female players.

Our ground-breaking new video series will change that. Dave pulled together a line-up of topics that address the game from tee to green. The tips cover every facet of your game: grip fundamentals, adding 15 yards off the tee, playing hybrid approach shots, improving your chipping and pitching,  as well as  reading greens and making long and short putts.

Here are some preview photographs from the short-game portion of the shoot: Anderson (top, bunker play), Reeves (chipping), and Stenzel (bottom, green reading).  We don't think you'll find videos like this anywhere.

The videos will start rolling out on our site in the coming weeks. If you'd like to be alerted when they appear on Golfforwomen.com, sign up for the weekly GFW newsletter. Not receiving it? Sign up now. And if there is any particular instruction you'd like to see, share it with us by posting a comment below.

There's a picture of my mother standing proudly in front of some official government building with an endless staircase. She's holding my hand. I think I'm standing upright but I'm barely visible, since I'm about 2 feet tall and completely lost behind her voluminous patch-work bell-bottoms. I'm pretty sure, even if my outfit is not visible, that in that picture I am also sporting some mini version of that infamous trend.

As a teenager in the 1980's, I would often use the picture as evidence against my mother if she commented on my ripped jeans or cut-off t-shirts. I would make some snide remark about not needing fashion advice from a woman who deemed it fashionable to wear bell bottoms.

Last year, in an attempt to free myself from the pervasive and not particularly flattering skinny-jean-trend, I picked up a pair of wide-leg jeans. Sporting my cool and somewhat subversive jeans I met my mother for brunch. Her look of disbelief and disgust spoke volumes, and if there was any doubt she asked, "Are those awful things back in style?"

Oh how the tables turn! My wide-leg jeans were just bell-bottoms in disguise. She was right. I didn't run away in horror, I liked the idea.

There's something off-putting and yet nostalgic about the re-emergence of a trend if you were an active participant the first time around. There's a sense that you know better, why make the same mistake twice? But was it ever really a mistake?

Last week in Milan, the bell-bottom trouser looked fresh and modern in silk chiffon coming down the Prada Spring '08 runway (see pics above). Paired with a long button-down vest ,it instantly made me think of golf and particularly Judy Rankin circa 1978 (left).

I know I'm in the minority, but I LOVE the way the professional golfers of the 70's looked. Back then, they were just sporting the latest trends, not taking big fashion risks. But there's something refreshing about the fit of their clothes, the fun colors and patterns and the funny-cool shape of their pants.  It's refreshing to look back and not be blinded by the excess use of logos. The players back then didn't look like walking billboards.

I have no false hope -- I don't expect that Tiger will rock the checkered bell-bottoms that Johnny Miller made famous. I know that it's not very likely that any guy will ever wear a pair of bell-bottoms, I'm just hoping that maybe in a year some intrepid female golfer might. Someone young and bold with a taste for fun-fashion like Mollie Fankhauser.

Fall is a beauty editor's busiest season. Between meetings with dermatologists, planning upcoming beauty stories and endless business travel (some of which is fun!) I find myself neglecting my usual "upkeep"  manicures, waxes, brow tweezings -- endless appointments that keep me looking well-groomed and generally beauty-editor-esque.

When I am slammed during the work week- the first to go in my routine is washing my hair.  Fortunately I've got the secret to keep my hair looking shiny, smelling clean and, for the most part, behaving. I tried the new Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo Spray ($19). I spritz it on first thing in the morning to soak up excess hair oils and pump up some volume. The spray is also gentle on the scalp.

Try it to save some time during your own Fall frenzy.