It's amazing how much things change in twenty years.

I'm not talking about major things here... like the fall of Communism or the rise of the Internet... but rather subtle things, like language usage, clothing styles and color pallets; the kind of changes that evolve so gradually you don't really notice until you find a piece of the not-too-distant past and realize it looks strangely dated. That's what happened to me when I came upon this LPGA Player Guide from 1988. 

I was an art history major in college and I've always had an appreciation for vintage graphics and 20th century art, so soon after I became obsessed with took up golf, I started collecting golf memorabilia.

When I spotted the Player Guide the first thing that struck me was the demure pose and downcast gaze of the cover girl, Hall of Fame golfer, Ayako Okamoto. Rendered in soft shaded pastels, the illustration seemed remarkably muted, its subjet almost...disempowered. 

I can only imagine the 2008 Player Guide, if a paper copy is even produced, will feature an assertive, high contrast photograph of Lorena or Annika or Paula, confidently addressing the camera or captured in powerful mid-swing. The photo will exude the kind of strength that says, "These Girls Rock". 

Looking at the 1988 Ayako Okamoto cover it seems the LPGA marketing slogan of the time must have been, "These Girls Whisper... Politely".  Obviously the LPGA has changed, along with our times. Like everything else, it's become much more marketing and media oriented, and the glitz, glamour and excitement are part of what many of us love about it.

I'm happy to have found the 1988 Player Guide though. Through it, not only did I learn about the amazing Ayako Okamoto, a golfer who, I've got to admit, I didn't know anything about before, I also gained a renewed appreciation of the cultural shift that's taken place in just the past couple of decades. 

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OK, there's no denying the beauty of his Tiger inspired swing, and we now know he can sink a 49 foot birdie putt when the need arises, but in the wake of his playoff win yesterday at the Byron Nelson, one burning question remains about Australian golfer Adam Scott:  Is he hot or not? 

This is a legitimate concern in light of the fact that lately, he's being touted as Tiger's top challenger.  If that's the case we should at least agree on his hottness level.

A couple of months ago I responded to a post by the bloggers over at oobgolf in which they presented  their female readers with this glamourous photo of Mr. Scott as a token eye-candy offering.

Though I appreciated the gesture  --after all photos of Natalie Gulbis are often presented to male readers for the same benevolent reason-- I argued that Adam Scott was simply not the type of guy most women found sexy.  The  smoldering sales pitch and cosmetically enhanced metrosexual persona, while pretty, simply does not resonate with the majority of women. Am I right?

Anyway, I was of course, asked to suggest a golfer I thought would be more appropriate, eye-candy wise, and I came up with fellow Australian Geoff Ogilvy, my theory being that women tend to prefer a cute, cuddly guy over a slick, polished one.  To that another commentor suggested that if I wanted cuddly I should probably opt for a shirtless John Daly. Hmmm, no, not at all what I had in mind, so you see...we do have a problem here, and now that the outback boy is so assertively on the rise, we need to decide.

Is Adam Scott hot or not?

Let me know what you think, is Adam eye-candy...yes or no?   BTW, I've already got one vote of yes from tennis champion Maria Sharapova who said she'd like to have Mr. Scott as a doubles partner in a "night match".

(Note: I realize this post is a tad bit frivilous and superficial but it's a dark, cold, rainy Monday so frivilous and superficial are just what I need)

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You may or may not know this, but I'm an identical twin.  My sister Cathleen (aka Cat) is five minutes younger and five pounds lighter than me. Normally, I would hate her for those things, but she's so nice, and in the end, it doesn't matter because everyone says we look exactly alike. 

Cat plays golf too, poorly like me and not as often.  She owns a restaurant and she's ultra busy, but I'm going to try to get her out on the course more this year... and I'm hoping she'll join me in the Golf for Women challenge.

Cat and I have pretty much the same taste in golf clothes, and sometimes we even dress the alike on the course. I know, I find it ultra-dorky when adult twins dress alike too, but you can't believe how much fun it is. The reactions we get are quite hilarious. 

One thing we don't see eye-to-eye on however, is golf shoes.  Actually the disconnect applies to shoes in general. As far as footwear is concerned, our tastes couldn't be more divergent.

I'll walk all over Manhattan in stilettos where Cat will insist on sneakers. While I'm prancing by on platforms Cat's in ballet flats.    And that brings us to golf sandals.  Cat just went out and bought a pair of golf sandals... and she says they're ultra comfortable.  Well, guess what? I don't like golf sandals. As I see it, they're just one step up from Crocs. I like my golf shoes to be elegant. I like leather and laces and eyelets and contrasting colors. I like a polished look.  Admittedly, I spend a fair amount of time in the sand traps, but to me sandals are for the beach.  Cat doesn't agree and that's problematic because we're supposed to be dressing alike for a charity tournament we're involved in next month, and now we have to rethink our whole outfit.

Cat suggested we just go with the casual flow of the sandal, in shorts,polos and baseball caps, while I had picked out adorable golf dresses and matching bucket hats.  The  tournament is in mid-May so we have a couple of weeks to decide .  Hmmm, we'll see who wins this one, I think it'll be me. Remember I'm five minutes older. That should count for something.

I'll write more about the tournament we're involved with ... and what we decide to wear... in the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned!

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This is a trend that's going to have legs...if you'll pardon the pun. 

I started noticing it at the start of the LPGA season and it's quickly spread to the golf clubs and resorts. It's the golf skirt, and it was all over the place this past weekend, on several gals at my golf club and on the the pros playing in Orlando.

I know... skirts have been worn on the golf course forever, but they've generally been kind of... shall we say ... frumpy? Volumnious swaths of dull kakhi or powdery pastel...bulky, heavy...yes, frumpy was the right word.

Well these new skirts are anything but.  They're actually being called "fitness skirts" or "athletic skirts", and they were originally concieved for running, track & field events and  triathalons, but they adapt perfectly to golf. They're made with stretchy lightweight breathable performance fabrics that wick sweat away.

I got a few of these before going to Florida last month and they're all I've worn for golf since. Well not all I've worn, but ... oh, you know what I mean.

The thing is, they're so comfortable! Not only do they feel great on...like wearing nothing at all... but most fitness skirts have built in undershorts that actually contour and provide some lift where... it's always appreciated.  And they actually stay in place, which assures that you won't expose more than you want to no matter how big your swing is. After all who needs that kind of distraction.

Contrary to what you might imagine, these skirts work on women of many different ages and sizes.  My friend Lily who is an unabashed size 20 loves the way she looks and feels in her mojito green Super Girl skirt from SkirtSports, and my Aunt Elizabeth, a stylish Sarasota septegenarian, adopted the runningskirts.com golf skort before I even saw the trend coming...but then she runs 5K's and half-marathons regularly.

Let's face it, scratch golfer or high handicapper, we all want to look good on the course, and that means different things to different people. Women's golf consultant Nancy Berkley, writing for Cybergolf, has an interesting take on all this and encourages women of all ages to go for a shorter more stylish look in order to feel better and have more fun on the course. 

The best part is that fitness skirts are available from dozens manufacturers, at all price points. I bought several in awesome colors for under $20.00 each...at the always chic and continually cost-concious Tar-zhay!  ...And I've listed a few other sources below.

RunningSkirts.com

SkirtSports.com

Target.com

AdidasGolf.com

NikeGolf

So girls, it's time stop skirting the issue girls.

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If you read my blogs, you know I'm totally passionate about golf.

You see me writing about it all the time, and playing every chance I get. I love watching golf on TV and reading about it in my favorite golf magazines. And, when I meet someone who's heard about me through a friend or relative they inevitably say, "I hear you're really into golf."

All of those things might lead you to believe that I'm an excellent player, a low handicapper ... or at least a relatively low handicapper, right?  Well, the truth is I'm not. My first exposure to the sport came two years ago, and during those two years I've taken many lessons, spent countless hours at the practice range, and (even with our long winters) played over 100 rounds.  But the fact is, I've never gotten around to establishing a handicap and rarely even keep score beyond my first blow-up hole... which is usually three or four. 

I've enjoyed every minute of it too, aware that I was improving, but not obsessed with it, my golf has been purely recreational. Not a competitive person by nature, and with no affinity for numbers and statistics, I've just played. Till now.

Now...there's the Golf for Women Challege. It's a game improvement program that's so simple and user-friendly, it's encouraged me to take my game to the next level. "Finally", some would say, because there are those who've always looked askance at my easy going golf attitude.

The Golf for Women Challenge which is part of the Golf Digest Challenge, includes an amazing selection of on-line lessons, health and fitness tips, free swing analysis and a lesson track to map your progress. There's a great sweepstakes too, with weekly golf travel and equipment prizes.

So, this past weekend at Richter Park here in Danbury, I played AND keptscore.  Our game was awesome and, I'll admit, I was quite pleased with my 121. So many good shots went into that score...and lots of bad ones too.  Now my goal is to break 100 and with this progam I'm pretty sure I will.

This is fascinating stuff!

New research, out of Cambridge University, suggests a distinct connection between turbulence in the financial markets and ... hormones. 

A group of financial traders in London participated in a controlled study in which their testosterone levels were tested several times a day, over eight business days. Traders who began their days with high testosterone levels appeared to be more confident and more aggressive. They made bolder decisions, which resulted in above average gains.  That is, until it all came crashing down in a testosterone overdose.

You see, when the levels remained high over an extended period, the extra confidence and aggression began to provoke irrational risk-taking. And really dumb decisions.

In another fascinating bit of neuropsychology news, a brain-scan study that took place at Stanford University indicates that sex affects the state of our financial markets as well. This experiment used a random chance game and a series of images and focused on an area of the brain known as the nucleus accumbens. It's a type of pleasure center. When a group of young men were shown erotic pictures they were much more likely to make a large financial gamble than if they were shown something creepy,like a scorpion, or neutral, like a paper clip.  Using MRI images the scientists concluded that activating the pleasure center with the sexy photos caused the risky decision making.

And how does this connect to golf?  Well, when I'm playing with guys and happen to be wearing one of my rather-revealing-but-always-tasteful golf outfits, or when there are some particularly seductive cart girls about, a disproportionate number of balls end up in the woods or the water, because very few shots are set up... even when it's ultra obvious they should have been. To me that looks like irrational decision making fueled by something going on in someone's nucleus accumbens. 

Now I would never be so politically incorrect as to suggest dressing sexy to gain an advantage. But it might not hurt to leave a couple of those Victoria's Secret catalogs lying casually in the golf carts.

llustration - Patricia Hannigan/Golf Girl Media

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As a golfer and a golf fan, this weekend was a revealing one.

First of all, from Augusta National, came the realization ... sorry, the confirmation... that golf is an extraordinarily unpredictable game, not only for me, and my husband and the other hackers recreational golfers we play with, but for everyone, even the pros. 

Recent Rookies of the Year and Golf Gods alike were taken aback by unexpected outcomes among the azaleas.   It was reassuring... in a way... to see the pros playing more like us, and also somewhat disappointing. We all want to believe in perfection. Especially in golf. Finally, despite a number of foibles of his own, Trevor Immelman struggled through and donned the green jacket.

While Tiger was momentarily made to look mortal, and the endearing Brandt Snedeker was openly emoting  over the highs and lows of his tumultuous first Masters, a quite milestone was reached by Lorena Ochoa in her native Mexico. She discretely became the second-youngest LPGA member to meet the points qualifying criteria for the World Golf Halls of Fame.  She got there with an 11-shot victory at the Corona Championship.  There was very little US coverage as the Masters overtook our golf media, But for Lorena that hardly seemed to matter. Speaking of the awesome achievement she said, ''It was really special to be here in my home country.  Things happen for a reason. It's something I'll be able to say for the rest of my life.  Everybody saw me do it (in Mexico).  I think that's for sure the best memory''.

In golf, like in just about everything these days, it's often not the biggest story that gets the most coverage.

Photo of Lorena Ochoa by Patrick Micheletti

With all eyes are on Augusta right now, it's hard to believe golf even exists anywhere else.

For most Americans... even those who don't play golf... televised images of those velvety, mist shrouded greens, and decorative clouds of magenta, are our first, and most indelible, impressions of golf.

But many of us will never make our way down to that lush bastion of golf history. So each year we watch television coverage of the Masters and make our own golf memories where ever we happen to be.

For example: I've been in New York City on business for the past couple of days, and in between meetings, even in the proverbial urban jungle, I've managed to enjoy some rather unique golf experiences. 

The planets must have been properly aligned, because my stay in Manhattan coincided perfectly with  the Glenlivet City Links, a celebration of Scottish heritage that combines Scotch whiskey and golf in a series of fun events.  It's all planned around an impressive indoor 9-hole course and clubhouse that travels to cities across America.  In addition to the course and clubhouse there's a chipping area and driving simulator, making it a comprehensive golf experience. Each city has tasting events and cocktail parties where guests can sample the entire The Glenlivet range.

On Wednesday evening we had an amazing time at the Esquire Magazine cocktail reception. The venue had a great vibe and the crowd was ultra friendly.  A number of people I spoke to had never played golf before but everyone was clearly into it this night.  It occurred that this was a in fact great way to give non golfers  a taste of the fun and culture  of our sport and several mentioned to me that they now wanted to take lessons and start playing.  So we tasted the wonderful Glenlivet range  (I loved  the spicy, delicate Nadurra) and  practiced our putting and met lots of great people.  I entered the drawings for unique golf trips to Scotland and Pinehurst, confident that I'd win, as usual. It was a truly out-of-the-ordinary urban golf experience. The next stop for Glenlivet City links is Denver.  It'll be there from April 22, - May 2. Then it's on to Seattle and San Francisco.  Check their website for cities and dates. 

Before returning to CT yesterday afternoon Nick and I went over to the west side of Manhattan and Chelsea Piers, where we hit balls at their awesome driving range on the Hudson River. It was blustery but beautiful, New York glittered, and I took some fun video that I hope to edit and post here next week.

Now were back home, but I'll be in New York regularly this Spring and Summer for various projects I'm working on, and I definitely plan to seek out more NY golf adventures.

And I'm pretty sure I'll find some.

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I'll admit it, I wear make-up on the golf course.  I wear it when I work out too.

You know what?  I even wear make-up to take out the trash. I just love my make-up. After all, it's not heavy handed, overdone, drag queen make-up. it's light "natural look" make-up. It's "you, only better" make-up. But even light make-up needs to be retouched from time to time.

I usually refresh my lip gloss a couple of time during a round. Then, a little "eyeliner touch-up" at the turn...maybe a dusting of powder at the 18th tee. That way I'm confident I look fairly good when I hit the 19th hole. Even if my score is way high.

So, I consider my make-up an on-course essential. However, make-up is heat sensitive, and when temperatures climb, lipstick and eyeliner (and other things) turn to goo...and goo is of no use to me. So, I was pretty ecstatic to see the Icy Bag. It's an insulated and chilled cosmetic and accessory bag. It fashionably stores and protects heat-sensitive items. And even if you don't go for the cosmetically enhanced look you'll still want an Icy Bag, because it's great for sunblock, medications, snacks too!

It's inexpensive and cute. I just ordered one in pink and one in turquoise (which happen to be two of my favorite colors). Their website is efficient and easy to use too. So what are you waiting for... summer's coming.

Oh, BTW, check out Golf for Women's review of all the latest beauty products, and enter our Best of Beauty Give Away for a chance to win one of 40 beauty baskets.

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Right now, everone's talking about Lorena Ochoa's domination of the LPGA tour.

It was reconfirmed yesterday with her win at the Kraft-Nabisco Championship, and the festive family frolic, that followed in Poppy's Pond... complete with a serenading Mariachi Band.

The garrulous and exuberant celebration touched players and fans alike. Such is the appeal of Lorena Ochoa.  Everyone who's met her confirms it: she's accessible, kind, caring and generous.

I love all of those things about Lorena Ochoa. And I'm as impressed as anyone by her extraordinary ascent as a golfer. But I'm also blown away by her sense of style.

A Sublime Sense of Style

I know, most don't think of Lorena as a fashion plate. Some have even suggested that her look is more PGA than LPGA, and admittedly when she walks onto a golf course, you see the golfer, not the outfit.

I say It's worth taking a second look. If you do, I think you'll notice that Lorena Ochoa actually has a sense of style that's as coherent and as consistent as any on the LPGA tour. Week after week you'll notice her flair for fuseing diverse features... like color, scale and  proportion, harmoneously, to produce a look that's disitinctly her own.

Sense of style is influenced by so many factors, both intrinsic and external. Many socio-cultural influences come to play in dictating it. Lifestyle, culture, historical, geographical conditions and upbringing are apparent in one's tastes.

Lorena's Look

Lorena's look is close to the body. Always. At 5'6" and 130 lbs. she's got a compact, healthy physique that, despite the incredible power of her swing, is devoid of the bulky muscles that make some players look less than feminine. The colors she favors are strong ones. Her lean Lacoste polos are often the brightest  shades of green, pink, turquoise or yellow, complimenting her dark hair and features. When Lorena wears shorts, which is quite often, they're not the ultra short style preferred by Michelle Wie and Natalie Gulbis (though she could certainly pull that off) but rather more of a Bermuda length, again, close to the body. Never boxy. Lorena will often accessorize with a belt, as she did yesterday when it was a line of white leather between her lime green shorts and classic navy polo shirt. Lime green and navy; a color combination that unites the exuberance and the elegance that are each part of Lorena Ochoa's personality. Then there's her Banamex golf cap. I have a feeling her sponsor, a Mexican bank, is going to be getting requests from all the world for that cap, because Lorena Style, subtle as it, is catching on. And dress code enforcers at country clubs and courses across the the world must be breathing a sigh of relief. Lorena's look, though thoroughly contemporary, comes well within all possible regulations.

Trend Setting Golf Style

Yesterday there was much talk about Annika Sorenstam's bright pink look, I think because it was so uncharacteristic of the serious Swede, who generally shuns bright colors for pale tones and varying shades... of beige. Might there be some Ochoa influence going on here?  We'll just have to wait and see how summer styles play out on the LPGA tour.

In the meantime, I'll leaving you with a final image of Lorena Ochoa, as you rarely get to see her. The video here was taken last fall as Lorena accepted a Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year Award.

So take another look at the Mexican Champion.  Next to her stellar game and amazing altruism it may often go unnoticed, but Lorena Ochoa's style is distinctive and classy and beautiful. Just let me know if you have any lingering doubts.

Photo © Judy Hedding

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As Lorena Ochoa navigates the The Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club this weekend, you can be sure there'll be a small green crocodile close to her heart.  Literally. 

Lorena is sponsored by Lacoste and rarely seen in a shirt or sweater that doesn't bear the iconic reptile logo. Cristie Kerr is also a Lacoste girl. Who could forget her U.S. Open win last year in that bright red polo?  Then there are French golfers Patricia Munier-Lebouc (who won at Mission Hills in 2003, BTW) and Gwladys Nocera.  They often wear black Lacoste (French girls are so chic, aren't they?) Guy golfers with names like Olazabel and Allenby and Jimenez also sport the preppy little croc on their polos.

The 75 year old French apparel company with the world famous logo is headquartered in Paris. It's a family run company and their connection with golf goes beyond that of most brands, because this family has lived golf at the highest levels. 

Catherine Lacoste (pictured above in the adorable bucket hat) is the daughter of company founder Rene Lacoste, himself a champion tennis player. In 1967 Catherine won the U.S. Open as a 22 year old amateur, playing in just her third professional golf tournament. She then went on to win both the both the United States Women's Amateur Golf Championship and the British Ladies Amateur Championship in 1969. She was a big hitter with a powerful game. Golf Digest would call her "arguably the most powerful player of her era."  However, that was the 60's, women's golf was not what it is today and society offered fewer choices to women.  in the end Catherine never went professional, choosing instead to pursue family life. She had four children and dedicated herself to family business interests. She was president of Chantaco Golf Club for 30 years and still serves on the board of directors of Lacoste, the company her father founded.

After researching this story, when I see Lorena and her faithful crocodile this weekend, I'm sure I'll think about the short sparkling golf career of Catherine Lacoste and what might have been.

Lacoste - Fascinating Facts

Rene Lacoste won 7 Grand Slam singles titles in the French, American, and British tennis championships. He was the world number one player for both 1926 and 1927.

The crocodile was actually an alligator. The American press called Rene,"Alligator" because of a bet he made on a match, where the stakes included an alligator suitcase.  There was no French word for alligator so the nickname was changed to "le crocodile". A friend drew out the reptilian  logo and it was embroidered on to Rene's blazers in later onto the famous polo shirts.

The alligator origins of the logo were confirmed at  the time of Rene's death. French Advertising agency Publicis, who had been managing the Lacoste account for decades, published a print ad with the Lacoste logo and the English words "See you later...".

Rene himself  designed the polo shirt, and it was revolutionary for it's pique knit and short sleeves at a time when tennis was played in stiff, long sleeved, cotton oxford shirts. the crocodile logo embroidered on the chest was the first example of a brand appearing on the outside of an article of clothing.

Catherine Lacoste's mother,Simone Thion de la Chaume, was also a French golf champion.In 1924 she became the first foreign player to win the British Girls Amateur Championship and in 1927 the first to win the British Ladies Amateur Championship, which her daughter won years later.

Lorena Ochoa has played golf with Catherine Lacoste on a couple of occasions.  Catherine's husband is Spanish and she speaks the language fluently. When asked about playing with the Mexican champion, Catherine said, " I always sense that Lorena is smiling at the ball".

I love Lacoste shirts and currently own 9. I intend to obtain many more in the future.

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It's that time of year again. 

The Lake of Champions is waiting to extend a watery welcome to this year's Kraft-Nabisco Tournament winner.

The celebratory soak, a tradition since Amy Alcott's inaugural plunge in 1988, makes for a fun, frolicking finish, as exciting any in golf. Over the years a lot of happy girls have gotten wet, and we've cheered them on. It's an awesome "extra" at the LPGA's first major of the year, and for me, like the green jacket at the Masters, it always represents a symbolic start to the the spring/summer season.

This year, with a stellar field of sparkling stars, everyone's going to be watching.  Of course the Amazing Lorena Ochoa is heavily favored because, to put it politely, the girl's on fire, but this being golf, we all know anything can happen, so here at Golf for Women, and all over the golf blogosphere, we're recklessly wagering on politely discussing our picks for 2008's Mission Hills Mermaid.  Why don't you weigh in here too?  The more there merrier.  May the best girl win, and let's hope she does a mean cannonball.

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