There's nothing more relaxing than playing with toys. 

I mean real toys, the old fashioned kind that don't require batteries or chargers and have neither circuit boards nor processors nor micro chips.

If you know a Dad who loves golf but who's confined to an office on a regular basis, you might want to get him just such an old style toy for Father's Day... and I already found one for you. 

The Chip Shotz Golfer is actually a new game, but one that looks and feels reassuringly retro.  With die-cut metal pieces in crisp primary colors, in addition to the tiny golfer and the somewhat disproportionate ball, there's a putting green, a sand trap, a water hazard and a couple of pine trees.  Dad can simply arrange ... and rearrange them... to his own liking right there on the desk he's chained to sitting at.

And the golf shots he'll make with it will transport him to a happy place, because though there are no electronic components, there are a couple of old fashioned magnets that come into play enabling some implausibly enchanting shots and that's probably just what your work-a-daddy is dreaming about.

The Chip Shotz Golfer can be found online at Office Playground along with other fun golf toys.

http://www.thegolfgirl.blogspot.com

Talk about a perfect solution.  Or in this case you might say a perfect shoelution.

Remember a couple I weeks ago I told you about my twin sister Cat and I, and our vicious fight lively debate regarding golf shoes vs golf sandals?  Well, if you missed it, it's all right here.

The thing is, Cat was insisting on wearing golf sandals. And I hate golf sandals. And we are required to dress alike for this event (I know it's corny) as we'll be presenting prizes together.

Personally I like stylish golf shoes that look like golf shoes.  The cuter and more distinctive the better... but let them look like golf shoes... not sneakers please.  And definitely not sandals!

Well it started getting pretty ... um... acrimonious.  Cat kept trying to convince me of how amazingly comfortable golf sandals were.  Now I'm someone who happily spends most of her waking hours on 4 inch heels, so comfort is clearly not an issue for me. Style is, and apparently, style is just not one of Cat's top priorities so she was stubbornly rejecting everything I presented. 

Then just as I was about to give up and wear the dreaded sandals, I found our shoelution. Here's how it happened: I surfed onto the site called for Aerogreen , and saw the most awesome golf shoe I'd seen in... like... forever! The shape and form was traditional "golf shoe" but it was made of the most unique woven leather, in amazing shades of pink and orange.  Of course I had to have it...heck I wanted to wear it to the tournament too. Then, as I was trying to figure out how to convince Cat that THIS was the solution, I noticed the sandal. YES ...Aerogreen makes a golf sandal in the exact same multi-pink woven leather. Completely complimentary, and stylish and ...I suppose ...comfortable.  Anyway Cat loved the idea so I ordered both pairs and they came yesterday, and they're...per-fect.

So, now we just have to put the outfits together and I'm hoping we're able to come to a consensus and avoid WW III.  We'll have to work fast though.  The tournament's on Monday.  I'll keep you posted.

Last week I told you about Twitter.  The awesome social networking site that allows users to connect, and share tidbits of news and opinion, live, 24/7.

 
I eluded to the fact that golfers were getting on in droves and chatting up a storm about golf courses, golf equipment and the relative hottness of Adam Scott and Natalie Gulbis.

Well yesterday afternoon, thanks to Twitter I had an amazing time watching The Players Championship with about a dozen other golf fans and golf bloggers from across the country and around the world. OK admittedly, the golf was stellar on it's own, ending as it did in a playoff between sultry Spaniard Sergio Garcia and affable American Paul Goydos. 

However, it was made much more exciting by the presence right there on my Twitter timeline of people like Pablo Herrero, editor of one of the top Spanish golf blogs Fuera de Límites!  Fellow Spaniard, Ovidiov, was there too, and natually, both guys were enthusiastically rooting for their countryman.  Then there were the Americans, Nikki of 17Fairway, the Central Florida golf/lifestyle blog, Steve an avid golfer and Sales Coach from Washington and Cameron from Arizona, who's creating a reality TV show about his quest to get on the 2009 NGA Hooters Golf Tour.  Lot's of others too ... some with a soft spot for the lovable Mr. Goydos others rooting for a Sergio breakthrough.  There were fans from China, Canada and the UK as well and to top it off  there was 2008Players, a PGA Tour Twitterer who provided Official behind-the-scenes updates from the Championship.

We "tweeted" back and fourth as the exciting tournament became a nail-biting playoff. Some of us were watching it on TV, while others just followed the updates. Ultimately Sergio prevailed and took the crystal cup.   There were those who cheered and those who lamented, but I think we all agreed that this was an awesome way to take in a golf tournament. The international perspective, the bonding with like-minded fans, the fact that even some Twitterers who didn't know golf that wel, got hooked.  All of that is what's making me a Twitter evangelist, and again, I urge you to try it out.   

Maybe we can Twitter a tournament together sometime soon.

http://www.thegolfgirl.blogspot.com

Are you Twittering yet? 

If not you''re missing out on something pretty awesome. Not that you'd know it right away, because at first glance most people don't really "get" Twitter.  I know I didn't.

Twitter, for those who haven't heard, is a free social networking service that allows users to post short "updates" from their phones, mobile devices or computers to the Twitter website.   These posts are called "tweets", and they can be no longer than 140 characters. When you post a "tweet" it appears on the Twitter website and is visible to other twitter users who "follow" you.

There's much more to it of course but I'm not going to go into it here, because the best way to understand Twitter is to go to the site and sign up.  Then you'll want to find some 'Twitterers" to follow.  You can use the search function to find your relatives or friends, if they happen to be on Twitter, or you can just enter a key word ... I entered golf ... and get a list of everyone who has that word in their profile.

And that's the awesome thing, suddenly there are more and more golfers twittering. And not just golfers, but golf organizations, golf equipment and apparel makers and golf pros.  Golf magazines are on it too.  Golf for Women has a Twitter page and it's a great way for them to let followers know about upcoming articles and new blog posts.  It's just an ultrapractical way to network, socialize and interact with your chosen group of contacts.

I've met golfers from all over and exchanged ideas on courses and equipment.  I've gotten lots of blog stories too.  And you can use it for what ever you want. 

There are lots of fun applications that allow you to keep Twitter on your desktop, or post your "tweets" directly to Facebook and MySpace.  You can even generate a Twitter badge for that delivers your updates through your Avatar.

So go on over to Twitter and get started.  And don't forget to follow me. 

http://www.thegolfgirl.blogspot.com

Mother's Day is this weekend, so hopefully plans are in place for a festive celebration and some great golf gifts...and maybe a spa treatment or two. Mom's deserve pampering, that's a fact.

Then, right around the corner is Father's Day. it's just over a month from now, and you're probably already worrying fretting thinking about a gift for that delightful Dad in your life. You might be considering the new clubs he's been longing for or maybe that high tech range finder...and don't get me wrong, those are both wonderful gifts.

But maybe this year is really special.  Perhaps it's a landmark year and you want to celebrate with an extraordinary and truly memorable gift.  How about this:  A chance for him to join the Pro Sports Team Challenge Pro-Am and spend a weekend with sports history.

The Pro-Sports Team Challenge; Is a unique charity tournament being held on June 7, and June 8, at beautiful Eagle Falls Golf Club in Palm Springs, California. Among the iconic sportsmen playing will be, Charles Barkley, Mario Lemieux, Ozzie Smith, John Elway, LaDainian Tomlinson, Michael Strahan, George Brett, Pierre Larouche, and Jason Kidd. There will be a team for baseball, basketball, football and hockey and they'll be competing for a $250,000 purse that'll go to their favorite charities. Some really great ones.

And as for that special Dad, this will be rare and extraordinary opportunity for him. Not only will he play  in the Pro-Am with these legendary athletes, but he'll get VIP treatment for the entire weekend at all tournament events.  The package includes: a ticket to play in the June 6th Pro-Am round with an All-star or celebrity on a world class desert golf course, 2 tickets to the star studded pairings party that night, hosted by Charles Barkley. 2 VIP gallery seats for the matches Saturday and Sunday June 7-8, as well as lunch daily at the resort, ground transport between the golf course and hotel, and four nights accommodations at the Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino. And, with the event being covered wall-to-wall by Fox Sports Net, your special Dad will be at the center of the week's biggest event in golf. 

This is a once-in-a-lifetime gift that he'll remember forever.

For additional details on the Team Challenge, go to www.teamchallenge.com, and to purchase Pro-Am slots, please contact Tom Belton at 609-694-0621 or Mike Paul at 917-359-1431.

It's springtime in southwestern Connecticut. 

Flowering trees soften the landscape in a fragile haze of pink, white and lavender.  Meanwhile, tiny leaf buds are beginning to open, scattering dots of vivid green throughout once bare branches. 

Last year blustery winds and endless gray, rainy days kept us indoors for most of this enchanting season.  By the time we got out onto the golf course in late May, the flowery magic of early Spring had given way to the more uniform green of summer.

But this year it's different. We've had ample days of early warmth and very little stomy weather. Right now the Connecticut hills and valleys are awash in the soft colors of spring.  Yesterday we played golf at Candlewood Valley Country Club and thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle of cherry trees in full bloom. The course was in great shape, and because it was Monday, and so early in the season,there were few golfers... thus no waiting.

These ideal conditions set the stage for an awesome round of golf, and one of my lowest scores ever, a 111.

OK, I know... some of you are probably laughing right now at the idea that a 111 could ever be considered low, but I've only been playing for two years, and I live in the Northeast where are golf seasons are short.  And I'm somewhat  uncoordinated. So I feel like I'm doing pretty well.  And this year, I'm taking the Golf for Women challenge. My goal is to break 100 and I'm feel confident that I can. My driving is doing really well thanks to some help from Debbie Doniger, a top 50 teacher, and my putting has definitely improved, probably due to the drills I learned from Annika. Yes, that's one of the benefits of the challenge; access to tips and instructional videos from some of the greatest golfers and teaching pros out there.

Well, today's another gorgeous day here in CT, one that I'll unfortunately have to spend working not playing. It won't be long before summer's in full swing and this soft spring season is just a memory. For the time being though, I'll be out there as often as possible, enjoying the fresh and flowery days, and (hopefully) improving my golf game.

http://www.thegolfgirl.blogspot.com

Certain things just go together.

Like Frank Sinatra said, "Ask the local gentry And they will say its elementary".

Well OK, he was talking about love and marriage, I'm talking about wine and golf, and I'm not the only one seeing the affinity.

A friend of mine sent me this article from yesterday's Seattle Times. It talks about the growth of Golf & Wine tourism, with a wealth of hotels in the Pacific Northwest now offering "Golf in Wine Country" vacation packages combining golf, accommodations and wine tastings. A bit of web research revealed that there are similar offerings all over the US and in many foreign countries.

Then there are the the many professional golf oenophiles who reinforce the symbiotic golf/wine synergy.  One of the most passionate  (and certainly the most beautiful) of these is Cristie Kerr, who in a recent interview with Golf for Women magazine revealed that she intended to earn her sommelier certification and hopes to someday own a vineyard.  For the time being the talented golfer and dedicated philanthropist is in discussions with a winery to produce her own signature wine to benefit her charity Birdies for Breast Cancer. 

On the guy's side there are many professional golfers who are already producing and selling wine; Ernie Els and David Frost making their wines in their native South Africa where some of the world's best wines are produced. Frank Nobilo is the brand ambassador for New Zealand wines, and I can tell you first hand, some pretty wonderful wines are produced by iconic Australian, Greg Norman. I hosted a Greg Norman wine tasting dinner a couple of months ago and it was a huge success.

As for me personally, I just know that after a round of golf you'll always find me at the 19th hole with my beverage of choice;  a scintillating chardonnay or a voluptuous Cabernet or a seductive Pinot  or... well you get the picture.  Cheers.