Golf "Fashion"!

In the late 1800’s, women golfed in full skirts, petticoats and bustles, and they were not allowed to take a full swing...chipping and putting only. Well, geez…it’s a little hard to take a full swing while wearing a corset and girdle! But, have we come too far since then? Since the golf world is now comprised of 5.75 million female golfers (which equates to 22% of the people participating in the sport), I feel like my opinions on golf may be justified…to some degree. ;)



Remember, these are my opinions and observations on golf fashion…and mine alone. With a handicap of 30+, I have obviously spent far more time thinking about my outfit than I have on golf lessons.


• Wife beaters should NEVER be allowed on a golf course...period, the end!


• Sports jerseys are meant to be worn in arenas, not on fairways.


• Do NOT mix plaids.


• Friends do not let friends wear neon.


• Do not wear brown on brown (unless you work for UPS).


• Tommy Bahama shirts were designed for beach vacations.


• Cowboy hats were invented for cowboys, not golfers.


• Midriff shirts and cutoffs clash with spiked golf shoes.


So as we have seen everything in the fashion world evolve over the last century, for better or worse, I think it’s fair to say that for the most part golf attire has definitely improved. Whether you are Graeme McDowell wearing all blue as he paid tribute to the recently deceased Seve Ballesteros, or Paula Creamer in her fashionably pink outfit that reminds us…YES…WOMEN CAN LOOK HOT ON THE GOLF COURSE, remember one thing…


“Golf is the most fun you can have without taking your clothes off.” – Chi Chi Rodriguez

Golf...A Contact Sport?

In Florida last week, a friend told me about a potentially life endangering golf cart accident she had just witnessed. While busy tallying up scores after her round, she heard a loud crash as her two senior gal-pals golf cart careened off the path and ended up lodged on its side in a deep, and thankfully, dry culvert.  Miraculously, the ladies ended up with only bumps and bruises to everyone who came to their rescue’s surprise.  I remember hearing about another horrific golf cart accident that broke and gruesomely skinned the foot of a friend. My big toe still remembers the day one of the most competent women I know backed the golf cart up and over my foot. The more I hear about golf related accidents, injuries, and mishaps, the more I thought I’d better do a little research to find out if golf is as dangerous as this information suggests. 

Most golfers over the course of their playing lifetime will fall victim to an injury.  Anyone following our blog has heard about chronic back pain which just happens to be number one on golf injury’s top ten list, quickly followed by golfer’s elbow, shoulder pain, carpal tunnel (nerve pain in hand), tendonitis, knee pain, and let’s not forget the trigger finger and wrist. Dr. Larry Foster, a k a Dr. Divot estimates that 60 percent of us will get a major injury if we stick with golfing. I found “Dr. Divot’s Guide to Golf Injuries” a very easy to read and practical injury prevention guide with some great warm up routines that will help us all avoid these common injuries. Maybe because I have spent a good chunk of my life in the Public Health sector promoting healthy lifestyles that I find totally preventable golf cart accidents the most concerning.  Did you know that according to a study conducted by the University of Alabama, about 1,000 Americans are hurt on golf carts every month?  The Center for Injury Research and Policy in Columbus, Ohio reports that falling or jumping out of carts accounts for the largest number of injuries, 38 percent. 

I have never considered golf to be a “contact sport” but when your body hits the golf path or you are tackled by a golf cart, it may be that.  I am going to do my part to reduce injuries by reminding my husband that it is a golf cart not a go-cart and I pledge I will never drag my foot (a bad habit I have) while driving a golf cart.  It won’t be long until someone mandates golf helmets to reduce all these injuries.  Just think – with a golf helmet you would never have to worry about being hit in the head with a golf ball... or bad hair days.

Safe Golfing this Summer!

Patti

To post or not to post...that is the question!

Yesterday I played 18 holes of golf at the La Paloma Country Club in Tucson, Arizona.  After golfing several holes, I realized that my choice to play from the silver tees was not only overly optimistic, but frankly downright stupid.  Also, I should preface this statement by stating that there were 6 colors of tee boxes to choose from...black, gold, silver, copper, jade and ruby...which to me sounds more like an OPI shellac color-selection wheel at a nail salon.  This harsh realization of my "color selection" came to me as I approached a hole that had a raised tee box with a 175 foot shot over an arroyo onto an elevated green surrounded by sand.  Sounds pleasant for the average golfer, right?  So after hoping for a golf miracle (unsuccessfully), I proceeded to the drop area where I would be lying 3.  At this point, I wondered what the rules were on switching tee boxes mid-game and not posting your scores if you were dumb enough to play beyond your ability.  According to USGA, neither of these are allowable.  But while I was looking up the rules on these concepts, I did come across some funny golf facts, misnomers and suggestions that I thought I would share:


1.  Play at the appropriate tee level...you will have more fun and your score will be better.  Novel idea.


2.  The word "trap" (as in sand trap) is a misnomer and does not appear anywhere in the Rules of Golf.  The correct term is a bunker.  Besides, a "trap" is probably not something you want to be in anyway (i.e., bear trap, mouse trap, speed trap.) 


3.  "Cup" and "pin" have replaced the proper terms of "hole" and "flagstick".  One can just as easily say cup and pin, can't they?  Besides, hearing someone refer to "pin placement" makes you think of a voodoo doll...and the object of the game is to put the ball in the hole, not the cup, right?


4.  Fairway woods should always be called fairway woods.  It just doesn't sound right to say, "I'm going to use my 3-metal for this shot".   I'm pretty sure everyone understands that they're not actually made of wood anymore. 


5.  A golf match is a test of your skill against your opponent's luck.


6.  Counting on your opponent to inform you when he or she breaks a rule is is like expecting someone to make fun of their own haircut.


7.  Golf is harder than baseball because in golf you have to play your foul balls.


8.  They call it golf because all the other 4-letter words were taken.


9.  The difference between golf and government is that in golf you can't improve your lie.


And the final golfism that applies most to me...


10.  It is more satisfying to be a bad player at golf.  The worse you play, the better you remember the occasional good shot! 


Cheers!


Kim