So, you ask, what is it like to see real professional tour golfers up close and in person? Well, I guess it's kind of like seeing a celebrity in person. Once they jump off the TV screen onto the fairway, they are just regular people...with some really cool clothes.
For example, from my living room couch, I thought Tiger Woods was at least 6'4. Apparently, the only reason his smaller frame looks so much larger than everyone else's, is because many of the golfers are small....like, I mean, 6 ft tall or less. Yes, that's right. Who knew? They also come in all shapes and sizes. Most of them are lean and not very large, either. Tiger is ripped, and Phil is trying to pump it up, but pretty much, their muscles are long and lean. I would have to say Vijay is probably one of the tallest golfers on the tour, but that could be becuse he is sooooo slim. Apparently he is not very nice to people along the course, either, especially when things don't go his way.
The most sylish dressers are definitely the Europeans. Tiger is very conservative. and who is responsible for Phil's wardrobe? I think he is trying to reinvent himself, and it is not working, at least for me.
The caddies are amazing. The golfers totally rely on their caddies for information, guidance and of course, to lug their bags around.
The biggest lesson I learned by observing the best golfers in the world is:
1) There are ALOT of bad golf shots...and not many great ones
2) Golfers keep their bodies REALLY still. There is an amazing efficiency of movement so that all of their energy is transferred to that little golf ball.
3) A Positive attitude goes a very long way. It was very obvious that when shots went bad, the golfers who kept their wits about them ended up in a better place than those who threw their clubs.
4) And it really is all about the putt. Champions are determined more often than not by 3 feet or less.
Everyone should have the opportunity to see the people we idolize up close, in person. Turns out, they really do exist, and they are just like you and me....only a whole lot better at golf.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
California Dreamin'
Okay, so there are some things I noticed while traveling out west. These are just some of the random thoughts that went through my head:
Things that are large-sunglasses. Women wear gigantic sunglasses-huge!
Things that are small- dogs. They are everywhere. It is like there is a size limit on the pooches.
What to wear to a golf tournament-just about anything goes. What amazed me most was women in dresses and heels, wandering out along the cart path to the 13th hole-hilly, steep terrain. How do they do that? I walked all day in running shoes and my feet and legs were killing me. I bet they practice..alot.
Everything is dry..and dusty...lots of dust. No wonder when a fire starts it spreads so quickly.
Nobody works..or so it seems. They surf by day and party by night.Maybe surfing is their job!
Everyone appears to love life and be in great physical shape. Could be all the jogging, biking, surfing and yoga. Could be that nobody works.
Gas prices are through the roof already. Way over 4 bucks a gallon.
I still love how you can buy a fifth of scotch at the CVS. Guess they know what cures you!
June gloom only exists inside the 5 mile stretch between I5 and the ocean. They make a hufe deal of it on the news every day. They do not know what June gloom is. At least you can drive a short distance to where it is sunny. Here in the Northeast you muyst wait for months for November through June gloom to pass. They do not know what June gloom is.
Thrift shops and second hand stores are big. Probably because nobody works....
Manicures and pedicures are cheap. You can get a mani and a pedi at the smae time! While watching a soap opera!
Mexican food is huge. I hope you like burritos, tacos, enchiladas and nachos. And you need a margarita to wash it all down.
Blonde is the preferred hair color of choice..although if you are Mexican or Native American, that certainly won't work for you.
So there you have it, some random California observations. I wonder what Californians think of us?
Things that are large-sunglasses. Women wear gigantic sunglasses-huge!
Things that are small- dogs. They are everywhere. It is like there is a size limit on the pooches.
What to wear to a golf tournament-just about anything goes. What amazed me most was women in dresses and heels, wandering out along the cart path to the 13th hole-hilly, steep terrain. How do they do that? I walked all day in running shoes and my feet and legs were killing me. I bet they practice..alot.
Everything is dry..and dusty...lots of dust. No wonder when a fire starts it spreads so quickly.
Nobody works..or so it seems. They surf by day and party by night.Maybe surfing is their job!
Everyone appears to love life and be in great physical shape. Could be all the jogging, biking, surfing and yoga. Could be that nobody works.
Gas prices are through the roof already. Way over 4 bucks a gallon.
I still love how you can buy a fifth of scotch at the CVS. Guess they know what cures you!
June gloom only exists inside the 5 mile stretch between I5 and the ocean. They make a hufe deal of it on the news every day. They do not know what June gloom is. At least you can drive a short distance to where it is sunny. Here in the Northeast you muyst wait for months for November through June gloom to pass. They do not know what June gloom is.
Thrift shops and second hand stores are big. Probably because nobody works....
Manicures and pedicures are cheap. You can get a mani and a pedi at the smae time! While watching a soap opera!
Mexican food is huge. I hope you like burritos, tacos, enchiladas and nachos. And you need a margarita to wash it all down.
Blonde is the preferred hair color of choice..although if you are Mexican or Native American, that certainly won't work for you.
So there you have it, some random California observations. I wonder what Californians think of us?
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Traveling Adventures Part II
So we have already established that traveling with me is an adventure...one that is fun and full of surprises. And it is always worth the trip.
I recently returned from a trip to the west coast to visit a relative, and to see golf's greatest players in the world live and up close. Well, they were definitely alive, and the greatest players were kinda close, but the trip held unexpcted fun times as well. I will try to remember most of it, if you can keep in mind this is from my point of view only.....I'm sure others would have a very different take on this particular story.
Chapter 1: Babies, babies everywhere!
So who takes their child on a 6 hour non-stop flight across the USA? My husband, excited to be heading to California, is also excited to get a window seat, hoping to catch a glimpse of , I don't know, the Grand Canyon or something, 4 -5 hours into his first cross country flight. Too bad someone forgot to tell the young couple with the very agitated baby sitting right next to him. After 4 hours of off and on (but mostly on) again crying, whining, fussing and squirming, "Would you please close your window shade so he can try to sleep?" Not good. More crying and screaming and squirming. "Would you like anything to drink?" the flight attendent asks. "Can I get another Heineken?" The lady next to me asks. I am sitting BEHIND the screaming baby. The flight attendent brings the Heineken to the baby's father by mistake. Hey, maybe he'll give the baby the Heineken and we can all enjoy the last leg of this flight. Honey did I tell you Cousin Dottie is babysitting her grandaughter for the next three days? And she has 2 cats-but they won't bother us, and I bet that baby never cries......
Chapter 2: We're in California so who cares?
Off to buy stuff. The US Open Merchandise Pavilion, where my husband has volunteered to work 20 hours, is open to the public the weekend before the Open. It is like a mall. It is the size of a football field, built next to the first fairway between the North Course and the South Course at Torrey Pines. We drive along Coastal Highway 101 along the shores of the Pacific Ocean from Encinitas to La Jolla. Oh, Solana Beach! That's where the surfer got eaten by a shark! Oh, and La Jolla..the trial for the murder of that La Jolla surfer by a so called surfer gang, involving a UNH football player, is coming up the end of the month. Isn't California swell?
Chapter 3: The Way Life Should Be
A tee time at Coronado Golf Course. As a twosome at a busy municiple course, you always get paired up with other golfers. Most of the time it works out nicely. You meet new people, and have a good time, good laughs. Today was a bonus. We got to golf with two really nice guys who introduced themselves as Navajo Indians from New Mexico. How cool is that? And, they were running for political office of their tribe. They were in town for the Open, just like us. We had a blast. Our golf sucked, we hit trees, drank beer, and looked out at the harbor under the California sunshine.
Chapter 4: Does anyone ship wine?
What do I have to do to get California wine shipped to my house? It is getting ridiculous. We woke up to June Gloom, and decided to venture inland and north in search of sunshine and vineyards. We found both. Our first stop surprised us. We walked into a gigantic tasting room, where we were the only two tasters.....10 minutes later a tour bus filled with French tourists pulled up and we had an instant party. 50 French tourists, the two of us, and several servers who did not speak French. We will be buying wine, but how shall we get it home? Let's worry about that later.... After a morning of wine tasting, we head back down to San Diego in search of the USS Midway. We decide to do a quick tour, and then head over to Petco Park to get Padres vs Dodgers tickets. Before the game, we go over to The Fish Market for dinner. I am tired, but hey, I'm on vacation and the fun is just beginning. So we tour the Midway, we eat dinner, then we go watch Joe Torrey make mincemeat of the Padres. Now I know why we think the Red Sox are so great. Because they are!!!
Chapter 5: Dry Run
"Did you set the alarm?"
"Yep! I set it for 4:45 am." Tomorrow is my husband's first tour of duty. It is an official practice day at the Open.
"Good, that 'll give us more than enough time."
I am so exhausted I cannot see straight. The baby, cousin Dottie's grandaughter, by the way, does not cry. She does not fuss, she does not whine. Just for the record. We both sleep like babies..until the alram goes off. Crap! I jump out of bed and stumble to shut the cell phone alarm off. My husband stumbles out of bed, shaves and asks, "Do I have enough time for shower?"
Man am I tired!!
"Sure..." I am pulling on my shorts and shirt and grab my watch....
"Oh no!"
"What's wrong?"
"Oh no, I can't believe it! It's only 2:45!! I must've forgot to check to make sure thsi was s et for Pacific time! My cell is still on Eastern time!"
"You're kidding!"
"No, I am not kidding. We have had only 3 hrs sleep. I am going back to sleep. I am sleeping in my clothes."
And so that is how our first official day started....with three hours official sleep, and a few more hours of bad sleep....to the shuttle bus, in the dark, with no traffic, to the gates of the Volunteer Village. It is 6:15 am and I am on the grounds of the 2008 US Open. But it is only the beginning.....
I recently returned from a trip to the west coast to visit a relative, and to see golf's greatest players in the world live and up close. Well, they were definitely alive, and the greatest players were kinda close, but the trip held unexpcted fun times as well. I will try to remember most of it, if you can keep in mind this is from my point of view only.....I'm sure others would have a very different take on this particular story.
Chapter 1: Babies, babies everywhere!
So who takes their child on a 6 hour non-stop flight across the USA? My husband, excited to be heading to California, is also excited to get a window seat, hoping to catch a glimpse of , I don't know, the Grand Canyon or something, 4 -5 hours into his first cross country flight. Too bad someone forgot to tell the young couple with the very agitated baby sitting right next to him. After 4 hours of off and on (but mostly on) again crying, whining, fussing and squirming, "Would you please close your window shade so he can try to sleep?" Not good. More crying and screaming and squirming. "Would you like anything to drink?" the flight attendent asks. "Can I get another Heineken?" The lady next to me asks. I am sitting BEHIND the screaming baby. The flight attendent brings the Heineken to the baby's father by mistake. Hey, maybe he'll give the baby the Heineken and we can all enjoy the last leg of this flight. Honey did I tell you Cousin Dottie is babysitting her grandaughter for the next three days? And she has 2 cats-but they won't bother us, and I bet that baby never cries......
Chapter 2: We're in California so who cares?
Off to buy stuff. The US Open Merchandise Pavilion, where my husband has volunteered to work 20 hours, is open to the public the weekend before the Open. It is like a mall. It is the size of a football field, built next to the first fairway between the North Course and the South Course at Torrey Pines. We drive along Coastal Highway 101 along the shores of the Pacific Ocean from Encinitas to La Jolla. Oh, Solana Beach! That's where the surfer got eaten by a shark! Oh, and La Jolla..the trial for the murder of that La Jolla surfer by a so called surfer gang, involving a UNH football player, is coming up the end of the month. Isn't California swell?
Chapter 3: The Way Life Should Be
A tee time at Coronado Golf Course. As a twosome at a busy municiple course, you always get paired up with other golfers. Most of the time it works out nicely. You meet new people, and have a good time, good laughs. Today was a bonus. We got to golf with two really nice guys who introduced themselves as Navajo Indians from New Mexico. How cool is that? And, they were running for political office of their tribe. They were in town for the Open, just like us. We had a blast. Our golf sucked, we hit trees, drank beer, and looked out at the harbor under the California sunshine.
Chapter 4: Does anyone ship wine?
What do I have to do to get California wine shipped to my house? It is getting ridiculous. We woke up to June Gloom, and decided to venture inland and north in search of sunshine and vineyards. We found both. Our first stop surprised us. We walked into a gigantic tasting room, where we were the only two tasters.....10 minutes later a tour bus filled with French tourists pulled up and we had an instant party. 50 French tourists, the two of us, and several servers who did not speak French. We will be buying wine, but how shall we get it home? Let's worry about that later.... After a morning of wine tasting, we head back down to San Diego in search of the USS Midway. We decide to do a quick tour, and then head over to Petco Park to get Padres vs Dodgers tickets. Before the game, we go over to The Fish Market for dinner. I am tired, but hey, I'm on vacation and the fun is just beginning. So we tour the Midway, we eat dinner, then we go watch Joe Torrey make mincemeat of the Padres. Now I know why we think the Red Sox are so great. Because they are!!!
Chapter 5: Dry Run
"Did you set the alarm?"
"Yep! I set it for 4:45 am." Tomorrow is my husband's first tour of duty. It is an official practice day at the Open.
"Good, that 'll give us more than enough time."
I am so exhausted I cannot see straight. The baby, cousin Dottie's grandaughter, by the way, does not cry. She does not fuss, she does not whine. Just for the record. We both sleep like babies..until the alram goes off. Crap! I jump out of bed and stumble to shut the cell phone alarm off. My husband stumbles out of bed, shaves and asks, "Do I have enough time for shower?"
Man am I tired!!
"Sure..." I am pulling on my shorts and shirt and grab my watch....
"Oh no!"
"What's wrong?"
"Oh no, I can't believe it! It's only 2:45!! I must've forgot to check to make sure thsi was s et for Pacific time! My cell is still on Eastern time!"
"You're kidding!"
"No, I am not kidding. We have had only 3 hrs sleep. I am going back to sleep. I am sleeping in my clothes."
And so that is how our first official day started....with three hours official sleep, and a few more hours of bad sleep....to the shuttle bus, in the dark, with no traffic, to the gates of the Volunteer Village. It is 6:15 am and I am on the grounds of the 2008 US Open. But it is only the beginning.....
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Bad golf, bad math, good times
You would think I could at least add. But then again, the numbers are getting so high. It' s like I take enough swings to play an 18 hole round, in just 9 holes. What is it about spring golf? My body forgets where to stand behind the ball, how to stand, where to put the club face, the ball, ahhhhh! Every hit is a new adventure.
My average is going up, not down..the harder I try, the worse it gets. And now, on top of the bad golf....bad math. Last night at Ladie's League, all four of us added our scores wrong. I checked in the clubhouse tonight..."WHAT?!" I can't believe I shot a 64!!! I thought I had a 58, or a 59 at most..that' s a 6 stroke difference....hmmmm.l...et's see: 3 sixes, 2 nines, a ten, what does that equal? Then a 4...how many holes is that? Crap...I forgot to add a hole. I bet we all forgot to add a hole. Not only are we all bad golfers, now we'r e bad at math! This is not good. We will be the laughing stocks next week. What can you do.?
Time to go practice, practice practice. I need to follow my own advice.
My average is going up, not down..the harder I try, the worse it gets. And now, on top of the bad golf....bad math. Last night at Ladie's League, all four of us added our scores wrong. I checked in the clubhouse tonight..."WHAT?!" I can't believe I shot a 64!!! I thought I had a 58, or a 59 at most..that' s a 6 stroke difference....hmmmm.l...et's see: 3 sixes, 2 nines, a ten, what does that equal? Then a 4...how many holes is that? Crap...I forgot to add a hole. I bet we all forgot to add a hole. Not only are we all bad golfers, now we'r e bad at math! This is not good. We will be the laughing stocks next week. What can you do.?
Time to go practice, practice practice. I need to follow my own advice.
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