Being in the Moment

As a spectator, the allure of going to golf tournaments was the fact you can’t take electronic devices on the course. No cell phone, blackberry, or pagers! Complete silence. There I was on a beautiful landscaped course, often with shared with wildlife, with no outside intrusions. Even the gallery has to be quiet and still at tee shots, mid shots and putts. There in the middle of everything was tranquility.

Playing golf requires being still. Clearing your mind and focusing on your stance, posture, grip and alignment. Approaching the green requires strategy. What is the terrain, are there any hills, sand traps or bunkers? Yes, theoretically you’re playing against a human a opponent but your true competition is the course itself.

In the beginning, clearing my mind was a huge challenge. I was always thinking about what I needed to do after I left the course. I was not in the moment and it was reflected in my shot. Golf is about technique. Getting up to the tee box you have to concentrate on the checklist. Stance, posture, grip, alignment, and club selection, check! But if you don’t clear your mind there is something you’ll miss on the checklist. On your second shot, checklist again. And lastly when putting, checklist again. To be successful you have to be in the moment.

Golf is a game cemented in manners and honor. When you’re playing it is imperative that you don’t stand where you will distract the hitter. When you have the furthest shot out, you go first. When you’re putting or checking the green, you can’t step in the line of the other players putt. You can’t cast a shadow over the other persons’ ball. While putting, someone will attend to the pin (remove the flag from the hole-to increase your chance of getting in the hole). On the next tee shot, the person who had the lowest score on the hole previous has the honor of hitting first. Yes, back in the day, it was created to be a "gentlemen's" game.

Playing golf teaches you patience, strategy, focus, manners, being still and most importantly, being in the moment. All skills that will serve you well off the course too.

Put Up or Shut Up!

Whether you’re a professional athlete or a weekend warrior, trash talking is a part of the game. The downside to trash talking is it doesn’t always reflect the current reality but hey minor detail. If there was an Olympic category for trash talking, I would be a gold medalist, but at some point you have to put up or shut up.

My put up or shut up moment is about to be upon me. My Fairy Golf Father has offered me a spot in the kick off golf charity golf tournament of Zo’s Summer Groove. For those who don’t know, Zo’s Summer Groove is a hosted by NBA Champions Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade , July 14-18, 2010, The Groove is a five-day weekend fundraising event that has something for everyone: golf, comedy, concert, benefit dinner, youth summit, youth basketball clinic and sports conference, a free block party, an all-star basketball game and numerous exclusive functions. Now in its 14th year, The Groove has raised more than $7 million for local South Florida programs and initiatives supported by Alonzo Mourning Charities and Wade’s World Foundation. Players in the golf tournament are a who’s who of Miami sports, celebrities and business owners. My trash talking mound has grown to the size of Mt. Everest.

Now the reality, again minor detail, is that I haven’t played or practiced in a week. Now that doesn’t mean I didn’t think about golf. I recently bought a Motorola Devour, a smart phone that is smarter than me. The upside of this phone is access to great apps. I recently downloaded (for free) a shot tracker, a golf GPS and a countdown widget. The widget is now my nemesis. I plugged in the date for “The Groove” and everyday this widget tells me how many days away I am. Ugh.

Downloading apps isn’t all I did. Of course I went shopping. I scored a cute pair of shoes ($20), a blinged out ball marker ($15), a mint green golf shirt ($13) to match aforementioned shoes, and a black/white golf shirt ($1.50) to match the ball marker. By the way, the cost of the golf shirt, $1.50, is not a typo. 2 weeks ago I joined IZOD rewards. Just for joining they sent me a $10 gift certificate. When I went in the store the shirt was %60 off plus I had a %20 coupon for being a rewards member and then I used the gift certificate. Total = $1.50!

Now I’m firmly rooted in reality and that darn widget is doing the countdown, so I have got to focus on getting my golf skill level up to my trash talking level.
The plan is to play at least 9 holes during the week in addition to the weekend. Luckily this week, Sheri has offered to play with me. Sheri is an experienced golfer. My strategy is not to beat her, but to steal some of her technique. The following weeks I’ll play in the EWGA 9 and dines, these are 9 holes played after work and recap at the 19th hole. Also, thanks to Yvonne from the golf clinic, there is a company drop in league that plays 9 holes every Wednesday. Lastly, Coach Stepney as offered to go out on the course with me and critique my play.

There is an opportunity to elevate my game in time. The question is will I put up or shut up? Start your wagers now!

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Do you have a Fairy Golf Father?

You don’t have a Fairy Golf Father and you’re thinking that golf is too expensive to play. Is golf expensive? The answer is Yes and No! Like anything in life, you can either pay full retail or you could shop around and find the same things at a discount.

When I first investigated about playing golf, the major barrier for me was the cost of the clubs. I had only looked for clubs at Golf Pro Shops because I didn’t know where else to look. At that time it was like looking for clothes on Rodeo Drive. Not really in my price range.

One night I was at dinner with my Fairy Golf Father and his wife. He asked what was preventing me from getting serious about playing golf. I responded “I can’t afford the clubs.” He looked at me and waved his wand (ok his fork) and said,” I got you”. I looked at his wife who commanded “say yes and thank you, right now.” And poof my wish for clubs was granted. But what to do now?

What to do now? I have access to clubs but no idea how to buy them. I called on PGA Teaching Professional, A.G. Stepney. Coach Stepney suggested I go to a local golf pro shop and get fitted for clubs. Uh what? So with Coach Stepney by my side, I got fitted for clubs. During the club fitting they measure your arm length and then have you hit a series of balls at a wall with a net. They capture your strength and speed. Turns out I needed men’s clubs, senior shaft. So with that knowledge I then was able to order my Nike clubs from his contact(Fairy God Father’s only requirement). The club fitting at is free and the knowledge you get is golden. With this knowledge you can buy a less than expensive box set from Wal-mart, Target, or used from garage sales or sports equipment re-sale outlets.

While you’re at the pro shop getting fitted, sign up for their loyalty programs. Often they send you coupons or host events that have special sales. I belong to the Golf Galaxy loyalty program and recently took my friend Beth to a Ladies Only event there. Just for being one of the first 50 entrants to the store we received a $10 gift card. Then Beth won the first raffle of another $25 gift card. She bought a Greg Norman skort and a pair of Footjoys (pictured here) both at 50% off. After using her gift card, she only paid about $30.

Looking for golf apparel and you can’t wait for a special event and don’t want to pay full retail? Well, I never want to pay full retail, so here are some tips. Marshall’s and TJ Maxx carry Nike Golf, DKNY Golf and Tommy Hilfiger Golf apparel at 75% off the cost at the pro shops. Golflocker.com and Budgetgolf.com are great sites for discounted golf shoes. Golfnow.com saves you on greens fees and is easy to use. Also, when you find a course you like, join their loyalty programs and/or email database or Facebook page. Courses often have special rates for loyal customers.
So golf does not have to be expensive, so if that’s your excuse for not playing, get swinging!

Taking the First Step

The forward tees are for middle or high handicap women and seniors, and beginners of all stripes. There's no shame in playing from a forward set of tees if that is appropriate for your game.

I have had so many starts to playing this game. Once going to the driving range some 10 years ago. Then taking a couple of private lessons 5 years ago, a golf clinic the fall of 2009 and then taking a 5-week clinic last May.

Two huge things happened before taking that clinic last May. First, my fairy golf father gifted me some clubs and then I was introduced through my job to EWGA (Executive Women's Golf Association). The 5-week clinic was the kick I needed and the friendships with the women in the clinic fueled the passion. We made a pact after the clinic to try and play every Sunday. This provided the comfort level needed to go out and just have fun. We play 9 holes because we need time to socialize at the 19th hole!

I constantly hear from women that they want to learn to play but then they don't. I hope by sharing my stories, you'll be inspired to grab some friends, some cute outfits, learn to play and join in the fun.