Silent Auction Score

I attended a fundraiser and dinner for Mobility International USA and found myself roaming the aisles of the silent auction looking for something to bid on. I dug deep between the gift baskets and handmade artwork for something that would resonate with me. Dinner for two here, gift certificate for there, massage for this, spa for that. And there it was. A lone piece of paper sitting by itself on the back of the table.

A golf lesson with Casey Martin.

Without starting yet another debate about whether a golfer with a disability should or should not be able to compete with a cart in the PGA, he's a local hero, a great golfer and an amazing role model for people with disabilities.

While I should have been raising my price due to my desire to help raise funds for MIUSA, the truth is, there was another woman bidding on the lesson for her 14 year old son. If she hadn't been so sure of herself, I probably wouldn't have dropped a car payment on the deal, but I've never been one to handle competition very gracefully.

I think I need to get a lesson before the lesson. What do you think? Have you ever cleaned your house before you had someone come clean your house? No? Me either.

Junior Girls Gearing Up for Championship

The website is finally up and running for the 2007 U.S. Girls' Junior and it looks to be an exciting field. This is always a great time to watch the up and coming athletes that are sure to give us years of great golf as well as that deep regret for not golfing sooner.

Madison Pressel is in the mix along with other familiar names such as Alexis Thompson, Kimberly Kim, Mina Harigae, and Jenny Shin. I'm keeping my eye on Jennifer Johnson from La Quinta, CA. She shot a 67 in the qualifying round and recently won the Mission Hills Desert Junior golf tournament three strokes ahead of Jenny Shin. Johnson, 15, was also selected as the West Player of the Year on the FCWT (Future Collegians World Tour).

Enough thinking about golf, I need to go play some. If only I had started when I was younger....

Golf Guilt

Every now and then I still suffer from a little golf guilt. Sometimes it hits me when I'm telling one of my environmentally gifted friends that I have to go, I have a tee time. Other times it hits me when I'm working on an action plan to help the homeless in our community.

Today it happened at a child neglect summit.

I couldn't help it. I could see the sun pouring in through the skylights and I wanted to be lifted out and set gently on the finely manicured tee box with my disobedient Cobra driver. Everyone else in the room appeared to be focused on the very real and imminent issue of abused and neglected children. But, I was different. With every slide of a child waiting for a home, I saw a club needing to be held, swung freely from my hands and tucked carefully back to place in my bag.

It's not that I don't care or that I'm not passionate about the issue. It's just that sometimes you just need a break from it all. I can see why business deals made their way onto the golf course.
I long for the day that it's politically acceptable to take public and social services to the course. I'll probably be 102.

Out of the Dog House for $119

I'm hoping that none of my friends actually read this blog. Otherwise, the $119 could have been better spent on a little self help, wine and organic groceries for myself. Instead, it was spent on a new golf bag to keep me out of trouble.

Here's how it worked out.

My best friend was in on the whole mixed up, tangled up golf drama web from the beginning. The truth is, this isn't the first minor detail I've forgotten. There's been a few forgotten things and I'm only 40...seems a little soon, but it's been a tough year...could be stress related.

As I was relaying the whole mess over lunch, I remembered that she had an older version Sun Mountain carry bag that could help me out of my mess.

"Hey, I have an idea", I said with that squinted look that could only mean trouble. "How about I buy you a new bag and you let me give yours away as my used one. You'll get a brand new bag out of the deal." She probably could have bargained an electric cart out of me with my desperation to acquire a second used bag for my predicament.

"I'm willing to look around", she answered.

The next day I dragged her to the pro shop within 15 minutes of the front doors clicking open.
"Anything you want", I exclaimed, "look at all the fun colors."
She poked around, tried bags on, frowned at the new strap design and seemed basically uninterested in obtaining a new bag. So I did what you would expect. I begged the salesman to sell me a used bag. I repented my golf sin to him and he took me to the back room where he uncovered piles of bags with broken legs and zippers. The dark, still pile in the room without windows was depressing. I couldn't possibly lower myself to this level. I had to buy a new bag.

I returned to the sales floor to find my buddy happily sporting a new, apple green and black bag on her back. I think it's the exact same bag as she already has, but she's sure the legs are better. $119 later and I'm feeling pretty good. We'll see if this works out.

Promises, Promises...A Golf Girlfriend's Goof

It all started with a glass of wine...I think. It must have been a late Wednesday evening, somewhere between 8 and 9, when I made the promise that has me in a 7th grade, best friend flashback. The trouble is...I made the same promise three weeks later to my soccer buddy who just took up golf.

I promised them both my Sun Mountain 3.5 carry bag.

It seems simple enough. Just tell one of them that I double promised, right?

Here's where the drama sets in and memories of junior high keep me up at night. Promise #2 was made to Promise #1's ex'es new girlfriend. I can send you an org chart if you're really interested in the details of how that all worked out, but the short of it is, I'm in a lose/lose situation in two worlds I never saw colliding.

I'm going to have to buy a new golf bag. I'm going have to suck it up, drop a hundred bucks, drag the thing through a bunker, drive over it, rub it in some fresh grass clippings and act like it's been my faithful companion for the last two years.

Are you reading this thinking, "Why doesn't she just come clean about it?"

I tried. I told promise #1, my faithful Wednesday golf partner, what I had done. I was hoping she'd ease my guilt, offer to just go get her own bag, and let me off the hook. It didn't work out that way. Instead, she offered to give me her old bag to give promise #2. Seemed reasonable, so I said, "Okay, sure."

Then I remembered the ex had given her the golf clubs and would probably remember the bag.

Tomorrow I'm headed to the pro shop. Some mistakes are worth $129.

Everyone Deserves A Second Chance

As I sipped my morning coffee and half listened to the morning news, I was intrigued by the announcement that The Today Show was featuring a story on The Man Behind The Mulligan. Even I, the queen of mulligans, did not realize this term originated by someone in our lifetime and from the United States. I guess I should have known we would have invented cheating...I mean forgiveness...in golf.


I stopped taking mulligans when I realized my first shot was never as bad as it seemed and the second shot was always worse than the first. Why stand on the tee and take two bad shots when you can dash down the fairway and just finish the hole? I have been known to take multiple tee shots on some of those beautiful holes with a view where it feels like you could hit to the equator. But, only if I'm all alone at the end of the day.


Even though I don't take them, I'm a firm believer in second chances...on and off the course. Life's too short to take any one shot too seriously.

Pak Overcomes Pressel's Hole in One

It's not that often that the player who starts off looking unbeatable is actually unbeatable. But Se Ri Pak clenched a victory today for her fifth win at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. Not only was her golf as consistent and smooth as always, but Morgan Pressel had been closing in on her over the last two days.

By the time the coverage was picked up and aired, we had all missed Morgan Pressel's hole in one on number 6 that seemed like it might be the momentum she needed to win the tourney. But Pak came back with her steady hand and dropped a few birdies to give her the lead.

Other than a few technical difficulties, this was a great weekend of women's golf. It was good to see Pak take her fifth title, but Morgan Pressel is looking really hot right now and may just land a few more trophies and big checks before the year is through.