golfgirl

From the Arabian gulf to the the American West , last week saw many of the world's top golfers playing in places both arid and sun-drenched. Such was definitely not the case for Ryo Ishikawa. Instead of a week in Abu Dhabi or Phoenix, the Japanese golfer hit the snow covered hills of Yuzawa, a winter resort in the mountains north of Tokyo. The intense physical training of cross country camp has become a annual tradition for the Japan's top ranked golfer, and includes a number of rigorous... Read Full Story

Remember planking ? About a year ago it was quite the fad.  For several months you couldn't go anywhere on the internet without running into the image of someone's rigid body , face down arms with arms their sides, in an incongruous location.  The craze was completely global, and for a while people were planking everywhere, from the Pyramids of Egypt to the floor of the NY public library . The more dexterous among them could be found perilously positioned in overhead luggage bins , on top of... Read Full Story

The message finally seems to be resonating throughout the golf business world: for this industry to be sustainable it's going to need to embrace some changes. A decade of decline in participation, which ironically coincided with a period of overheated development, has left many who make their living in golf, in a precarious position.  A position that doesn't allow for an exclusionary image... or even the perception of one. From the PGA of America's recently unveiled Golf 2.0 to the USGA's... Read Full Story

Spain has so many beautiful coastal courses The fact that social media has us all "so connected" can sometimes lead to...  awkwardness.  For example, the confidential DM that mistakenly goes out to everyone is actually fairly common, and the consequences can be... unpleasant, to say the least.  Or what about the "old flame" who suddenly finds you on Facebook and wants to become a "new flame".  That's another distressing possibility. That being said, most would probably agree that such... Read Full Story

I've been in the snowy Swiss village of Davos for the past several days... feeling like a bit of an interloper... as the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum takes place around me.  It's been every bit as impressive... and just as quixotic... as I imagined it would be. I'm not here as a delegate... obviously... nor am I  here with a media outlet, though I am writing. For almost a year now I've been assisting a quietly brilliant Master of the Universe , Davos Man "world business leader... Read Full Story

Ahmad Al Musharrakh                      Image Credit: Grace Paras/ANM He was recently referred to as "the Emirati answer to Tiger Woods" , however, when we wrote about Ahmad Al Musharrakh in 2010 ,  he was getting ready for his first Abu Dhabi Championship appearance, and as he tells it, "still very inexperienced". Now, two years later, as the 2012 Abu Dhabi Championship gets underway, the 21 year-old is the UAE's top ranked national players, and determined to make history. Al Musharrekh... Read Full Story

Ladies European Tour Class of 2012 When the grueling "Q-School grind" (as it's known across tours and around the world) finally came to an end today on the pastoral fairways of La Manga Golf Club , thirty golfers from 15 countries had won full playing rights on the Ladies European Tour for the 2012 season. England’s Jodi Ewart, who earned her LPGA card in December, claimed a two stroke victory, with Swiss amateur Anais Maggetti and Spain’s Carlota Ciganda taking second and third, but the real... Read Full Story

For what's basically a recreational activity, the game of golf has an odd knack for inciting controversy and contentiousness. Do a search for the phrase " golf has a reputation " , and you'll see this kind of thing: "... for being anachronistic in its social attitudes and etiquette. " " ...for being a very white sport... "  "... for being elitist and traditionalist and ladies, in particular, can find it difficult getting involved in the sport. " "... of causing problems in marriages rather... Read Full Story

Sharmila Nicollet ...... walking    -    photo: Golf Digest Online We first wrote about Sharmila Nicollet in December of 2007 when she won a challenge match, paired with Laura Davies, at the EMAAR-MGF Ladies Masters , India's first ever LET event. Just 16 at the time, the talented Bangalore beauty impressed Davies who told reporters, " I played with this 16-year-old girl and I can say from my experience she has the potential to become a really good player ". Four years later Nicollet is 20... Read Full Story

A few weeks ago I told you about adventure travel entrepreneur, Dylan Harris, and the Inaugural Iranian Amateur Open . The tournament is set to take place from the 14th through 16th of April, when golfers from around the globe will meet at Teheran's Enghelab Golf Course for three days of competition. Golf's rapidly growing global reach makes this possible, and the fact that The Iranian Amateur Open will allow a diverse group of international players to rise above the current cacophony of... Read Full Story