August 2012: Golf Digest Woman: Golf Digest

Print
E-Mail
Feeds

Golf Digest Woman Blog: golfdigest.com

Results for August 2012 Back to Golf Digest Woman Index

The art of being a golf mom

Friday, August 31, 2012

By Lyndean Brick

As my kids have begun to compete and travel as junior golfers, I have morphed into a "golf mom." At times, the learning curve has been steep. I didn't play golf until my 40s, and think I score much better as a supportive parent of golfers than I do with a club in my hands. Here are my tips for helping your competitive young golfers retain a healthy and joyful balance of activities while, you, the parent, maintain a semblance of sanity.

(Photo by Getty Images)

Be organized. Planning a young golfer's schedule of lessons, practice, tournaments, travel, study, social life and other activities can be overwhelming. What I lack in golf skills I make up for in organizational prowess, planning and budgeting months ahead for these activities. To be sure, it requires a big commitment of time. Find a parental mentor. In my early days of being a golf mom, I asked a lot of questions of other parents about what works and what doesn't. I had to try to catch on quickly as I grappled with how kids earn their way into tournaments along with so many other challenges. Fortunately, many golf parents are happy to share their experience and insight (there's certainly plenty of time around the clubhouse), and I, too, now enjoy sharing what I've learned with others.
Make it a family affair. The job is not for everyone, but it sure is helpful when family members take on responsibilities and work as a team. Two of my three children, the oldest and youngest, play junior golf. The oldest is on a golf scholarship and a freshman in college. Our middle child keeps us all in touch during tournaments, texts updates from one location to another, picks the food and music while on the road, and provides comic relief. She and I went kayaking during one recent golf trip, and we catch every one of her high school tennis matches.
Find the right moments and points for counsel. My kids don't look for golf tips from me, but they appreciate encouraging comments and quotes I find from tour players they admire. I also ask them questions to spark further learning about golf mechanics, rules and etiquette. My husband, a longtime golfer, can afford to be more technically critical. Nevertheless, neither of us initiates golf talk right after a bad round. Instead, we try to find something positive to focus on or wait for them to begin the discussion.
Help them deal with stress. I don't know of any way to completely avoid the stress of competition, but I can help minimize it. My husband and I have walked courses with our kids to point out good and bad behavior. It doesn't take long for them to learn that getting upset looks bad and usually adds strokes. We tell our kids to stay steady -- enjoy the game and keep stress to a minimum. Play with a practice-round mentality. Let them process losses. Allow teens to express the disappointment of a loss. Before any "lessons learned" discussion, let them get upset off the course and work through it in their own, reasonable way. Golf teaches life lessons that toughen kids up and keep them motivated. As parents, our job is to help our kids realize their potential, all the while helping them keep things in perspective.
Manage your own stress. I used to hide behind trees so my kids couldn't see me, and so I couldn't watch. I still close my eyes sometimes on big putts, but watching has become easier as I've grown more confident in their ability to handle victory and defeat. A deep breath and a "reminder to self" that it's only a game also help. I guess as my kids have matured as players, so have I as an observer.
Make road trips a rich, well-rounded experience. Tournament travel should be about much more than just golf. These trips provide remarkable opportunities for kids to learn to balance practice sessions and tournament play with a healthy dose of studying, reading, socializing, and even a little sightseeing. I view the experience as a part-time job for my kids -- one that requires dedication, discipline and an appetite for personal growth. Too much focus on any one thing can lead to burnout. The goal is a well-rounded child. Junior golf provides an excellent opportunity to interact with kids and adults from around the country, develop good sportsmanship and social skills, and build confidence.
Tee it up, but don't push. Our oldest daughter chose to give up softball for golf. My husband bought her a set of clubs and she took to golf right away. The youngest has followed suit, and now our middle child has taken to borrowing our clubs and heading out to the course on occasion. It's a gift that our whole family shares a love of golf, but the passion for practice and competition must come from the kids themselves. As a hard-driving person, it's difficult for me to resist pushing my kids to practice more. So, I try to step back and remember what's most important: the joy, passion and life lessons of golf.

Guest blogger Lyndean Brick is the Senior Vice President of Murer Consultants, Inc., in Joliet, Ill., and the mother of three young golfers.

Keywords:

Women In The Golf Industry: Susan Hess

Friday, August 24, 2012

Q&A by Stina Sternberg

In a new series, Golf Digest Woman profiles some of the most interesting women working in the diverse, often male-dominated world of golf. This week's subject is 48-year-old Golftini founder Susan Hess (below, right), a single mother of three teenage boys who turned a fashion emergency into a golf-skort empire.

Q: You make a living selling golf skorts, but your background is in telecom sales. How did you make that leap?
A: I really didn't plan to start this, but it just happened and I went for it. I didn't know what I was getting myself into [laughs].

Q: Tell us about your background. Are you a big golfer?
A: I moved a lot as a kid but spent most of my childhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, and went to Ohio State University. My grandfather taught me how to play golf -- both my grandparents played until they were 90. So I learned young, but I didn't play a lot because I did other sports. I was a swimmer and ran track and played soccer. My first career was in sales for MCI. I did that for a good 10 years and I loved it. Then, after getting married and having kids, I moved to New Jersey and became a stay-at-home mom. At age 40, in 2004, I was getting divorced and picked up the game again. I joined a nine-holers club at a public course called Ashbrook in Union County. It took six hours to play nine holes with these ladies -- they followed every single rule -- but it was great. I caught the bug and started playing daily, but I couldn't find anything new that I wanted to wear.

Q: So you decided to make yourself a skort?
A: Yes. I wanted a black skort that didn't come up to my armpits and down to my knees with 100 pleats, but that's really all there was at the time. I went online, I looked everywhere, and I couldn't find anything. My niece worked for Bloomingdale's and she'd given me a copy of Women's Wear Daily magazine, which had a listing of sample makers in the back. So I got in the car one day and drove to New York City. I went into this shady building in the garment district, which I'd never even heard of before. I called a friend and said, "If I don't come out in an hour, this is where I am," because it was really scary. But I met with a woman named Sherry, showed her some examples and told her, "This is the skort I like, this is what I want to change about it." I brought two yards of black fabric, and she said, "Okay, come back in a week." I passed by a really cool ribbon store on the way back in and thought, "That might be cute and kind of sporty." So after a few trials we made this one skort with black-and-white ribbon trim down the side. It was very basic, and I wore it to play golf. Everyone I played with loved it, because it was modern and feminine. It was just cute. Then one of the girls I was playing with said, "I want one, too." So I made another one. Then more friends wanted them, so I made another 20 -- one for each girl, with different patterns and different trim. It would take like a week and then they'd be done.

RELATED: Women In the Golf Industry: Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman

Q: But sewing or design had never been a hobby of yours before?
A: No. I like fashion, I know what looks good on people and I know what looks bad on people. I guess I kind of have an eye, and that's how I find my designs. It's not technical, I'm just aware of everything around me. I'm going with my gut, and it's worked.

Read more

Keywords:

The Style Blog: Green with envy

Thursday, August 23, 2012

By Argy Koutsothanasis

I admit it, I'm very excited about Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore becoming the first female members of the Augusta National Golf Club -- it feels like a victory for everyone. Sure, I'm a little jealous. I wish I'd found an ANGC invite of my own in the mailbox, but since I haven't, I'm excited for them. Both of these women are iconic in their accomplishments, and I don't mean to diminish their achievements nor the historic moment, but I have to ask: What the heck are they going to wear under the green jackets for their first club outing?? (My mind works on one track: clothes.)

Green is not an easy color. Both Rice and Moore always look polished, so here are a few tips on tackling that emerald sartorial monster:

Head-to-toe green should be avoided at all cost, unless you think Kermit the Frog looks dapper.
If you try to downplay the green with dark colors like brown, black or navy you'll end up looking sadly blah, which begs the question,"is this a funeral or a celebration?" Look to mother nature for a suitable color combination: vibrant hues like fuchsia, deep yellow, rich purple (the colors of most flowers) pair up really nicely with green.
Warning: Red looks great with green, but it must be avoided at all cost unless it's December and sleigh bells are ringing.

When it comes to clothes, women always have the upper hand, with endless options and fabrics to pick from. It would be nice to soften the look of the tailored jacket with a silky, flowy fabric underneath. A fun print is also something the ladies can get away with without looking odd. If all else fails, a great pair of khaki trousers worn a la Katherine Hepburn could do the trick. In my fantasy world Ms. Moore would wear a flowy chiffon dress in lilac with pewter sandals draping the green jacket over her shoulders, while Ms. Rice would sport silk palazzo pants in hot pink with a white starched oxford shirt and sexy gold pumps. But since that's not going to happen, here are some ideas that are a little more realistic.

The Khaki Look: Tory Birch Margee Oxford-Striped Silk Georgette Shirt; $350, Visit website and Moschino Cheap And Chic Tapered Wool Pants; $625, Visit website
Nature's Hues: Tory Birch Margee Oxford-Striped Silk Georgette Shirt; $350, Visit website and Moschino Cheap And Chic Tapered Wool Pants; $625, Visit website
Mad For Plaid: Burberry London Lace Shirt; $650, Visit website and Theory Testra Plaid Wool Pants; $295, Visit website
Fun In The Sun: Joseph April Stretch-Crepe Dress; $695, Visit website

Follow @argystyle

Keywords:

Why today is a momentous day

Monday, August 20, 2012

By Stina Sternberg

Augusta National has women members. Not just one, but two. Only a few hours have passed since the news broke, and it's already been met with celebration, mockery and plenty of shrugged shoulders. "About time," many have remarked on Twitter. "So what? It's a private club," argue others. I'm here to say that Augusta's admittance of Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore is a significant breakthrough, not just to women golfers, but to the game of golf and sports in general. This will go down as the day when the Berlin Wall of discrimination finally fell in American golf.

Those who read GolfDigest.com know that I've been a frequent critic of Augusta's membership policies and especially the PGA Tour's association with a club that practices such bigoted rules. That has always been the rub. Private clubs are private clubs, and if a group of people wants to form a club that only allows membership to belly-dancing hyenas, that's their prerogative. The problem with Augusta was always its place in the spotlight as the home of the biggest tournament in golf. It may be private on paper, but it's the most-watched golf facility in the country. It's golf's face to the world. And up until today, it didn't extend memberships to certain people simply because of their anatomy.

Related: Golf Digest's 2011 interview with Rice

Like most other women golfers I know, it pained me that this was the image golf broadcasted to the world. How would we ever encourage more young women to pick up the game when this is what they saw on TV? How would golf ever be recognized as a sport when it acted more like an all-male cigar club? It was embarrassing, but the powers that be kept letting Augusta be Augusta without repercussion. After all, the Masters is an invitational, and not an official PGA Tour event. Augusta sets its own rules. As if a 13-year-old girl watching with her dad cares. She's watching golf, and learning that it discriminates against her.

The fact that Augusta owes nothing to anybody is precisely what makes today's announcement such a huge moment. Clearly, financial and political pressures have never bothered the green jackets. If anything, it's only spurred them to stick to their "traditions" even more. But they knew this had to be done if the game was to thrive. The desire to do the right thing for the image of golf finally superseded the need to have the last word.

Related: Tracking reaction to Augusta National's decision

Would it be great if Augusta had 150 women members already? Of course. Would it be nice if this had happened 20 years ago, when they finally admitted their first African-American member? Absolutely. It would also be great if Butler National and Pine Valley and all the other clubs out there that still shun women would enter the 21st century. But they have to start somewhere, and we have to look at the symbolic impact of this move. This is Augusta National, the most public private club in the world. In the eyes of equality, it just turned from a black sheep to a golden egg. That 13-year-old girl watching the Masters might finally feel like it would be cool to become a golfer.

Follow @StinaSternberg

Keywords:

85-year-old Pauline gets a game-changing fit

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Better late than never: After 75 years of playing competitive golf, Pauline Whitacre goes through her first clubfitting.

Professional clubfitter Jim McCleery thought he'd seen every type of golfer in his shop (McGolf Custom Clubs in Waverly, Ohio). Then one day in May, 85-year-old Pauline Whitacre walked through his door. "That woman, what a treat it was to get to spend time with her," McCleery says. "I can only imagine what she was like back in the day. Competitive, to say the least."

Whitacre, of Canton, Ohio, doesn't just like golf, she loves it and lives it almost every day, even though she's been suffering from emphysema for the last three years. "I still play about three or four times a week all year, both here and in Florida, so I guess that's over 150 rounds a year," she says. Whitacre picked up the game as a 10-year-old at her parents' club in Canton back in 1937, and broke 80 for the first time at age 14. She went on to play college golf (long before there really was such a thing) at Ohio State, where she lost to LPGA co-founder Marilynn Smith in the semifinals of the National Intercollegiate. After getting married, she won the Ohio State Amateur Championship three times and the Ohio Invitational Senior Championship at least six times (she can't quite remember). To this day, she competes regularly, and she hasn't lost an ounce of drive (she was even featured on the local news at last year's Ohio Senior Women's Amateur Championship, where she competed in the Super Seniors division).

But lately, Whitacre's scores had been inching up, and she just wasn't hitting the ball as far as she used to. And even though she keeps shooting her age or better on a regular basis (she estimates she's done that at least 70 times by now), she wasn't happy with her 13.5 handicap. So her daughter, Janet Kaboth, booked her a clubfitting session with McCleery to see if a new set of clubs might help.

Read more

Keywords:

The Style Blog: Easy Fashion

Monday, August 13, 2012

When I was eight years old my father taught me how to knot a tie by showing me how to make a double Windsor (he never really liked doing anything the easy way). I picked it up pretty quickly, and under the guise of practice gained an all-access pass to his closet. My father's array of ties became my favorite toys. Since I mastered the knot so easily, I had very little understanding for the clip-on ties the boys at my parochial school wore as part of their uniforms. The very idea of a clip-on tie became offensive, a cop-out -- the dreaded easy way out. It's taken me a while to see that not everyone has the time or the desire to fiddle with their clothes.

My father and I are a bit of an oddity in this regard (in my family, it's my father and not my mother who trolls sample sales and gets territorial if anyone comes close to his pile of finds). I can see that fashion is not as interesting a subject to most people. But I do know that everyone likes to look good -- usually with minimal effort. Since most people have a hard time pairing things that go well together, some of the golf brands are trying to help make it easier. You can now find pieces that are like the clip-on ties of apparel. Pieces that are pre-layered and pre-paired for minimal effort. Even a nice one-piece romper for the golf course can do the trick.