Golf Sketch solved my problem of finding that special gift for my golf buddies

It's rarely that a day goes by that someone isn't looking for golf bloggers to promote their latest golf-related product, book or service. Don't get me wrong I love doing product and course reviews, but I want to see it, feel it and try it before I'll write about it.

So when Nick O'Connell wrote me (and some other bloggers) and asked us to check out his site, GolfSketch.com, I was a bit reluctant. But I liked the idea of a golf calendar full of links hole sketches, and so I took a look. I am so glad that I did.

Flipping through the pages of Nick's calendar I was reminded of how much I love links golf. Having only played 2 "true" links courses in my life (Chambers Bay and Kings Links), I feel I've missed out on so much of the tradition and history of golf by sticking to my comfort zone of parkland courses.

Nick and his site GolfSketch.com reminded me that I am long overdue booking a golf vacation in the UK to play courses I've been longing to play for so long...

Courses like Ballybunion - the end of the road for Tom Coyne in "A Course Called Ireland".

Or Royal County Down. Tom Watson called it, "a tremendous test of golf and the outward half especially is as fine a nine holes as I have ever played."



Or Wale's Royal Porthcawl - some say the truest test of links golf you'll ever find.


Never one to accept anything at face value I decided I wanted to learn more about Nick, his work, and the direction he wants to take GolfSketch.com. So, as I've been known to do...I called him last week for a chat...



I just received my calendar and cards in the mail today and they are everything I'd hope they would be - elegant and beautiful. I can't wait to give some to my friends this Xmas.

Golfgal

Big Break Disney 3 - "Skip to my Lou" Kmax gets dunked

It was one of those happy/sad episodes for me on Big Break Disney this week. First I was really happy that Kevin Erdman escaped his second elimination challenge (Although I think he's trying to give me a heart attack!), but I was sad to see Kevan Maxwell, better known as KMAX, leave this week's show.

If ever someone needed a big break, it is probably KMAX - a highly passionate golfer who works as a caddie by day and delivers pizzas at night to scrape together money to pursue his dream. And it doesn't hurt that he loves his dog a lot too - I am a huge dog lover! :)

But as sad as it was to watch him leave so early, something tells me that KMAX will "be back" as Arnie would say. You can't put a golfer down with that much confidence and passion. So Kevan, I wish you all the best!

Meanwhile, we had a jam packed show tonight with lots of great challenges and tension filled drama between Andrew and Blake. And who was in the middle of that drama, but our friend Vincent. How fun was that Vincent?



Note to Gayle...watch where Vincent sits (or doesn't sit) next week on the bench ;)

Now on to Blake....Besides being happy about escaping elimination, I wonder what he thought watching the show tonight. I am sure we only saw a tip of the iceburg in terms of the tension between himself and Andrew. It looked like a long day, starting with breakfast where Mike tried to get some peace and quiet, but Andrew was having none of it, and Blake had had enough of Andrew...



Looks like even more tension next week. Don't you just love it! ;)

Now there were a few people who seemed to disagree with Erdman's decision to lay up after Maxwell put his first shot in the water, but as KMAX said in his exit interview, he would have taken out a putter if he'd seen either Sean or Kevin drown their first shots. And it is hard to argue with those decisions given both of them are going to be on next week's show. It's not like Kevin isn't prepared to "go for it" - we saw that in the last challenge - 230 yards with his hybrid. I wonder what he thought about all those comments...



Ah...now it makes more sense. Producers are tricky devils, aren't they?

Mike Perez joined me this week and shared his thoughts on the challenges, the drama and the "not so special" guest, PGA tour pro, J.B. Holmes. Gotta love Mike - always has honest, shoot from the hip comments. Haha...Thanks Mike!



Tony will join me Wed night for his interview this week. So come back to hear what he had to say about this week's excitement.

Golfgal

Mike Perez shares the inside scoop on The Great Golf Ball Race

In last week's Big Break Disney post I shared a stunt the Golf Channel did with contestant Mike Perez. It was a pretty cool race between a golf ball Mike shot down a track and a stock car with 600 horses under the hood. If you haven't seen it, check this out...



As I watched this video, a number of questions came to mind, so I decided to ask Mike what that experience was like and, of course, what we didn't see that ended up on the cutting room floor. Wow!...you have to listen to this...



Interesting don't you think? I'd sure love to see some of those outtakes!

See you Tuesday after the next Big Break Disney.

Golfgal

Big Break Disney 2 - The curtain falls for Andreas

They say in show business, "Break a Leg" instead of "Good Luck" because superstitious actors believe that saying "Good Luck" will only bring them bad. I wonder if maybe someone whispered those two deadly words in Andreas's ear as he headed into day 2 of Big Break Disney.

The son of actress Susan Lucci certainly didn't win any Emmys' or Oscars tonight for his performance. But golf is a fickle game - probably not unlike show biz in many ways.

It was too bad we didn't get to know him better. In two shows we have gotten to know some players quite well, but Andreas wasn't one of them. A quiet and unassuming golfer, he really didn't get a chance to show us his stuff (except for that 175 yard shot last week which was impressive). Sorry to see you go Andreas. But happy you have the resources to make it on your own, unlike some of the others who really need a big break.

Actually, I'm pretty happy tonight because my 4 picks all stayed in the game. However, two of them certainly made me sit on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen. Let's start with Vincent, who wow'd us with his home runs, but too many near-misses sent him into the dreaded elimination...



And then there was Blake - the self proclaimed hothead. I was expecting worse in terms of temper from him tonight, but no clubs were broken in this week's episode. So happy to see Blake stay in the game and see him fight another day...



Kevin had it easy this week - no elmination for him. But remember for him it was just yesterday he was facing "going home" like the 5 guys today did. I wonder if being "benched" ever felt so good.



Finally the home run king himself, Tony Finau. Wasn't it great watching him hit those 22 balls over the wall? I bet that was almost more fun than winning the $5K and immunity - almost :)



Great show tonight don't you think? Golf Channel did a terrific job with the competitions and editing. And they did something else recently that was pretty darn cool if I do say so. Or perhaps I should say, it was hot! Really hot at Walt Disney World Disney Speedway where Big Break Disney Golf contestant Mike Perez (brother of PGA TOUR pro Pat Perez) teed up a ball on a straightaway, ready to bomb it down the track racing against a stock car racer with 600 horses under the hood. Over 300 yards, the car and the ball race toward the finish line – who will win the race? Check this out...



Gotta love a good race. I'll be talking with Mike Perez tonight about this whole event and get the inside scoop on it, so check back for that.

I can't wait until next week to see the glass breaking challenge and the special surprise guest. Any idea who it might be? Pat Perez would be an obvious choice, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Golfgal

Golfers just keep on giving (and not just on tour)

You can always tell when the golf season is winding down. First, Tiger is no where to be seen. Second, the defending champions for the final 5 tournaments of the season are the people we haven't seen on a leaderboard in the last 6 months and, Third, we have tournaments named after charities and celebrities. Like this week's Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in one of my favorite cities in stay, play and gamble of course ;) - Las Vegas, Nevada.

Now, unlike many who consider the fall season almost silly, I love watching the final events of the year. The fact that I am not too familiar with many of the players is not a downer for me. It's an awakening to the fact the golf is not just a sport for the rich and famous, but a career where many have to struggle year after year for their livelihood.

How many times have we seen bubble boys make or break their PGA Tour status on one putt? It's no picnic out there and watching players grind it out is as exciting for me as watching Tiger hole another downhill, left to right, 40 foot putt with more breaks than Las Vegas's 2-time National Champion B-Boy squad Knucklehead Zoo.

The fall season rocks!

This week's JT event for Shriners will be fun to watch as always. But this week, it has special meaning for me and friends of mine because it reminds us of what golf is really all about - it's about giving back. Consider this...

According to Golf Digest, sponsors of the PGA Tour donated $124,000,000 to charities in 2009 - that's a lot of zeros. What's even more impressive...their overall total since they began is $1.4 billion! And it's not just the boys....since 1981, the LPGA and its sponsors has donated nearly $200 million.

Impressed? I know I am. But what really impresses me is when average golfers adopt the same attitude and find ways to give back through golf. Let me tell you a story of a young man who is being touched by his golfing angel...

In March of 2009, Xander Howe entered this world with tetrology of fallot (4 heart defects that inflict about 5 out of every 10,000 babies) AND pulmonary atresia (also extremely rare congenital heart defeat) where a solid sheet of tissue forms where the heart's valve opening should be. Because of this defect, blood from the right side of the heart cannot travel to the lungs to collect oxygen.

So at the ripe young age of only 4 days, Xander underwent surgery to install a shunt that would enable his heart to pump the oxygen rich blood he desperately needed through his system. Check out this picture of his mom, Dee, with him after the surgery. Now that woman looks like she's got her hands full, but what a wonderful smile.

6 months later, Xander was back under the knife again. The surgery was successful, but the stress on that little boy's body was severe. Both surgeries required Xander to be put in complete hypothermia, stopping his heart, while a bypass heart and lung machine took over as the surgeons did their magic.

But the story isn't over yet. Xander's coronary artery runs right across where the surgeons needed to make their incision and so the doctors had to use conduit instead. The problem is, that as Xander grows up, he will outgrow that conduit, and back into surgery he'll have to go. His parents are hoping he'll get to the age of 5 before he needs his 3rd surgery, but there are no guarantees.

Imagine living with those fears, not to mention the worries of how to pay the ever growing medical bills. I have no idea how I would handle something like this.

But one thing I do know is this...family friend, Ray Carey, with a heart big enough for himself and Xander combined, won't sit on his laurels waiting for someone to step up to lend a helping hand.

Ray has already started planning his own charity golf tournament to raise money for Xander's family- The Fight for Xander Golf Tournament - a beef and beer, plus golf outing on May 18th of 2010 at the Riverton Country Club in Riverton New Jersey. It may not be as big an event as Justin's, but it will be huge in terms of the heart and soul that goes into its organization.

I met Ray through Facebook earlier this year and it struck me that this man will do whatever it takes to care for the ones he loves. Dee and Xander are special to him and I believe he'll work his butt off to raise as much money to support them as he can.

Ray asked me to share Xander's story and reach out to you to see if you could help him in this cause. There's lots you can do - play in the event, volunteer your time, donate to Xander's care or spread the word of this tournament and cause through your network. Ray is working on the tournament's facebook/cause page as I write this, but until then he can be reached on his personal Facebook page and by email.

I may not be able to play in the event or ever see Xander take his first steps, but I will support Ray in his quest to give back to others through golf. I hope you'll join me.

Golfgal

Big Break Disney 1 - Ed couldn't quite do it

Finally, after months of waiting, Big Break Disney is finally here! Is it what you've been waiting for? I certainly found myself glued to the TV tonight. And as always, there were some surprises waiting for me. It was great that the Golf Channel started the competition off with some serious competition. That first immunity challenge was quite the opening, don't you think? Here are my three thoughts on the first 20 minutes:

1. I liked the fact that the players had to choose their shot right off the mark - strategy from the getgo!


2. I was glad that they did not know until the end of that challenge who was immune - suspense is a wonderful thing.


3. I think the two immunity challenges definitely "tested" most of the players - and those players are considered some of the best Big Break has seen to date!

Ask Ed Moses...a two time Olympic medal winner (silver and gold in swimming). Look how he struggled. Now....Ed is obviously an amazing athlete, but that wasn't enough to survive the first episode of Big Break Disney. For probably once in his life, "Ed couldn't do it." Golf is like that. Even the best can be beaten. It was hard to argue with Ed when he called himself, "one of the world's greatest athletes", even if it did rub me the wrong way, just a bit ;) Yes, Ed Moses is a champion and that is something that he will always be, Big Break or no Big Break.

But what about the rest of the competitors? How did they feel about their first day and tonight's rendition of that?

Well, I had the pleasure of chatting right after the show with Vincent Johnson. You may recall that Vincent was first recipient of the Charlie Sifford Exemption in 2009, which allowed him to play in PGA TOUR’s Northern Trust Open. Although he missed the cut by a smidgen, he obviously showed he has game and demonstrated that tonight for us with that amazing shot to the green from 192 yards with a 7 iron - Ouch! Let's hear what Vincent thought of tonight's show...

Next up, Kevin Erdman. Now, one might think Kevin likes to live on the edge, with his first episode ending him up in the elimination challenge. But I think maybe tonight's scare might have resulted in Kevin's A game showing itself just in time. I wonder what Kevin was thinking watching that tonight...



Caught up with Blake Moore (our Big Breaker with a temper, so he says) early this AM to find out how easy-peesy Big Breaks really are ;)



And speaking of an easy day, Tony Finau (who doesn't want to be remembered just as Gipper's big brother) joined me today to talk about that first and only shot of his and what happened after the first episode with one less Big Breaker at dinner.



Well, one down, 10 more to go! Looks like a great series. See you back here next week where the fun, drama and tension really get going!

Golfgal

Meet Big Break Disney's Kevin Erdman - if he's as good a golfer as he is a husband - Watch out!

Only 1 week until Big Break Disney airs its first episode. Are you as excited as I am? The competitors look very impressive. And this will be my first chance to interview an all male cast. Woohoo!

To kick off the series, I thought I'd introduce you to one of the contestants that really deserves his big break - Kevin Erdman. Check out Kevin's bio on the Golf Channel site and then you'll know why.



Kevin put aside his pro golf career to caddie for his wife, Big Break Ka'anapali's Courtney Erdman, on her quest for her LPGA card. Wow. I don't know too many people who would do that for their spouse. Courtney and Kevin have sacrificed a lot to chase her dream, travelling the country in their "love shack" and sleeping in parking lots to save pennies.

It's been a tough road, but when you talk to them, they sound like they would do it all again. Yes, Courtney and Kevin are an amazing couple (Maybe Greg Norman and Chris Evert should take marriage counselling from them!). I wish they had competed together on Big Break Michigan as a team. That would have been awesome to watch.

Anyway, I had the pleasure of chatting with Kevin about his experience on Big Break Disney last night....





It sounds like Big Break Disney will showcase some pretty interesting characters for us, along with some unusual challenges. I can't wait to see the competition at the non-golfing venues like Main Street U.S.A., Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex and the Walt Disney World Speedway. It will be like "Big Break meets Highway 18". How cool is that!

So meet me back here next week, when I'll be interviewing Kevin again and a few of his rivals after the show's debut to hear their first reactions to Big Break Disney.

Golfgal