Golf Fore Gals on Maui: Where Wahines Win!

For those of us who began playing golf with husbands or boyfriends, we all remember how naked we felt on the first tee in front of strangers, especially those golfers who never bothered to wait for us to tee off before heading down the fairway (or into the woods) to hit their next shot.

I almost gave up the game when this happened to me early in my golfing career, but my golfguy was very supportive and became my biggest fan on the course, encouraging me and making up for others less considerate.  It's probably why I married him :)

When I finally felt more confident with my game a few years ago, I became an advocate for getting more women into golf.  I discovered that many women didn’t play because they were afraid.  They had either had a bad experience or found golf clubs to be intimidating.  A number of those who did play had given it up because they couldn't find gal pals to play with and they were too uncomfortable about walking on as a single.

For all of those ladies, the first thing I say to them, is, “You need to check out Golf Fore Gals (GFG).  GFG a virtual golf club (i.e. one not tied to any specific course) that offers ladies of all skill levels a chance to play with other golfgals who want to play the game, get better and most importantly...have FUN.

At Golf Fore Gals, women find friendship, fun and freedom from fear, learning the game with women who have “been there” and know how hard it is to break into the male-dominated sport.

GFG offers women from Vancouver, the Okanagan, Fraser Valley and now Maui, 3 levels of membership, so no matter what your skill level or goals, there’s a place for you in the “club”.  You really need to check out their website and see what members are saying about their experiences.  Or check out their Open Facebook Group where there are lots of great pictures of their events.

The Maui chapter of Golf Fore Gals is new this year and I had the great pleasure of playing their Maui Women’s Annual Classic in November.  No matter what the score, every wahine was a winner that day. It was a blast!

I'm booking next year's November getaway to ensure I'll be there in time to play it again.



Diane Fru, the owner and president of GFG, and her husband, Rod are from Vancouver, but they spend as much time as they can in paradise just like I do with my golfguy every year.  We always try to get a game in together and this year we chose the most women-friendly course on the island - Ka'anapali Kai.


I love both of the Ka'anapali courses and from my experience playing them for two weeks in November, so do many other women.  We were paired with husbands and wives on many days and even single women joined us. 

One day, we were a few holes behind a regular monthly women's event; there were over 40 golfgals playing the Royal Course and from the hooting and hollering going on, I could tell that these ladies were having a good time!  I was very tempted jump in my cart and join them.

I found out later from the Marshall that two of the women scored aces that day - one on the par 3, 8th and a second on the par 3, 17th.

Par 3 17th Hole at Royal Ka'anapali

I remember the pin placement on the sloping 17th green very well, and I can tell you that it was not easy. Not one person in my foursome could putt their ball into the hole.  We'll all lipped out and eventually picked up.  Thank goodness for gimmees :)

Golf is not easy, but it's worth every frustrating minute when you can play wonderful courses with good old friends and new ones you might never otherwise meet.  My 2 best friends in Vancouver are women I met on a golf course.


So if you know a woman who loves golf or is thinking of taking it up, but doesn’t know where to start, give her a special gift this new year – give the gift of membership at GFG. She’ll thank you for a lifetime. Because that’s what golf really is – a game for life!

Aloha!

Golfgal

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Golf doesn't get any better than this!

Every year I hear first-time PGA Tour winners talk about how delighted they (and their wives) are about finally being able to travel to Maui in January to play the PGA TOUR Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

Even though they had just won over $1M (which could buy a lot of golf rounds :)), they are as excited as a kid at Xmas about playing at the Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort. I can understand that.


The Plantation Course has a majestic quality you really can't find anywhere else on the island.  But that being said, The Bay Course at Kapalua is no slouch either.  Check out this view from the tricky par 3 5th tee. Can you hear the waves?

I started playing both Kapalua courses back in 2007 and every year when I return to this island paradise, I can't wait to play them again - sometimes to relive a special memory or seek revenge on a hole that got the better of me.

But no matter my intentions going into a round, I can't help but be blown away (sometimes literally by the trade winds) by the breathtaking vista views that the Plantation Course offers -- from that first drive on the on #1 hole...

to the last on 18...

The Plantation always delivers the most exciting, awe-inspiring, humbling and sometimes infuriating, golf I play every year.  And this year was no exception.

In fact, I have to say it was probably the best 4 hours of golf I've ever played.  The weather was perfect and so was the company.  For the 2nd time in a week, my golfguy and I were honored to play with the 2008 Aloha Section PGA Teacher of the Year and Top Instructor in Hawaii by Golfing Magazine, Claude Brousseau.

Claude is a Senior PGA Teaching Professional at the Kapalua Golf Academy and it didn't surprise me when one of the guys at the bag drop said on our arrival, "Are you playing with Claude today?  He's the best teacher on the planet you know."  So I guess we're not Claude's only fans :)

Throughout the day, Claude provided invaluable tips that turned potential double bogies into birdies for us (like he did here for Charles on number 5 and me on 10).

Charles commented after his best round at Kapalua that he learned a very valuable lesson playing with Claude. "Forget about what you learned on the cow pastures in Wisconsin and look to the mountain for advice", Charles said. "It's one of the few times in golf when you shouldn't keep your head down.  Look up and look around and you will see there are few fairways here where hitting it to the middle is the right thing to do."

I asked if anyone could enjoy the same unforgettable experience and was pleased to discover that you can have a playing lesson with a pro through the Kapalua Golf Academy (or contact Claude at cbunderpar[at]msn.com).  I highly recommend it.  Put it on your bucket (or Xmas) lis.

Back to the course...

The Plantation Course is not for the faint of heart, with its severely sloping fairways, blind shots and elevation changes (Did you know that from the 17th tips to the green, it's a 17-story drop?).  Seriously downhill and dangerous!

But I loved it because, contrary to what you might think, it's women-friendly.  While the boys have to play their 457 yards as a par 4, the lasses of the links play their 428 yards as a par 5.  It's great being given an opportunity to reach the green in regulation on the #2 handicap hole.  Nice!

And that's not the only hole where forward tee players are given a bit of a break.  On the par 3, 8th, there are two forward tees from which to choose.  The first requires you to carry your shot about 150 yards to the pin.  Now that doesn't sound like a lot, but as Claude pointed out the westerly's blowing through the ravine will pull your ball down, so you need to take enough club to take that into consideration.

The alternate tee box is on the green side of the ravine and is a short, minimal risk option for high handicapper; but it can still test your short game.

I decided to go for it - I like living dangerously ;).  And nothing felt so good as the par I scored after a good drive, great chip and 1-putt!  Sweeeeeet!

It was a magical day for me, topped off by Claude's exclamation "That's the shot of the day!", referring to my miraculous blind bunker shot on the 6th hole that landed on the green, 145 yards away.

Sadly I 3-putted the hole, but I didn't care.  Those "come back tomorrow" shots are what golf is all about.

Speaking of putting, let's just say it's an art form at the Plantation...and I'm no Michelangelo.

I don't think even a belly putter would have helped me on the 11th hole, where I hit the green in regulation and then proceeded to 4-putt it for a double bogey!  I still say it was unfair - the views distracted me ;)

And those spectacular landscapes aren't just in front of you.  On the contrary...often some of the best seascapes are behind you, like this one at the 14th tee box.

If you take a few moments and step out of your "think box" and turn around to appreciate the panorama, you won't be nearly as panicky when you turn back to face the sea of bunkers that await you off the tee.

I could go on and on, but I think you probably figured out that I've become quite enamored with this good walk unspoiled.

I used to think it wasn't a course for us chix with stix, but I've changed my mind.  At just over 5,600 yards from the forward tees, it's actually shorter than the course I play at home.  So why was I so afraid of it before?

I asked Mike Jones, General Manager/Director of Golf Operations at Kapalua Golf what a golfer who has never played the course before do to maximize their enjoyment and minimize the Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt many of us experience on our first visit...

“The thing to realize about the Plantation Course is that it was designed so that the ball could be played on the ground more,” explained Mike. “There are not a lot of forced carries and most entries into the green allow a golfer to land the ball short of the green and let the slope roll the ball on the green. Figuring out the way the ball will roll can be challenging but it is not as frustrating as having to carry the ball over a hazard all the time and always the golfer a chance at making a decent score. In addition, enjoying the natural beauty of Kapalua always make for an enjoyable round.”


So although The Plantation Course is not a cakewalk, it isn't as intimidating as one might originally think.  Just let your heart and soul lead the way through your round as opposed to your head, and you will find that it's a wonderful venue for those great shots... those good shots... and those 'good enough' shots you have in your bag.

Aloha!

Golfgal

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Great Gift for the Ardent Golfer

Legs like Buttah!

I've always thought that Ernie Els' swing was poetry in motion.

It looks completely effortless and rhythmic; some might even go so far as to say it is as smooth as Barbra Streisand's legs... "Like buttah!" (Ooops, I think I'm dating myself :) ).

 Anyway, back to golf...

Except for my comments on The Big Easy, I don't ever remember using the words poetry and golf in the same sentence.  But since I discovered Leon White's book, Golf Course of Rhymes (Links between Golf and Poetry Thought the Ages), I can see how poetic golf really is.

Dr. White's book is a wonderful collection of poems and songs about golf dating back centuries. But it's not just a book of poetry; it if full of historical gems from the famous and infamous men and women who share our addiction to this sport.  Did you know that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a golf poet?  Or that women's golf started with Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots?  Did you know there are at least 11 different ways to spell golf?

I am not someone who reads a lot of poetry, but I really love this book.  It's organized so that each chapter is a hole on an 18-hole course, including a practice tee chapter and, of course, the 19th "watering" hole.

There are funny poems, sad ones and ones you have to read a few times to figure them out.  But as the author encourages more than once, you should read them out loud to truly appreciate them.  It's a bit tricky with the ones riddled with Scottish dialect (he does offer translation), but reading them out loud, you can't help but put on an accent, which leaves you smiling your way through the stanzas.

One of my favorites in the book speaks to me of heartache and happiness (which is what golf is all about); it  was published in The American Golfer back in 1915:

My drive is erratic, my brassie’s the same,
My irons atrocious, and awful my aim,
My mashie is fearful, my putting worse still,
My scores have the look of a dressmaker’s bill;
My legs are a-weary, my wrists are quite lame,
But I am most happy, — I’m playing the game.

So if you are looking for a gift for someone who loves the links, I would highly recommend Golf Course of Rhymes.  It's a fun and entertaining read that will also teach you things you probably never knew about the history of golf and those who loved to hate it...and hated to live without it.

But it's not just oldies but goodies...there are poems about Tiger's chip from behind the 16th green on the final day of the 2005 Masters and even one about Michelle Wie's quest to beat the pros in pants.

As Robert Trent Jones Jr. said in his forward in the book, Golf Course of Rhymes "is the best round of golf you will ever play without swinging a club."

I couldn't agree more.

Golfgal

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