For Women Golfers

The Solheim Cup was played about 60 miles west of where Klees Golf Shop is located.  Driving in the Chicagoland area is purgatory, but a number of customers went out to Rich Harvest Farms to see some of the best women golfers in the world play golf.

I heard someone complain that the course conditions were too hard: high rough, small greens, etc.  However, the course played less than 6700 yards and from what I heard Morgan Pressel, Paula Creamer and Michelle Wie maneuvered quite successfully around these conditions to beat their opponents.

The Mother McAuley golf team went out on Saturday and the coach told me they had the best time, cheering on the Americans, watching great golf and getting inspired.  I wish I'd been with them.

I haven't paid much attention to women's golf lately. The LPGA events are only on the Golf Channel or the internet, which makes them inaccessable to me most of the time. The fact that mostly Korean women win doesn't make me want to go out of my way to watch, either.

A sports writer for the Tennessean, Joe Biddle, summed up what I suspect a lot of golf fans are thinking:

I made myself practice my short game over two hours and the next time I played my overall score improved dramatically.  If I made myself practice three times a week I might actually reduce my handicap 12 or more strokes. 

I (sort of) like to practice.  Practicing is faster and cheaper than playing.  It can be less frustrating.  However, it's not much fun because there is no aspect of the game in which I am any good. I hit a lot of bad shots while practicing, which reminds me of what I'm likely to do on the course.

As we end our Callaway Golf Month Annika Sorenstam, Callaway's best staff player (in my opinion) has announced her retirement. When there was no Phil, no Big Easy, when Charles Howell II and Ty Tryon had yet to prove their worth, Annika was showing the Callaway Tour staff what playing like a champion looked like.

In 2003 Annika was arguably the best golfer in the world. She has been a credit to Callaway from the day she joined their staff. Her use of the 2-Ball putter was possibly the strongest endorsement that product could get and was very instrumental in its success.

I know from experience that our customers have paid attention to Annika's career. Unlike just about any other woman player in the LPGA, Annika has garnered the respect of male golfers who admire her consistency, her athleticism and her ability to win. They know she plays Callaway and have admitted trying the clubs she uses.

Morgan Pressel may develop into the kind of player Annika became. Paula Creamer has the spirit to win and Lorena Ochoa is certainly as talented. They, along with a few other women are making the LPGA interesting to follow in 2008. They all owe a big THANKS to Annika for giving us a reason to watch the LPGA events during the years when she was the only great player out there.