TO SASH OR NOT TO SASH?

THE GOLF DRESS : Greg Norman Women's Golf Dress 
THE GOLF COURSE : Pacific Link's South Shore Golf Club, Henderson NV
THE GALS : Golf Gals Dawn and Shelley

THE PURCHASE :

DAWN : This golf dress sparked my curiosity because I had never worn a dress golfing...

...It looked very comfortable on the hanger in the store, and to justify the purchase, the dress is appropriate for other daytime outings such as shopping, grocery, lunch date, etc. I like the fabric, the collar, the sleeveless design and the pattern is o.k. I can work with white, grey and pink.  No bloomers underneath - a concern for me!  I'm wondering if this dress is too short and how much of my back side is revealed? Yes, I'm wearing underwear with this frock...

SHELLEY :  What sparked my curiosity?  Well, any golf dress catches my eyes these days, so there's that.  The breathable and moisture wicking fabric is the second thing I liked.  If you play in a hot or humid climate, you know how important staying cool and dry is.  Two more pluses?  I could tell this dress would travel and launder well. 

PROS & CONS :

SHELLEY : Erring on the side of caution, I wore spandex bicycle pants.  Big mistake.  Huge.  By the 4th hole, I was drenched in sweat.  Not the dress, just the way-too-hot undershorts.  I grew increasingly jealous of Dawn and her underwear choice.  Turns out you couldn't see up the dress at all! 

DAWN : Pockets are very important. Depending on the hole configuration, I tend to keep an extra ball in my pocket just in case I hit a bad drive.  I know this goes against the rules, but I don't like rules. As with every golf skirt, skort, and short - pockets are not flattering because they make you look wide! Although these pockets were deep, I didn't think they made me look extra wide.

SHELLEY : Is that a golf ball in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?  I agree with Dawn - for us amateur golfers, carrying an extra ball is unfortunately necessary to deter slow play!  The deep pockets on this dress were nice, however ultimately I wish there was a secure ball pocket somewhere other than the sides.  I'm not a big fan of ball bulge. 

DAWN : The tie belt is what caught my eye on the hanger, and what adds style to this dress. A belt always accentuates the waist! We played the front 9 with the belt on, the back 9 with the belt off. I was shocked how much more comfortable I was without the belt! By the end of the round, the temperature was reaching 108 degrees and I was using the belt as a headband! I felt like I was wearing a "moo moo" but I was too hot to care.

SHELLEY : I always have a hard time figuring out how to tie and wear belts like the one on this dress!  Initially it was too tight and the skirt was bunching up.  After loosening it was much more comfortable, but since the temperature was so hot, sweat began to gather around the tie.  It was MUCH more comfortable playing the back 9 sans tie-belt.   

SUMMARY :

DAWN : This is a great dress! I enjoyed wearing it for golf and it held up after machine washing it. I have also worn it on 3 other non-golf occasions with cute sandals and received several compliments!  Great length - doesn't scooch up when sitting down :

SHELLEY : This dress was comfortable in hot temperatures (114+), yet could easily transition to cooler playing temps with the addition of a cardigan.  It's neutral palate matches many different colors of golf shoes!  Affordable price and great wearability. 

DAWN GIVES THIS DRESS : 4 out of 5 balls
SHELLEY GIVES THIS DRESS :  4 out of 5 balls

OUR FIRST COUPLES GOLF TOURNAMENT...

Mission :  Complete our first golf tournament, Valentine's Day 2013.

Objective :  Just have fun!

Whitney says : When I take on a new hobby or interest, I like to completely delve in head first.  So when I started golf in January of this year, I didn't think twice about signing up for the Valentine's Day Sweethearts tournament at Pacific Link's South Shore Golf Club in February, 2013.  You are probably thinking, "Is she crazy? She had only been playing for less than 6 weeks!"  and the response to this is that I was crazy!  First of all, I did not yet know all of the etiquette around golf, let alone all of the etiquette about tournament play.  I also did not play very well and often 'FISHed' the ball.  Luckily, this tournament was a best ball tournament and was for couples.  Best ball means that each person in a pair gets to hit their own ball, but you play the best ball (the one closest to the pin).  So what that means is that even if I played terribly, we could rely on my husband's ball to keep us moving forward.  

This particular tournament had fun couples rules, such as playing with your partners clubs, or hitting the ball on the green with your driver.  Luckily, all participants had a lighthearted attitude and were just happy to have the junior members participating.  

The tournament was also played "shotgun" style, where each pair started on a different hole.  Unfortunately, this meant that we started on the 16th hole.  The reason this was not a great thing is that I had only played 9 hole rounds prior to the tournament.  My husband and I were paired with Shelley Y. and her man, so that took a little pressure off as well.  Overall, the tournament was a lot of fun and a great learning experience.  I have compiled a few pointers below of what to do when playing in your first tournament:

- Know the golf etiquette rules and tournament etiquette rules well. 

- Make sure you play a few full 18 hole rounds prior to playing in a tourney.   

- Limit alcohol consumption during the tournament.  You want to stay focused and on your game. 

- Wear your most comfortable golf gear so that you are not distracted by clothing malfunction. 

- Play 'ready golf'.  Always be prepared at the tee with your club and ball, and always bring a second ball with you to the tee. 

- If you have a difficult hole, use the short time between holes to take deep breaths and shake it off.  A new tee is a new opportuni-tee! 

- Above all, for your first tournament, just play to have fun.  Don't focus on winning or being competitive! 

Dawn says : Couples Tournaments can be a lot of fun! This tournament was extra fun because we won!  This 18 hole shotgun was paired with another couple. Each couple had to play according to the rules for each hole. For example, both had to be touching the putter (pictured above), can only use even numbered clubs, must use your foot as your club, etc. Everyone had a blast with team colors and themes. We chose vintage golf, in pink of course! Dinner, drinks and awards followed. What a great way to spend time with your sweetheart.

GOLF GAME ETIQUETTE 101 : CELL PHONES

Unless your profession requires it  - or you're having a family emergency, the general rule of thumb while playing a game of golf or on the range is...leave your phone in the clubhouse locker!  Not checking your facebook status or tweeting about that rad putt you just made keeps the pace swift and your playing partners in good spirits.  Common courtesies such as this help prevent slow play on the course.  

What's slow play?  Perhaps this video from a United States Golf Association 'prevent slow play' campaign will shed light on the term.  Paula Creamer & Butch Harmon, Clint Eastwood & Arnold Palmour, and Tiger Woods all star in hilarious commercials from this series!

BLING IT ON!

Dawn says : I mean, who doesn't love a little sparkle on the green?  I do!  My rhinestone putter sparkles back at me on sunny days, and brings a bit of brightness to rounds played in drearier weather.  I love this custom club and the smile it puts on my face when I'm putting.  Or when I pull it out of my bag and other lady golfers see it for the first time!

LPGA LOOKS WE LOVE? PAULA CREAMER'S SOCKS!

Shelley says : I really, really love it when LPGA players let their personalities show through their clothing choices.  Case in point?  When Miss Paula Creamer wears knee socks and matching golf shoes!  She looks adorable.  

Granted, playing in a professional tournament would be waaaay more stressful than playing 18 amateur holes BUT - I've found wearing knee socks when playing golf just puts you in the best, most playful mood!  Can't think of a better frame of mind for a round of golf.

PRETTY IN PINK!

The Golf Shirt & Skirt : White sleeveless collared shirt by Pebble Beach, Pink running skirt by Lululemon
The Golf Gal : Whitney
The Golf Course :  SouthShore, Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Nevada
Whitney gives the golf skirt :   5 balls out of 5

THE PURCHASE :

The Pebble Beach shirt was a great find at Costco, where they had multiple colors to choose from. 

I have found that finding a comfortable, wicking sleeveless white shirt seems nearly impossible.  So, I was very excited to find this one!  While the photo does not do it justice, the white fabric has a circle design in it, which adds style.  Also, the two-button closure at the top was a nice touch. 

And the Lululemon skirt?  I originally bought one in white in a shorter length for running. I love the bicycle shorts underneath with a pocket for balls on the left side of the shorts.  When I started golfing, I decided that I wanted to buy the longer length and chose the fun bright color.

THE PROS & CONS : 

Overall, comfort of this shirt is great.  It's extra details (pattern and buttons) give it just the right bit of flair.  The fabric is not the most breathable polyester blend I've ever worn - but was very reasonably comfortable in the 110 degree desert heat.  I LOVE the Lululemon skirt for golfing and rarely wear other skirts because of it's comfort and functionality.  It has a zipper pocket in back to keep your ID and some cash to tip the cart servers and porters at the course.  It has pockets in the front as well, but I've found they don't work well for golfing.  The only downside to this skirt is that the bicycle shorts underneath ride up and I have to adjust them from time to time.  But, the cute ruffles on the behind more than make up for this flaw!

SUMMARY :

If you live near a Costco, definitely pick up a few of these affordable Pebble Beach sleeveless golf shirts.  They're incredibly soft and fit really, really well.  I've already gone back and purchased 2 more because they are just so darn comfortable to play in!  And the pink Lululemon running skirt for golf?  I highly recommended picking up a few of them in the longer length as well.  They're perfect for fun and flirty play when the temperature is warm!

DON'T BE A DIVOT MAKER!

Dawn says :  When you're at a real grass driving range, pay attention to the divot pattern!  Place your ball in the areas where there are small patches of grass or where the grass looks spotted to fill in the pattern with your divots (shown right, above).  It is more productive to grow a large patch of new grass as opposed to small bumps of grass in a spotty pattern.  Plus, the head agronomist will thank you!  

Here's a step-by-step sequence of how you would place the balls on a sandy patch as you practiced...