Comments on: A Visit to the 2010 Shoprite LPGA Classic

By: Bethcharette

Bethcharette — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 08:04:52 +0000

Yes, I understand why the women in any professional sport MUST be more accessible to fans than the men.

In basketball, for example, the Sacramento Monarchs of the WBA just declared bankruptcy. They tried to win team loyalty by being more accessible to fans, but there just weren’t enough of them (fans).

Also, a 20 million dollar per year Kobe Bryant can’t afford to be mobbed by fans. Kobe is injury prone once having missed several NBA games with a hand injury caused by playing computer games.

Same is true with many all womens sports.

Folks just don’t seem to like to spend money seeing “record” holders who, in effect, aren’t REALLY the record holders for the species.

Evon Goolagong, the tennis great, in a very candid interview with the Press, once said that the top 100 men players could defeat a top ten womens player because of the power they have.

That means in today’s terms that Bjong Phau (ranked 100 in mens tennis) could probably defeat either of the Williams sisters two out of three sets.

In almost any competitive area, women just aren’t as “good” (I am not saying skilled) for a lot of reasons, some of them having to do with the way women approach the world. And, I say “Viva La Difference.”

Beth

By: Double Eagle

Double Eagle — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:33:47 +0000

Charlie,

By coincidence, I just saw the highlights of the British Amateur on the Golf Channel this afternoon. Man, you weren’t kidding about Jin Jeong’s putting. That was insanity. I’ll definitely be watching out for him in the future.

By: Double Eagle

Double Eagle — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:44:54 +0000

Thanks Charlie, glad you enjoyed it.

By: Charlie Wallace

Charlie Wallace — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:07:58 +0000

Hi Mike. Just wanted to say I really enjoyed your post about the LPGA event you attended recently. I like to watch women’s golf on TV (providing it doesn’t compete with a men’s event). Apart from anything else, many of the women are very attractive and without being sexist they are much more pleasant to look at. I’m a big fan of Michelle Wie and Alexis Thompson and there’s a whole host of amazingly good women plays. As a weekend golfer (not in the same league as you, my friend!)I find it particularly interesting to watch the tempo and pace of the women’s game. They don’t try to hit the ball hard, but it nevertheless travels some distance.
By the way, see if you can find anything on Jin Jeong who won the British Amateur recently following in the footsteps of Sergio Garcia (who I saw win the event several years ago – on TV) and more recently the Italian youngster, Matteo Manassero who looks to be a real star. The thing to note about Jeong is his putting. He is absolutely BLISTERING and the BEST putter I have seen. Look out for him at the British Open later this year and the US Masters next year. There might be some YouTube footage of him. Worth a search and you could go the the Royal and Ancient website http://www.randa.org where there are some TV highlights (I’ve just had a look).
Best wishes, Charlie

By: Double Eagle

Double Eagle — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 01:50:03 +0000

It sounds like you’ve had some great experiences, Ross. Maybe we’ll run into each other at Seaview next year!

Incidentally, I think I’m going to have to ride down and play the bay course later this year. I love that style of course and even though it was drying out a little on Saturday because of the heat, it looks like fun to play.

By: Ross Weintrsub

Ross Weintrsub — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 01:37:20 +0000

I’m more of a hacker than a golfer. I love playing, but hardly get the chance to get out. I’ve enjoyed watching the LPGA on TV as the players are quite competitive. Last year my 7 year-old daughter and I drove down to Havre de Grace, MD for the final McDonald’s Championship. We wished Lorena Ochoa luck, followed Paula “The Pink Panther” Creamer and then sat and had a great time watching a number of the best players. Afterwards my daughter got autographs from Paula and Sophie Gustafson, her playing partner. It was an amazing time. Yesterday my wife, son and daughter took me to the Seaview Resort to see the final round of the Shoprite Classic. Again we had an amazing time. My wife was blown away by how close we were to the action. I have to agree with everything that you said. It is worth going out to an LPGA event as the players have game and you can really see it up close.

By: Double Eagle

Double Eagle — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:32:55 +0000

Wow, that sounds like a rather surprising course management blunder to find so pervasive in the field. Laura Davies is the kind of veteran I would expect to make that smart play. Maybe players just have so much confidence in their short games these days that they didn’t think twice about hitting half wedges.

Hitting it as far as possible no matter what that leaves for the next shot is something I expect to see on my course by most people on the weekends. Playing the course like a chess match is something I expect to see on the tours. Though, I’ve kind of seen that out of some PGA Tour pros on occasion too. Especially before this year when they had the more effective grooves and they could spin it from anywhere.

Very interesting.

By: TP Golf Online

TP Golf Online — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:57:54 +0000

“Giddy as a couple kids” – that is hilarious because I was the same way last year when I took my daughter to a Canadian Tour event last year and Tom Stankowski (Paul’s older brother) gave her golf ball. I was more excited than she was and because of that my wife called me a geek.

I also went to an LPGA even last year and watched them on a short par 4. It was long enough that they could not drive the green but short enough an iron off the tee and wedge to the green can set up a birdie. Virtually all players hit a wood off the tee and left themselves with a pitch from a slightly downhill lie. I was talking with a couple of the marshals on the fairway and said they had only seen two players lay up to have a full wedge to green. Both of these players hit the ball closer and both made birdies. One of the players was Laura Davies.