In America, Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday of May each year.  Memorial Day is a federally recognized holiday designated to honor the men and women who have died serving in the United States military.  This holiday provides a three-day weekend and is the un-official start of summer.  As you may know, I love any extra days away from work responsibilities and often consider them opportunities to play more golf.  Today is different.  This Memorial Day, I just enjoyed a few days away from work and I have been thinking about all the freedom I enjoy, such as the freedom to write this blog, the opportunity to post my opinions on Twitter, the freedom to enjoy a game of golf at golf courses throughout America.  These are privileges given to me by the blood of others.  These men and women sacrificed their lives for me, for my family and for all of my fellow citizens.  It is with a great measure of humbleness that I declare my immense gratitude to those who put themselves in harm’s way to advance freedom.

I am aware that as I enjoy barbecue and look to the flag of this great land, my opportunity came at a price and should never be taken for granted.  Wives, mothers, daughters, sons, husbands, fathers and brothers in each of our 50 states have suffered loss and I want them to know I am thinking of them today. 

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They call it “Breakfast on the go,” but I enjoy this golf snack any time of the day.  A box of these Emerald snacks contains five individual packs of the Berries and Creme flavor nut and granola mix.  The blend contains granola clusters, strawberry flavored cranberries, vanilla yogurt raisins, creamy vanilla coated clusters and vanilla roasted almonds.  (For a complete list of ingredients, see product packaging.)  I enjoy the taste of sweet with the light and creamy vanilla flavor.  It comes pre-portioned in the pouches and is easy for me to take to the golf course.  Maybe I could talk the people at Emerald into renaming this product “Golf Snacks on the Go.” 

Do you have a favorite golf snack?  Click “Add Comment” and share you golf snack idea with us.

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Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.

 

Once a week?  Occasionally?  Two or three times each summer?  How often do you play golf?  I try to play a minimum of one time each week.  It takes some planning and I often have to treat my golf outings as non-negotiable appointments to maintain the time in my calendar.  Many weeks, it’s tempting to use the time I have allotted for golf in order to complete business tasks, but if I trade golf for business duties, there would be no golf in my future.  Sometimes I am able to play golf during the week and enjoy the extra round .  I have thought many times about trying to play more, but I’m just not sure that is an option. 

What would it take for you to play more golf?  More time?  Lessons?  More money?  Different golf equipment?  Fill in the blank: I would play more golf if ________________.  I was considering how I should answer this question.  When I tried to compose an answer, the only ideas that formed in my mind were obstacles.  If I had less work, more time and so on, I think I would play more golf.  The true answer, for me, is really another question:  What other activities would I be willing to forgo so that I could play more golf?  Sleep!  I chuckled at my initial response to this new question.

I’m not sure if I just say I want to play more golf or if I could even find a way to play more golf. It is something to think about.  I have been really happy about committing to playing once a week.  Should I try to squeeze in some more time on the green?  I would play more golf if…?

How would you answer this question?  Send us your thoughts by clicking “Add Comment.” 

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I’m writing today’s blog with even more excitement than usual because I am anxious for you to meet Sandy.  She is the newest member of the golfoutloud.com team.  Sandy enjoys the women’s golf lifestyle and loves to visit golf courses and meet golfers.  Sandy will be serving as a reporter for golfoutloud.com.  Her role will be to share her stories and her passion for women’s golf with golfoutloud.com visitors. 

You can follow Sandy’s adventures at Facebook.com/golfoutloud.  Let’s all make her feel welcome.  Sandy would love to hear from you!

What do you get when you combine women’s golf and Twitter?  @golfoutloud!  That’s right; we are connecting with you and other women golfers on Twitter.com.  Please help us tweet the word out to your family, friends and business associates.  Follow us @golfoutloud and @golfetiquette.  We look forward to connecting with you on Twitter! 

Expectations

Oh, those pesky expectations.  Too often we take them to the golf course with us and include them in our golf games.  Occasionally, I have to think through my own golf game and come to the realization that I’m just not going to be a scratch golfer who plays once a week and rarely practices.  So, why am I so frustrated?  My expectations are unrealistic!

Joan King, Peak Performance Strategist, NGH Board Certified Sports Hypnotist and founder of Positive Mental Imagery, shares her expertise with us at golfoutloud.com.  Joan answers the question, “How Do I Keep My Expectations from Sabotaging a Round of Golf?”

Joan’s article tells us what we should be focusing on during our golf game.  Visit golfoutloud.com to learn how to improve your mental golf game. 

Welcome back to the editor’s blog of golfoutloud.com.  As editor of golfoutloud.com, I try to ensure that we are providing content both interesting and directly relating to the women’s golf lifestyle.

Today, I am asking for your help.  Tell us what questions you would like answered or what topics you would like for us to cover.  Any question related to the women’s golf lifestyle is welcome!  Simply by clicking “Add Comment,” you can tell us what you would like for us to cover in the future. 

Share your passion and your ideas for the blog and the magazine.  I look forward to hearing from you. 

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It’s leap year!  I won’t confuse or mislead you with my explanations of Egyptian inventions, their relationship to the solar system and what influence they have on our calendar.  I’ll leave the history and connections to the Gregorian calendar, for Wikipedia or sources much more educated on the issue. 

My thoughts are simplistic and a little selfish.  I think we should all celebrate leap year with a round of golf.  Some of my friends, mostly the non-golfing group, accused me of just making up a reason to have the day off to play golf.  My response to this accusation is, well, they are absolutely right.  Any rare day that graces the calendar only every four years and is not already reserved for firecrackers, turkeys or gifts should be celebrated.  Let me be the first to walk on that day and plant the flag for a golf holiday.  I’m only asking for a holiday that will be celebrated every four years with golf trips, golf outings and golf vacations.  A word to all shopaholics: no gifts!  A note to the foodies: I’ll see you at the 19th hole.  On this holiday, no substitute for actually playing golf will be accepted.  I can see the TV commercial now:  “Hey, superstar athlete, where are you going after the big game?”  “It’s leap year.  I’m going on a golf vacation!”  Nice!

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What is a golf shot to forget?  I know this subject very well.  It’s a sliced tee shot you watch disappear into the woods, a frustrating worm burner for a mere 20 yards, or a missed close putt.  If the golf shots to remember keep us coming back to the golf course to play golf, it’s the golf shots to forget that make us want to visit the spa or play more tennis. 

As I mentioned, I have ample experience with golf shots to forget.  Today’s installment starts with a 236 yard par 4.  At this particular hole, the location of the tee box requires players to hit up and over a hill.  When selecting the approach, everyone has to avoid a pond located to the left of the fairway and green.  Water hazards seem to attract my golf balls, so I tried to play the right line of the fairway.  The tee shot was positioned nicely in the fairway and green.  This is where my golf shot to forget started; I shanked my iron shot...   The picture above shows where my golf ball came to rest.  The plant is called pampas grass.  The leaves can be sharp and, like water hazards, they seem to attract golf balls!  I think I will forget this golf shot. 

Click “Add Comment” and tell us about your golf shot to forget.

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