Nude Golf has a New Venue: Karlskoga Golfklubb

Newsflash: Karlskoga Golfklubb, in central Sweden, is relaxing their dress code... significantly.

Effective immediately as soon as it warms up a bit, "country club conservative" will be replaced by "clothing optional" on the fairways of this established course. You see, the golf club has recently partnered with a local "naturalist club" and Karlskoga General Manger, Sven Nödtorftig, embraced the concept of golf in-the-altogether, with enthusiasm although he was careful to reassure those who find the idea of nude golf... and nude golfers... unsettling. "We aren't forcing everyone to play naked," he declared, "and you will see the naked players playing at specific times, such as early morning or late afternoon".

Mr. Nödtorftig BTW, is himself a naturist, and presumably looks forward to playing in the buff as the sunny season begins.

I've written about nude golf on a couple of occasions, most recently a couple of months ago regarding Nude Golf International, a global nude golf tournament that takes place in New Zealand.

However, it was the awesome Exilgolfer who tweeted me about this latest nude golf development,... and he's got additional details... and photos.

Though most everyone I've spoken to on this side of the Atlantic seems to find the idea of playing golf in the nude quite preposterous... and one does need to be careful regarding sun exposure...  the concept seems to be catching on in other lands.  It's a trend worth watching. IMHO.

GolfGirl Infographics - 2011 Masters, Early Picks

Infographics are awesome.  Marketers love them - that's a given - but so do regular folks, and these days they're everywhere; offering a whimsical visual representation of virtually anything,  from the cause of jet lag... to the cost of a latte... to the demographics of the internet.

At their simplest infographics are merely charts or graphs,  but they can also be compelling works of an illustrator's art. 



The Masters begins in a week and already it's THE major topic of conversation in golf. The tournament's distinctive history and unique traditions... combined with the wealth of statistics that come out of it each year makes it quiet "infographically friendly".

I've put together a quick word visualization infographic (above) based on early 2011 Masters picks (about 60). I culled them from predictions posted in the forum at sandtrap.com  and randomly on Twitter.  Yes, Tiger dominates, thus his name kind of stands out on the above. Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson and Nick Watson were also popular, then came Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell ... and so on.  The tiniest names had only been picked by one fan as of Wednesday 4/30 PM.  The pie below can only accomodate a few of the top picks.  I must work on that.  Anyway it's a start.

I have a feeling I'll be creating a few more visual representations of the 2011 Masters before it's over.

 

 Also...

3 votes - Hunter Mahan
2 votes each - Lee~Westwood, Anthony~Kim, Rickie~Fowler, Rory~Mcilroy, Luke~Donald, K.J.~Choi
1 vote each - Sergio~Garcia, Miguel~Jiminez, Angel~Cabrera, Ryo~Ishikawa, Ian~Poulter, Ernie~Els, Alvaro~Quiros, Justin~Rose,  Ricky~Barnes, Mark~Wilson, Steve~Stricker, Retief~Goose, Francesco~Molinari

Kidlit4Japan

I've been watching all the devastation in Japan with a great deal of sadness. I'm hoping to do a little BRG charity for Japan in the future but in the meantime, I've donated 3 prints from my etsy shop to the KidLit4Japan auctions! There's lots of great stuff on auction, so don't miss out.

These are the prints I donated:

BID HERE for this print!



BID HERE for this print



Bid HERE for this print

A Chat With the Enlightened Golfer - Blog Talk Radio

A bit later today... 12noon ET to be exact... I'll be joining Golf Goddess Margarit Brigham of Enlightened Golfer to talk about... golf.

We'll discuss the state of the recreational game... on course and online... and we'll touch upon some of awesome organizations that are working to make golf more accessible. Particularly for women. We'll talk about how golf media has grown exponentially, and share links to some of the great new golf publications (digital and traditional). ~ The show can be heard live at 12:00 on Blog Talk Radio.

Or if you're not free you can download the file and listen at your leisure. I'm sure it'll be a fun and enlightening time. 

Skype visits

Spring is usually my busy time for school visits (by usually I mean when I am on the east coast and not juggling a new baby), this year I had to make some changes. Lately I've been loving doing skype school visits. You can visit schools all over the place (next month I'm skyping with a school in Alaska!) without having to get on a plane, which is a lot more convenient now that I'm a mother. I plan to resume regular visits soon, but in the mean time its been a great solution. Kids get excited about the new technology (a couple of times its started some interesting discussions about time zones) and I get to talk with kids about books from home. The other day I got an awesome package of thank you notes from a skype visit in Masbeth, New York:

(Sorry about the hard questions Lindsey)

Sometimes there are technical issues, Skype can freeze or pixelate if you have a bad connection. I'm hoping the technology evolves soon. I've heard googlechat is pretty good quality, though I don't know how it would look when blown up by a projector. If anyone has had some experience with it or any other video chat I'd love to know what you think!

Doot doot dooooo - Episode 145 - The Knitmore Girls

Listen here:

This week's episode has been sponsored by:

Abstract Fiber's crew just got a chance to try Schacht’s new travel wheel, the Sidekick. What a fabulous wheel!! We were impressed enough to become dealers. The Sidekick will start shipping in May and you'll get four bumps of our FABULOUS fiber free when you order your Sidekick from us. Reserve yours now at AbstractFiber.com .


Come celebrate the 6th Annual DFW Fiber Fest April 8-10, 2011. We are moving to a new, larger venue at the Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas, and are excited to offer you our biggest vendor hall yet! We also have a Friday Night Event withDoor Prizes galore and Mary Beth Temple as our featured speaker as well as classes in knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving and dyeing. In addition to Mary Beth, our featured classroom teachers for 2011 are Anne Hanson and Robyn Chachula. Class descriptions and the schedule are available at dfwfiberfest.org. Classes are filling up, so register online today!


Spin! Spin! Spin! The Purlescence Purl Girls are pleased to announce presales on Schacht's newest wheel, the Sidekick, the first folding travel spinning wheel from Schacht. We're expecting our first shipment of Sidekicks in early May. Call us today to reserve one for your very own with a modest deposit. As always, we have loads of wheels and looms in stock!




Explore the New World of Knitting on Opening Day with Anna Zilboorg. Take classes from the most talented designers in the Knitting Universe. Shop-till-you-drop in the largest fiber market in the South. See the hottest new knit designs at the Fashion Show or take to the runway yourself -- showing off your knits during the Student Banquet. If you love knitting, YOU CAN'T MISS THIS! Go to KnittingUniverse.com/Events for all the details. If it has to do with knitting, you will find it here. STITCHES South is open to the general public April 15th-17th. For more information please join us online at http://KnittingUniverse.comEvents/ or call 1-800-237-7099.

On the needles: (00:37)

Jasmin has finished the knitting on Meghan's Twist cardigan. We mention cverity's machine-sewn buttonhole. Gigi is bored with vanilla socks, which she bound off three of last week. Gigi has decided to cast on another of Rosemary Hill's shawls (Elektra).

Awesome finds this week- Eunny Jang's zipper tutorial video, and Caro Sheridan's zipper tutorial blog post. Gigi is making progress on her Olive Heather Skirt from Knitting 24/7.

We have a Facebook page!

Events: (13:20)
- April 6-9: Camp KIP! (Check the site for the updates.)
- June 5th: Spinning at the Retzlaff Winery
- June 24-26: Black Sheep Gathering. We're staying at the Courtesy Inn in Eugene, OR.

Contest: (17:33)
We announce the Mom 'N' Me contest! We want your stories about crafting with friends/family. Please have your entries in by 5/8/2011. Jasmin tells a story about Elphie "helping" with her knitting.

Prizes include:
- A copy of Westknits Book One and Two (SIGNED!)
- A Schacht Hi-Lo drop spindle kit
- How to Knit a Heart Back Home by Rachael Herron (SIGNED!)
- A Leslie Wind cable needle necklace
- A kit from Bar Maids- Shower scrub and a Lo-Lo Bar in "Vanilla Cake" and a jar of Face Pudding

Mother Knows Best: (27:44)

This week, Gigi talks about "old school" social networking.

Review: (34:52)

This week, we review "A Knitting Wrapsody" by Kristin Omdahl. We don't care for it.

... And sew on: (43:49)

Gigi talks about creative use of small spaces and small spurts of time.

Straw into Gold: (48:38)

The body of Andrew's sweater has been spun. Jasmin has started spinning the singles for the sleeves out of a Merino/Border Leicester cross from Hubbard Ranch. Laura joins us to tell the loom story.

We reference "Little Britain" and the Dennis Waterman sketch:

German Golf, Ryder Cup 2018 & Sandra Gal's Win

I had to smile when I heard about Sandra Gal's win at the Kia Classic yesterday.

The first thing I thought of were the headlines it would produce. Any time a golfer has a last name that's also a word, things can get ...well... weird. Who'll ever forget the Jim Nantz reciting Bette Midler in honor of Justin Rose debacle, right? Needless to say, I was expecting the worst. -->



However,  thus far I've seen nothing more egregious than an inoffensive "Thatta Gal", so perhaps headline writers have finally learned to resist the facile play-on-words.

When Gal defeated five time winner... and third round leader.. Jiyai Shin for her first LPGA win yesterday, it was the only the second time a German national had ever won on the LPGA Tour.

The statuesque brunette was born in Dusseldorf and played collegiate golf at the University of Florida. She qualified for the LPGA Tour in 2008 and finished her degree... with honors.. while playing full time on the tour.

Certainly Sandra's win comes a good time for RC Deutschland GmbH, the bid company for the 2018 Ryder Cup in Germany.  Germany is one of the five nations bidding for the 2018 Cup, and their bid is backed two-time Masters Champion, hall-of-fame golfer, Bernhard Langer enjoying a stellar career on the Champions Tour and Martin Kaymer currently the No. 1 male golfer in the world. Both men are featured prominently on the German Bid website.  Now... somewhat unexpectedly... German golf also has a Gal!  (I apologize - I couldn't resist) I'm sure Sandra will be lending her support to the bid as well with the decision date fast approaching. 

In addition to her remarkable game,  Sandra Gal has a sleek style sense which was on display yesterday with the black leggings she wore under a red two-piece (Nike?) outfit.  And speaking of Sandra's sense of style, it was almost a year ago that the long-limbed golfer had a minor run-in with a dress code dictator at a Palm Springs Club where she was practicing.  Sandra was told she'd need to change because her shorts were too short!  The good-natured golfer took it all in stride and later tweeted about the encounter with humor.  I'm sure there are lots of golf fans looking forward to seeing Sandra Gal on the leaderboard throughout the season.

Playa del Carmen: Superlative Golf & a Very Sexy Hotel

A couple of decades ago Playa del Carmen was the small, sleepy fishing village tourists passed through on their way to Cozumel.  Now it's the center of the Mexican Rivera, and has itself become a mecca for travelers seeking a south-of-the-boarder holiday on the Caribbean Sea. Playa offers Mayan ruins, beautiful beaches and golf.  Lots of golf.

There's the Norman designed El Camaleón Golf Club at Mayakoba, site of the PGA Tour's Mayakoba Classic. Then there's Robert Von Hagge course at Playacar Spa & Golf Club and a Jack Nicklaus design at Moon Palace Spa &Golf Club... to name just a few in the area.

The above resorts sound dreamy and romantic and all, but what if you wish to combine your golf break with a bit of old-fashioned... debaucherie?

Well then you may wish to book your stay at the Reina Roja Hotel.

Urban Daddy, the glossy online magazine/daily newsletter, describes the Reina as, "a sultry adults-only homage to titillation of all types..." and they elaborate with this:

"Upon arrival, you’ll notice everything is bathed in red light, from the deep, rich wood in the lobby bar to the chains hanging next to your bed."  ... and this ... "Eventually, you’ll return to one of the hotel’s five themed rooms. There’s the Espacio Erótico, which comes equipped with an extra-large cage—for very large birds, of course. But we’re thinking the After Hours space, a soundproofed abode with disco balls, room for eight people and mirrored ceilings."

So there you are.  And get this golfers: The themed rooms include one that appears to be designed especially for prurient putters; it's lined floor to ceiling with artificial turf ...the bed even has an astroturf comforter.   I'm guessing The Reina Roja would easily make the Sunday Times World's Best Hotels for a Dirty Weekend list.  Salacious sandbaggers can make reservations at reinarojahotel.com.

Photos (top to bottom): El Camaleón Golf Club via MyakobaGolfClassic.com --- Reina Roja Hotel via UrbanDaddy.com

Two interviews, plus self-publishing vs. traditional publishing

Two interviews:
I had the wrong link for my interview with Jenny Han in my "Beyond the Book: CLARA LEE AND APPLE PIE DREAM" post last week. I've now fixed it; find the interview here.

Jerry Spinelli's Maniac Magee was recently named an "Essential Book for Children" by Amazon.com, and Jerry recorded a special introduction for the occasion. I also did a short Q&A with Jerry. (Now, I'm usually pretty comfortable recording these kinds of things, but for whatever reason, I felt really awkward during the interview. I sound like a robot. But Jerry is wonderful, of course!) Listen to both on the Amazon book page here. (under "check out related media.")

Self-publishing vs Traditional publishing:
So, have you all been following the news going on with the author Amanda Hocking? She's an author who writes paranormal romance for teens, and has thus far achieved amazing success self-publishing her books as eBooks. This is a good introductory blog post for you to read to find out who she is and why everyone started talking about her.

And here's a NY Times article about the breaking news last week. Basically:

Amanda Hocking, the 26-year-old author who shot to fame by selling more than a million copies of her self-published books, has signed up with a traditional publisher for her next series.

The traditional publisher was Macmillan. This news broke just days after we found out that bestselling thriller writer Barry Eisler chose to leave Macmillan and turn down a half a million dollar deal to self-publish. Read a fascinating interview with Barry Eisler here. He also addressed the Amanda Hocking news:

A lot of the Twitter conversation I've seen regarding the news has been of the "Which one is right?" variety. And at the risk of sounding a little harsh, I have to say, it's a pretty stupid question. Publishing, legacy or indie, is a vehicle, and you can't opine about whether someone has chosen the right vehicle if you don't know where she intends to drive it.

Very true. I was thinking that the decision to self-publish or go the traditional publisher route can be compared to the "agent or no agent" debate. For some people, I think it makes sense to not have an agent. For others, having an agent is absolutely necessary. Some people enjoy the business side of publishing more than others. Some enjoy the marketing side more than others. Some are better at it. Everyone will have their own priorities and goals. Amanda discussed her reasoning for accepting a deal with a traditional publisher here.

Golf Club Cutie and a Weekend Facelift

Two human years, it's been theorized, is like 10 in blog years, which means Golf Girl's Diary is approaching 45... and I realized a few days ago that the time had come for a facelift.

I didn't want to do anything radical, just a quick fix to reverse the signs of aging... without down time or risk of complications, if you know what I mean...and if you've ever inadvertently messed up the coding on your blog, you do.



Hence the weekend facelift and a slightly new look for Golf Girl's Diary. I'll probably continue to tinker around with it for a while, and eventually I'll go for the extreme makeover with a board certified designer, but for the time being I'm getting used to the new look and feeling quite... rejuvenated.  Plus, I had an amazing amount of fun with the color selection tool I used.

If you love color, you'll love COLOURlovers. It's a kind of social network where members "create and share colors, palettes and patterns to nurture their ongoing love affair with color" and it's built around a powerful suite of color scheme and pattern generation tools.  You can generate your look from a photo or illustration too. I got the color scheme for this blog by uploading my Golf Girl Media logo.

When you come up with a color palette you can name it and share it with others.  The funniest part was went I did a search for golf and came up an awesome selection of eclectic color schemes. Below are just a few of hundreds of golf related palettes:


Color by COLOURlovers

Color by COLOURlovers

Color by COLOURlovers

Color by COLOURlovers

Color by COLOURlovers

Color by COLOURlovers

Yes, I'm totally in love with COLOURlover.

Book Flavors: Scott Magoon

Illustrator: Scott Magoon
Book: Luck of the Loch Ness Monster

COME TO THIS IF YOU LIVE NEAR NYC

U.S. GIRLS WILL BE PLAYING ALL NEW SONGS, ALL HITS.

AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT SHOW AT PS1 ON APRIL 2ND...EXCLUSIVE ALL COVERS SET...JOE SOUTH, BRANDY & MONICA, SPRINGSTEEN, TRACY DEY, DAVE CLARK FIVE + MORE! INFO FOR THAT SHOW BELOW SOMEWHERE.

GIVING SIGNATURES

I did a school visit yesterday in NJ. The kids were great. Here's the problem: All the kids wanted my signature! The kids who got to come up and meet me were the ones who had bought my book... or rather their parents bought my book. Is that fair? Not really. One girl was CRYING. Man that made me feel SO bad! But if I gave her my signature I would have started a riot! She did end up getting it so the crisis was averted. But a really cute little boy had a note book full of sketches with a drawing of my alien in it and asked for my signature and I told him to ask his teacher and he never came back. I really wanted to be able to do it! But I'd get swarmed. They all would have wanted it!

Here's what I should do: Print out a little card with an alien on it and sign each of them and give them to everyone. That's the fairest way. The only problem is that if there are THOUSANDS of kids in the school then I don't know if it's possible. It makes me sad.

Here are some of the horse creations:

Silkworm Cocoon & Pupa Poems: Variations on a Theme

When I traveled to the People’s Republic of China with an educational delegation in the autumn of 1994, one of the places we visited was a silk factory in Suzhou. It was fascinating to see the boiled cocoons and the spools of raw silk. I wish I had pictures to post—but all I have are slides of my trip there.

Here are some of my poems about silkworm cocoons and pupae. These poems are variations on a theme. In my elementary classroom, I often shared a variety poems on a particular subject—butterflies, caterpillars, trees, the sun, the moon, winter, spring, etc.—to show my students how different poets might write about them from their own perspectives...and in their own unique styles.

The following poems in order are: a mask poem, an acrostic, a cinquain, and a haiku.


SILKWORM PUPA

This silken nest
Is where I’ll rest
And sleep and change
And rearrange
Myself into another me.

In this small space,
This creamy case,
Six legs I’ll grow,
Four wings—and oh…
Can’t wait to see the ME I’ll be.


Case spun
Of creamy silken threads,
Cozy cottage for
One, changing room
Of a sleeping pupa who will awaken to a
New self.


Cocoon
creamy silken
sack—sleeping bag for one
young dreamer whose wish for wings will
come true


Swaddled in white silk
spinning dreams of a future
that will end too soon

********************
Silkworm Moth (Pictures)

Information about Silkworm Moths

Silk Factory in Suzhou (Pictures)

Silk Factory in Suzhou



At Wild Rose Reader, I have Crocus Poems: Variations on a Theme.

The Poetry Friday Roundup is at A Year of Reading.

Tiger on Today's Young Guns: "I'd Go Watch Ryo"

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It was boorish question,  but Tiger Woods didn't hesitate to answer it.

Asked who he'd most like to follow among the next generation if he were a fan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the answer came quickly:  "For me personally, I would go watch Ryo"

Tiger then attempted to explain the unique appeal of the Japanese superstar, mentioning basic characteristics like his gentle demeanour and the purity of his putting stroke.



If Tiger's choice surprised you, then welcome to the Ryo Ishikawa phenomenon. The teenager is already a mega-star in his native Japan... and doesn't look like his celebrity will have any trouble going international.

Of course, no one has to convince me of that.

Photos: AP/via Sulekha.com

Funny Golf Tweets - A Repetitive Scavenger Hunt

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Raph's Rousing Win & Tiger's Take on the French Bid

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My first official round of golf took place in France, on a municipal course just outside of Paris, and my biggest cheerleader in learning the game has been a Frenchman.  That same Frenchman is also my favorite and at times most annoying playing partner. The French Open, back in 2007, was my first time at a professional golf tournament.

Without a doubt, France has a major place in my personal history with golf, and as such, I'm a huge fan of French players.  Gregory Havret's 2010 U.S. Open run last summer... The French team's victory at the 2010 World Amateur Championship... those kinds of things tend to make me happy. So naturally, when I heard Raphael Jacquelin had won the (rain delayed) Sicilian Open on Monday, I was très heureux... to say the least.

This win was long awaited too, as they often are in professional golf.  It was the Jacquelin's third win on the European tour the previous one being the 2007 BMW Asian Open.  Four years... and a full beard later... Raf is once again in the winner's circle and France... along with Spain, Portugal, Holland and Germany... is about to find out if it will be hosting the 2018 Ryder Cup. The winner is to be announced at Wentworth Club on May 17th.

The French Ryder Cup bid is brilliant and players of all nationalities are speaking about Paris as a stellar venue.  Lee Westwood talked about the final four holes at Golf National and the familiarity professional golfers have with the course. 2010 Captian Colin Montgomerie mentioned the global significance of the city of Paris.   Tiger Woods weighed in as well. He reminisced on playing there in 1994 at the World Amateur Championship and revealed he'd only been to Paris a couple of times, but declared that it would be a great venue.

As the most visited city in the world, Paris has an infrastructure that can efficiently handle the masses of visitors a Ryder Cup would bring and clearly, the players love GolfNational.  With Chateau de Versailles as a backdrop, a FanZone at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and till-you-drop shopping on the Champs Elyses... it's definitely a tantalizing picture, but what many are most impressed with in the French bid is its commitment to growing the game though the development of at least 100 urban golf facilities.  These facilities would bring golf to areas where the population currently has little access, namely in and around urban centers. They'd be open to all and would not only provide top notch instruction and formation for future professionals,  but would also be public venues where a casual golfers could play a casual round without stringent dress codes and with rented equipment. It sounds like a solid step towards increasing golf's accessibility.

It'll be a few weeks before we know which of the five contending nations will host the Ryder Cup in 2018. The competition is stiff and I don't envy the selection committee. If you get a chance, check out the various bids and I'd love to know which one you feel makes the best case as host city.

For the time being I'm sure "Raph" is relishing his recent win... and hoping the French bid prevails.

Photos (top to bottom): Stuart Franklin/Getty Images Europe***Golf Girl Media***Clive Mason/ALLSPORT***Ryder Cup France***Stuart Franklin/Getty Images Europe

Sources: RaphaelJacquelin.com***European Tour - Jacquelin The Man in Sicily***Golf 360 - A Ryder Cup in Paris?