In Focus: Natalie Gulbis

So just who is Natalie Gulbis?

Well, at 26 years of age, she is a leading ladies golfer on the LPGA tour.

She is viewed as the golden girl of the ladies game and is often regarded as the pin-up of the girls tour.

She is sometimes compared to the tennis player Anna Kournikova, as both women have had similar impacts towards their respective sports – making it ‘sexy’. 

As well as being a very handy golfer, Natalie has also posed for FHM, which caused quite a stir, leaving the USPGA not too impressed with her saucy antics. 

Gulbis on the other hand has said that she likes the attention she gets, even if it is for her appearance; and she has endorsement deals with – are you ready – TaylorMade Golf, Adidas, Canon, Raymond Weil geneve, Amstel Light, SkyCaddie, Payment Data Systems, MasterCard, Winn Golf Grips and Lake Las Vegas Resort!

Not bad if you can get it…

Anyway, let’s enjoy a few images of Natalie doing what she does best…

okay then, one more…

That should do for now!

Guess who’s back?

It begins with a T and normally ends with him winning.

Tiger Woods is ending his nearly eight-month long absence from the PGA Tour, announcing that he will defend his title in the $8.5 million WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship next week at Dove Mountain in Marana.

Woods, who has not played since his playoff win in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, made the announcement on his web site.

“I’m now ready to go play again,” Woods said.

Welcome back Tiger, Golf has missed you.

In other news, I will be enjoying my first round of golf for quite some time this coming Sunday. I’ll be enjoying 9-holes at my local course, and depending on how I play, I may let you know how I get on!

Laura fancied herself all along!

You may recognise her from ‘Grab yourself a birdie‘, but British babe Laura Davies is back to winning ways and has admitted that she would have backed herself to win the women’s Australian Open ahead of yesterday’s dramatic final round which saw her claim the title.

The 45-year-old, who was equal 41st in the field at the halfway mark of the tournament, fired rounds of 67 and 68 over the weekend to surge to victory by one shot from the Spaniard Tania Elosegui.

That 11-under-par performance over the final two rounds left her seven under overall, although Elosegui would have won the title had she parred a final hole which she double-bogeyed to miss out on the chance even of a play-off with Davies.

The Coventry-born golfer is renowned for enjoying a bet, and she revealed she would have been tempted by the odds offered on her on Sunday morning.

“Someone told me I was 16/1 and I would have said that was a generous price because I knew how well I was hitting it,” she said. “I didn’t have a bet on myself obviously but I think 16/1, if someone had said, ‘what do you think’, I would have said ‘I’d get some on’.”

Good on her, and while I obviously do not condone gambling, I too wish that I had stuck a cheeky few quid on Laura!

The Caddy – Award Winning

Well, sort of. 

I have actually been running this blog as part of my University degree for a module entitled ‘Online Journalism’.

I got my marks back the other day and I got a first!

Sorry about the lack of updates recently, but I have been busy – i’d like to say perfecting my game – but i’ve just been working. From now on though, The Caddy is back!

So cheers to everyone for visiting and giving me feedback that has improved the site no end.

Caddy Christmas crackers!

It’s the most wonderful time, of the year… apparently!

But for many, Christmas means nothing nothing but stress.

Are you struggling to find the perfect gift for a golf fan?

Or are you a golfer who is looking for some inspiration, well i’ll try and help you out with a  few festive ideas…
 

• Personalised Titleist balls - What better way to identify your ball than with a personalised message? Little word of warning though, don’t shell out for these balls if you are likely to lose them within their first  4-holes of use. 
   
• Callaway winter gloves – Everybody knows that golfers perform better in the winter with warm hands. These mitts are stylish and snug, and they’ll certainly keep your hands warm in-between shots.
   
• Head covers – Fantastic novelty headcovers from William Edge, as used by many top players, including Sergio Garcia and John Daly!
   
• Subscription to a Golf magazine - Subscribe to the great Golf World, sign up and you’ll receive 12 Srixon Z-URS balls for free!
   
• Mini Tour bag - Not only is this bag a great addition to any office or games room, it’s also great for storing golf balls!

Merry Christmas!

Presidential swing

As everybody knows, the US will have a new man in the White House come January, but it seems that being a keen golfer is a prerequisite if you want to be one of the most powerful men in the world.

Barack Obama‘s recent election means that he will be the fifth consecutive golfer to occupy the Oval Office.

The USA’s first black president is a left-handed 16-handicapper who had to postpone golf lessons in order to concentrate on his election campaign! 

So let’s have a look a few more golfers who have enjoyed a spell in Washington…

      
John F Kennedy
Despite having very bad back pain, JFK averaged 80 on the course.

Dwight D Eisenhower
Apparently he spent hundreds of hours on his custom-built green just beyond the Oval Office. 

Franklin Roosevelt
A long hitter who was unfortunately forced to give up the game after contracting polio at 39.

George W Bush
A 15-handicapper, capable golfer who may well reduce that handicap when he leaves office. 

George Bush Snr.
Played on 11 in his prime, but still beats his son on a regular basis by playing off the ladies tees.

Bill Clinton
Enhanced his score by taking law defying “Billigans” and “pardoning” wayward balls. 

Ronald Reagan
Played infrequently as president, but in the 60′s it’s said that his scores used to be in the low 90′s.

Interview: England U18 star, Hugo Dobson

The English Golf Union has included three uncapped players among the 11 to form its England Under 18 training Squad for 2009.

One of the trio is 17-year-old Suffolk golfer, Hugo Dobson. The youngster is the current Suffolk Junior Champion, has finished fourth in the Fairhaven Trophy and came seventh in the Carris Trophy.

We caught up with Dobson in order to learn a little more abut him.

Hi Hugo, first things first, what is your handicap?
I currently play off 1.

You were recently named in the England Under 18 training Squad for 2009. Was that a shock? Are you excited by the prospect?
Well to be honest, I wasn’t shocked at first because I was traveling to play for England in Holland at the time. But once I got back home, I couldn’t believe that I was seen as one of the top 11 juniors in the country – I still don’t!

It’s a great honour though and I’m very excited about the prospect of it.

For those that haven’t seen you play, what do you think your strengths are?
Well I like to think my temperament is really good, which gives an edge over most players (my age), as lots of the juniors at the moment find it hard to control their emotions. But if you just put things into perspective, then you realise how stupid it is to get so upset over a golf shot!

Another positive from my point of view would be my desire to improve. I’m obviously not the number one in the world and I haven’t exactly have won a major or anything, but for most players it is easy to be happy with your game and not feel as if you need to improve. It’s just that I feel no matter how good or well I play, I know that it still isn’t perfect, so I know that I can always do better.

What about your weaknesses?
I could write a thousand words! But my main one is probably not staying in the present, especially when I know that I am leading.

Things like the winning speech get to me! Instead of thinking about the task in hand, I am instead thinking  of stuff like “how many people will be at the prize giving?” and “I hope that no one stays to hear the speech.”

So i suddenly find myself thinking about something miles in the future and occasionally that does effect my concentration!

Where is your home club?
I actually have two, Fynn Valley and Woodbridge.

Who is you favorite player and why?
My favourite player is Tiger. Not bacause of him being the best in the world, but because of what he has done for the game. I mean he has completely changed all the stereotypical views on the game and in a way made it ‘cool’, which has ultimately lead others to do the same.

What is your favourite golf club and why?
Well so far the best club I have been to is Valderrama in Spain, walking round that course always inspires me.

Finally, what does the future hold? Is the aim to eventually go Pro?
Yea, for sure. I have always wanted to be a tour pro, even in pre-school when everyone else wanted to be a fireman or astronaut I said that I wanted to play on the European tour!

Not many of my mates knew what I was talking though, which I guess is hardly surprising, seeing as we were only five!

Cheers Hugo, and good luck with the England squad!