Rule #13: Play It As It Lies, or: Hit The Ball. Go Find It. Hit It Again.

Golf is a simple game.  There are only 34 official rules.  So playing a round of golf within the rules should be fairly straightforward.  Right?

Charley Hull, the fearless teenager who put on such an amazing demonstration of golf in her match against Paula Creamer at the 2013 Solheim Cup, offered the best explanation I've ever encountered of how the game of golf is to be played: Hit the ball.  Go find it.  Hit the ball again.

Wes & Me: In the Zone

Santa deposited all variety of golf paraphernalia at my house.  He probably had to outsource the golf stuff, if the rest of the world's golfers were gifted the way Wes and I were gifted.  I now have the coveted red leather shoes with royal blue soles that have preoccupied me for months, and a red and white glove to complement.  Wes owns a snazzy golf bag umbrella that's going to serve him well during California's rainy season, although getting it past the TSA security check will involve some challenges.  We both have lots of new balls from non-golfing friends and family, some of them with loving and creatively embossed inspirational messages. Thankfully, neither of us found a new ball marker in our stocking!

Paula Creamer: How Much Is Too Much?

I'm happy for Paula Creamer.  I really am.  Everybody deserves a rich and satisfying personal life.  To love and be loved in return forms the core of my own life, and I wish the same for every person who walks the face of the earth.  I'm a hopeless romantic and the joy Paula conveyed in announcing her marriage proposal resonates for me.  But Twitter?

To Cut, Or Not To Cut

Last year about this time it was a torn meniscus in my left knee.  Not a big tear, but enough to let me know it was torn every time I took a step.  I tore it in June, on the 8th tee at The Patriot, playing golf with Wes, while I was trying to outdrive him.

Do you think you can finish the round, Mom? he'd asked as he helped me limp back to the cart.

The Golfing Spectrum: Ko to Jiminez

At my home course the grass has gone dormant, the ground is hard, the greens are fast, and the season of winter golf has begun.  Today the skies are overcast and there's a fine, chilly drizzle that's not so much falling from the sky as it is hanging in the air.  There's not much in my world today to recommend a round of golf, but it's been an absolutely terrific golf day!  Lydia Ko and Miguel Angel Jiminez both won tournaments this weekend.

And that's significant because . . .?

Dubai: Party's On!

The Ladies European Tour is bringing its season to a close with a party to beat all parties.  I've always secretly believed that golf is really a vehicle for advanced adult play, and the pictures the LET posted on its Facebook page after the 1st round of the Dubai Ladies Masters confirmed this.

Camel rides, falconry, excursions into Bedouin camps for henna tattoos -- what else could you ask for to round out a season of athletic competition?



Lexi Thompson's blue sombrero pales in comparison to the goings on at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, UAE.  I find it all simply irresistible.  If you can't have fun while you're at work, why go to work?  Life's just too short to do otherwise.

Shanshan Feng's complaining about not getting enough sleep and Carlota Ciganda's taking time off from the practice green to hit the malls and Charley Hull 4-putted the 18th hole and gave up the 1st round lead.

I'm following the Dubai Ladies Masters and posting end-of-round reports, so if you want to see how this party turns out, check out my daily posts on progolfnow.com.

Photo Credits: Tristan Jones © Tristan Jones Photography