Thursday, April 27, 2017
Volvik Vivid XT Golf Balls
Volvik’s shockingly bright Vivid balls now are available in a four-piece, 100 compression model. The balls are designed for people with clubhead speeds of 100+ mph, as opposed to the original Vivid, which was designed for those with speeds of 90 – 100 mph. The original Vivid was a three piece, 80-compression ball.
The balls feature: a mid-soft feel, mid-high trajectory, low driver spin and high wedge spin. In other words, more like a tour ball.
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It’s not the body I asked for, it’s the body I have
I’m really not unique.
Let me clarify, my desire to manipulate and control my body’s shape and size was not unique. In fact, I’m pretty sure almost every woman and most men have wanted to change how they look at some point.
I’m not telling you anything special or new here.
A huge part of living in our society means feeling the pressure to look a certain way. Especially as women, we’re told explicitly and implicitly from a very young age that our perceived beauty and our bodies are our most valuable assets.
So is anyone shocked that the diet industry thrives, that eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors are normalized.
Nope. Still nothing new or shocking here.
What I want to talk about today, which might resonate, remind or ring true for you is a perspective shift I’ve been really working on practicing.
I like to call it “It’s not the body I asked for, it’s the one I have.”
If I were given some weird Matrix-esque situation where I could, you know, pick which pill I wanted and then decide exactly how I would look, I don’t know, I’d probably pick it right?
Because that’s what we’ve been told all along. If you’re beautiful/thin/the right kind of athletic/fill in with your desired adjective/ then we’ll finally be happy. You know the kind of happy you tell yourself that @suzybadassbabechick from Instagram must feel every day.
But I have a not-so-secret to share about this whole “dream body” situation. It’s probably a sentiment you’ve heard in a clique quote, so I’ll do a little remix and tell you a story.
That One Time I Got Exactly What I Wanted…and it Was the Worst
In my junior year of college, I had relapsed back into my anorexia. I was close to my all time (scary) low weight. I was cold all the time, I had lost my period, I only thought about avoiding food. This translated into being an anxious wreck whenever I went out. Instead of enjoying the time I had with my friends, I was too busy pretending like I was eating or drinking, wondering if anyone noticed how skinny I was, and ultimately feeling alone and disappointed that no one cared about my body as much as I did. I was taking too many classes, working too many jobs and running too many clubs. You guys, I had it all! (You know, minus the joy and meaningful relationships bit).
One day, I looked in the mirror and thought, “wow I guess this is what I wanted to look like.” It felt like the first time I saw my real reflection in months. I saw how skinny my normally plump cheeks had become, I saw how my “horrid” love handles no longer tugged at the sides of my jeans and threatened to spill over if I didn’t keep the jeans hiked up.
I got what I wanted…. right? right? I even got some compliments too. This is the good life right?
Spoiler alert: nope. It’s not. It sucked. I felt empty and disconnected. I felt disconnected from my body. All the things I thought my dream body would bring me never arrived.
- Where was that confidence I thought would come?
- Where were the line of eligible bachelors waiting to woo me?
- When were my deep and meaningful relationships supposed to arrive?
Did I put the shipping address in wrong or something? Did the universe not get the memo?! I’m skinny now!
I got what I wanted and realized how truly meaningless it was.
On my journey to “perfect body-hood” I had starved the best things about myself. My sense of humor, my deep empathy, my insatiable curiosity. They were too hungry to function and my brain was too full of thoughts about keeping myself thin to think about anything else.
On my journey to “perfect body-hood” I had starved the best things about myself.
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Fast forward almost 5 years. I’m probably (and I say probably because I haven’t done the actual numbers in a while) 30-40 pounds heavier than I was then.
Turns out, I’ve never been happier in my life.
I’ve never felt more creatively inspired or connected to people I love. I’m with a man I love dearly. I work on a blog and podcast that fill me with so much joy. I’m not afraid of food. In fact, I barely think about it other than when I’m enjoying it. I don’t worry about the calories or the macros or whatever I’m supposed to be worrying about these days.
I’m not saying the extra weight is WHY I’m happy. Instead, allowing my body to serve it’s purpose and be a vessel allowed me to do the things that do make me happy. There’s no magic number I needed to hit to get there. It just happens that at this point in my life these are the pounds my body wants in order to do it’s thang without me obsessing – it’s different for everyone and it’s subject to change.
Right now I feel at home in my body.
It’s not the body I asked for. It’s not the body I would have picked out in a catalog. There are plenty of things that sure, it would be nice if they were different. But they’re mine. And for that, I love them.
I don’t have kids so I don’t know if this is a good comparison. But I imagine it’s a little like this… you probably hate poop and boogers and burps and all those gross things that we humans do. But I’m sure when it was your baby it was almost charming. Like holy fuck I created this little monster who can poop! How cool is that? Like gross and annoying but also adorable and cool.
My relationship with my body is kind of like that now. I’ll breakout or I’ll notice the way my thighs just love to giggle or I’ll see a less than flattering picture of myself. Rather than spiral into a doom storm of negativity (a normal occurrence 2-5 years ago) I now see those things and think “it’s not what I asked for, but it’s mine, and for that I really love it.”
I don’t think self love and body confidence is about thinking you have a perfect body. Or about thinking your body is better or worse than anyone else’s. I don’t think it’s something you can just get to overnight, or set on autopilot.
Self love isn’t thinking you have the perfect body, it’s being grateful for the body you have
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Instead I think self love is just accepting that the body you were given is enough.
That taking care of it isn’t the same thing as obsessively manipulating it. It’s what you’ve been given. And if you’re able bodied and don’t suffer chronic pain, isn’t that kind of a fucking miracle.
Self-love is taking care of yourself because you’re so damn grateful to be alive.
Self-love is taking care of yourself because you’re so damn grateful to be alive.
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It’s tempting to think that if I just lost 10 pounds or did my hair differently or tried a different kind of diet then I would be happier. But I’ve been there and back and I know it’s not true. If the change is not from a place of peace I’m not going there anymore.
It’s not the body I asked for, it’s the body I have and that is enough.
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Wednesday, April 26, 2017
WE ARE GOLF Celebrates National Golf Day’s 10th Anniversary on Capitol Hill
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WE ARE GOLF Celebrates National Golf Day’s 10th Anniversary on Capitol Hill
Record 175 Congressional Meetings, Nearly 200 Attendees from 35 U.S. States Showcase the Game’s Benefits in D.C.
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – WE ARE GOLF – a coalition of the game’s leading associations and industry partners – today visited Capitol Hill for the 10th annual National Golf Day to discuss the game’s nearly $70 billion economic impact, $4 billion annual charitable impact, environmental value to local communities and fitness benefits. A record 175 Congressional meetings were scheduled and nearly 200 attendees from 35 U.S. states participated.
Industry leaders met with Members of Congress, the Executive Branch and Federal agencies to highlight the two million jobs impacted by golf and the nearly $4 billion raised for charitable causes through 143,000 philanthropic events annually. Throughout the day, participants shared stories about the game’s 15,000-plus diverse businesses, tax revenue creation, accessibility, tourism, ecological value and the fact that one in 75 U.S. jobs is impacted by the industry.
New for 2017, more than 100 golf industry leaders participated in a community service initiative on the National Mall the morning of April 25. The initiative focused on beautification, preservation and helping the National Park Service with turf deferred maintenance.
“I look forward to National Golf Day every year. It’s a chance to visit with the folks at WE ARE GOLF here on Capitol Hill to talk about the positive impact the game has on our economy, worthy charities and personal fitness,” says Congressman James E. Clyburn, Assistant Democratic Leader (D-SC). “I especially appreciate the opportunity to discuss expanding diversity throughout every aspect of the game of golf.”
This year’s event also included Mike Davis, Executive Director of the United States Golf Association (USGA), the PGA TOUR’s Billy Hurley III, and Olympic gold medalist Dan Jansen.
“The influence of the game continues to grow. Golf continues to lead the way, in terms of not just physical strength but also mental strength and character,” says Senator John Barrasso (R-WY). “Golf is a worldwide, growing global activity.”
Organizations participating were the Club Managers Association of America, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), Links to Freedom, National Alliance for Accessible Golf, National Golf Course Owners Association, PGA TOUR, Salute Military Golf Association, The First Tee, U.S. Golf Manufacturers Council, USGA, World Golf Foundation and several others.
“Celebrating our 10th anniversary was an historic moment and significant milestone for the golf industry,” says Steve Mona, CEO of World Golf Foundation and administrator of WE ARE GOLF. “The game’s economic, charitable, environmental and fitness benefits echoed throughout Capitol Hill as we shared golf’s contributions, both locally and nationally, with our country’s decision-makers.”
National Golf Day featured a day-long exhibit in the Rayburn Foyer with live lessons for Congressional Members and staff from 2012 PGA Teacher of the Year Michael Breed, host of “The Golf Fix” on Golf Channel and LPGA Teaching Professional Karen Palacios-Jansen, founder of Cardiogolf, a golf-specific fitness system. Special exhibits and activities included a “Closest to the Pin” contest on an aboutGolf simulator; state-of-the-art swing analysis from GolfTEC; a Republican vs. Democrat “Putting Challenge;” and interviews with attendees on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio.
Across America, Topgolf partnered with WE ARE GOLF to offer free five-minute lessons at each of its 27 U.S. locations with slow-motion video swing analysis through its Topgolf U instructional program.
Visit the social media hub to continue following the action. Through April 30, be sure to use #NGD17 and tag @wearegolf on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to show your support for the golf industry.
About WE ARE GOLF
WE ARE GOLF, created in 2010, is an industry coalition that communicates the economic, charitable and environmental impact of golf, as well the health and wellness benefits of the game and the affordability and accessibility of golf, to Members of Congress, the Executive Branch and regulatory agencies. The goal of WE ARE GOLF is to ensure that laws and regulations that impact the golf industry are fair and appropriate to an industry that generates nearly $70 billion in economic impact annually, impacts close to two million American jobs and generates nearly $4 billion in charitable giving each year.
For more information, please visit www.wearegolf.org
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LPGA Volunteers of America Texas Shootout Winners and History
The Volunteers of America Texas Shootout was launched in 2013 as part of the LPGA’s rebuilt schedule.
The tournament is called a “shootout” because of its stroke play format. After the first two days of competition, the field is cut to the top 70 players. Following the third day, a second cut reduces the field to fifty. The winner earns a $1.3 million purse.
The North Texas LPGA Shootout is also the only LPGA event that offers slots to high school and college female athletes. Stdents from across the country apply for 24 spots in the high school and college qualifiers. The top two finishers in each qualifier earns exemption from the LPGA to compete in the event.
| Year | Champion | Country | Winning Score | Purse |
| 2016 | Jenny Shin | South Korea | 270 | 1,300,000 |
| 2015 | Inbee Park | South Korea | 269 | 1,300,000 |
| 2014 | Stacy Lewis | United States | 268 | 1,300,000 |
| 2013 | Inbee Park | South Korea | 271 | 1,300,000 |
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Golf Games: Four Ball, Better Ball or Best Ball
Example: On the first hole, Team A scores a 5 and a 4; Team B gets a 6 and a 3. Team A’s score for the hole thus is 4; Team B’s is 3. In Match Play, Team B wins the hole.
Four Ball deserves more play than it gets. It’s a natural for regular foursomes, especially since it can be played with handicaps.
For more golf games:
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100 Things To Do In Detroit Before You Die
100 Things To Do In Detroit Before You Die
Grade: A
Teachers’ Comments: I’ve lived in Michigan for nearly three decades, and there still are quite a few things on the list I haven’t done.
Detroit gets a bad rap. From the city’s bankruptcy to the “ruin porn” images of some of its blighted neighborhoods, people outside the area get the idea that it is a sort of Mad Max Wasteland.
But as Amy Eckert points out in her book, 100 Things To Do In Detroit Before You Die, the city and its surrounding neighborhoods are rich in history, culture, and entertainment.
100 Things To Do In Detroit Before You Die is divided into categories for Food and Drink, Music and Entertainment, Sports and Recreation, Culture and History and Shopping and Fashion.
The Food and Drink category suggests, among other things, The Grand Trunk Pub, eating Middle Eastern food in Dearborn, having a square pizza at Buddy’s and having a Sanders Chocolate (I mention those because I have already checked them off my list. Under Entertainment: taking in a Broadway show at the historic and architecturally significant Fisher Theatre. visiting one of Detroit’s casinos, listening to jazz at Bakers’ Keyboard Lounge, the world’s oldest jazz lounge. Sports to-dos include seeing the Red Wings, Tigers and Lions, and playing a round of golf “on holy ground” at Shepherd’s Hollow. For Culture and History, Eckert has suggestions that include trips to The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village (I have season passes to those), and visiting the Charles Wright Museum of African American History. Shopping must-dos include visiting Shinola, Detroit’s new hand-made watch company, the world-renowned Pewabic Pottery, and the Detroit Artist’s market in midtown.
There is so much to do in this book.
For each entry, Eckert includes a little background history, as well as advice on what to do and see at that location. The information is not in-depth, but it really is not meant to be. 100 Things To Do In Detroit Before you Die is meant to get you out and about.
And that’s what I’m going to do. I have a lot of things to visit right here in my own backyard.
Appendum: The book’s publisher, Reedy Press, produces a large number of similar books for a great many cities, towns and areas.
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