The post How this busy mom kept her golf game in top shape — and won the 2022 U.S. Women’s Mid-Am appeared first on Golf.

The post How this busy mom kept her golf game in top shape — and won the 2022 U.S. Women’s Mid-Am appeared first on Golf.

Last Thursday, Krissy Carman made history.

Not only did she win the 2022 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship by defeating her 26-year-old opponent, Aliea Clark, 2 and 1 at Fiddlesticks Country Club in Fort Myers, Fla. — but she also became the first mother to win the title in over a decade. Ellen Port was the last woman to do it when she won in 2011.

Carman claimed the fifth seed in match play after firing rounds of 73-70 (one under), then blazed through her initial match-play opponents, dispatching them with tallies of 3 and 1, 6 and 5, 4 and 3, 4 and 3 and 3 and 2, before taking the championship match 2 and 1.

Carman’s husband, Mitchell, was on the bag for the win, and there to greet her in the aftermath was her mother, Suzanne Peterson, and the Carmans’ two-year-old son, Conrad.

Carman’s victory is inspiration for parents everywhere, but especially mothers who love the game. So, as a mom myself, I was very interested to ask Carman how she managed to maintain her game at such a high level while also parenting a toddler.

Carman, 27, already has a solid competitive foundation, having played collegiate golf at Oregon State and Portland State. But Conrad’s birth in March 2020 was harder on her body than she anticipated, and she took a significant amount of time off from golf.

“I had a super awful delivery with Conrad. Kind of everything that could go wrong went wrong,” Carman told me by phone. “And then I didn’t golf at all the following summer until probably October of 2020, and we just went to the range and hit balls. It wasn’t until June of 2021 where my husband and I took him out, and we just brought the jogging stroller, and we hooked up to the cart and my husband drove all our golf clubs, and I just pushed Conrad and hit my shots.”

Taking Conrad with them to the course proved to be a revelation of sorts — a win-win for both mom and son.

“We started out just playing nine just to see how he would handle it,” she said. “And then he took a nap in the stroller and loved it, and didn’t make a peep, and didn’t complain at all. And so we ended up playing 18 and then we tried again thinking maybe it was a fluke thing. And then he ended up loving it a second, and a third, and a fourth time.”

The Carmans joined their local country club and made family golf a frequent outing. Carman estimates that the family plays nine holes three to five times per week, depending on her husband’s work schedule, with a smattering of range time in between.

“During my husband’s work week, Conrad and I will go out and hit balls for maybe 30 minutes and then sometimes, he’ll let me chip and put and be super happy and content,” Carman said. “And sometimes, I might get an hour or an hour and 15 minutes of practice in. So we just fly by the seat of our pants and if it works that day, then awesome. And if we’re having a harder day, then we just take it for what it is and we move on.”

Now that Conrad is a toddler, he’s started hitting shots himself, which complicates Carman’s practice sessions somewhat, but hasn’t dampened her enthusiasm for bringing him along. And Carman credits her willingness to bring Conrad to the course with her ability to keep her game sharp.

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“I just play more rounds now because that’s just what Conrad loves to do. He likes to be out on the golf course,” she said. “And so I’m just not grinding on the putting green and chipping green as much and just more getting course experience I guess. And so yeah, that’s probably the main thing is I get a couple little fine tune-up practicing on the range and what not. But mostly, it’s getting out there and playing, whether it’s nine holes or 18.”

Carman has also maintained a relationship with her childhood swing coach, Bruce Stewart, who she says she’s seen a handful of times for quick swing tune-ups. But Carman says she would encourage more moms to bring their kids along for practice sessions.

“I feel like a lot of the time, new moms or golf moms with kids, they at times might feel some sort of way about bringing their kids out there. But I would just say just take them. Just bring them out,” she said. “You would probably be surprised by how they behave on the course. And I would just say, just getting out there and going out and playing, whether it’s three holes or nine holes, just bring the kids out because then they’ll start to love it too. Because Conrad, he loves being out there. So it’s just an added bonus.”

Another bonus for Carman? A berth in next year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach.

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The post How shopping trips to Target help this LPGA winner stay consistent on the course appeared first on Golf.

The post How shopping trips to Target help this LPGA winner stay consistent on the course appeared first on Golf.

Twenty-five-year-old American Cheyenne Knight is currently in her fourth full LPGA season, and ahead of this week’s event, The Ascendant LPGA Benefitting Volunteers of America — a tournament Knight won in 2019 — she explained that she feels as though she’s only just now getting the hang of how to stay competitive week-in and week-out.

“I’ve started to kind of figure it out, just what I need to do to play well,” she said. “It’s been kind of like a mix of kind of turning it off when I leave the golf course. We play so much, so when I leave the golf course I need to find other things that I enjoy doing so I don’t get burnt out. I kind of experienced a little bit of that last year.”

Knight is still seeking her second career LPGA win, but she’s given herself plenty of chances to add to her tally, with six career top-10s, including two just this year. She’c currently 42nd in the CME ranking.

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“I’m focusing on my craft and what I need to do to play well and the things I need to do every day to improve,” Knight continued. “Kind of process-over-result type mentality. But that’s helped me a lot this year, just having other things that I enjoy doing has happened a lot, too.”

So what are those other things? According to Knight, they’re as simple as simply taking a mental break away from the course. Or, an impromptu shopping trip.

“I feel like golf takes such a long time,” Knight said. “We’re out here for hours day. Just not dwelling on the round. I like to shop, even if it’s just going to Target.”

LPGA stars: They’re just like us!

Knight is definitely on to something when it comes to her remedy for on-course fatigue. Even top players on the men’s side like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have admitted to battling fatigue are various points in their careers, so recognizing it when it happens and combatting it in your own way are important keys to success as a competitive player.

Plus, who can resist a mid-week visit to Target?

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The post How the pandemic’s golf boom inspired one woman to take up the game — and invent a new swing aid appeared first on Golf.

The post How the pandemic’s golf boom inspired one woman to take up the game — and invent a new swing aid appeared first on Golf.

Until a couple of years ago, Doreen Raftery had no interest in golf.

As a wife and mother, Raftery’s days were filled with family obligations and the responsibilities of running a cafe and catering business in her home state of Massachusetts.

But after 20 years serving customers, the pandemic forced her business to close. Around the same time, Raftery’s husband, Steven, retired from the fire department after 32 years.

“It left me with a lot of time on my hands,” Doreen said of the shakeup during a recent chat on the phone. But, she said, she believed that from every bad comes good. And for the Rafterys, the good turned out to be an introduction to golf.

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“We took up golf like three million other Americans in 2020, and we decided to hit the links,” she said with a laugh. “The only problem was I was an awful golfer.”

Doreen discovered that she struggled to keep her eye on the ball through impact. In an effort to practice at home, she searched online for a suitable training aid but found the selection to be minimal.

That’s when Doreen decided to take matters into her own hands.

“I grabbed a pair of ladies’ nylons, a golf ball, and a spike, and I put it into my backyard. I stuck it in the ground. And I would use that every day to help me keep my head down, to focus, to swing,” she said. “Everyone thought it was just the greatest thing.”

Doreen’s invention enabled her to take full swings hitting a real golf ball without having to worry about where the ball was going. The spike anchored the nylons, and Doreen found she was able to focus on the ball through impact instead of feeling the need to lift her head to look up too soon.

Doreen continued to make tweaks to her prototype, and ultimately produced KlockItGolf, which hit the retail market in January and is currently available for purchase in GOLF’s Pro Shop.

“I go out and I try to take a few swings every day. And I do have to say it has improved my game,” Doreen said of KlockIt. “I no longer whiff the ball. My game is completely different. And now at least I have the confidence to get out on the golf course.”

One of Doreen’s favorite aspects of her product is its potential for multiple uses. Golfers of any level can benefit from it, and it can be used as a warm-up tool as well. The fact that the KlockIt features an actual golf ball, as opposed to a plastic or whiffle-style ball, is another detail that Doreen believes sets the product apart.

KlockItGolf is now a full-time gig for both Doreen and Steven, who already have another game-improvement product in the pipeline. The new product is similar to KlockIt, but suitable for indoor use.

“We didn’t want to be a one-hit wonder,” Doreen said.

Given the momentum the Rafterys are currently riding, it appears that’s highly unlikely.

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The post This trendy jacket is the lifestyle piece your fall golf closet needs appeared first on Golf.

The post This trendy jacket is the lifestyle piece your fall golf closet needs appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Gimme That, a GOLF.com column where we’ll highlight one notable item we think you might like. Whether it’s an article of clothing, an intriguing electronic device or anything in between, we want to share these items with you because they’ve generated a bit of chatter by our water cooler (or, these days, on our Slack channel). So sit back, scroll down and keep up with the latest gear golf has to offer.

Truly transitional pieces — items you can wear both on the course and off — are often hard to pull off, especially when it comes to women’s apparel.

There are very few thing you can wear away from the course that don’t scream, “Yes! I just played golf!”

That’s why finding a jacket like J.Lindeberg’s “Audrey” is so special. Not only does it look awesome, with an on-trend bomber silhouette and snappy print, it’s also super-functional for on-the-course wear, with pockets, water-repellent fabric and a breathable mesh lining for optimal ventilation.

Check out the jacket in detail below, and to shop more great gear for your game, visit GOLF’s Pro Shop.

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The post These ladies pullovers are the perfect layering piece for brisk fall mornings appeared first on Golf.

The post These ladies pullovers are the perfect layering piece for brisk fall mornings appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Gimme That, a GOLF.com column where we’ll highlight one notable item we think you might like. Whether it’s an article of clothing, an intriguing electronic device or anything in between, we want to share these items with you because they’ve generated a bit of chatter by our water cooler (or, these days, on our Slack channel). So sit back, scroll down and keep up with the latest gear golf has to offer.

When you’re on the course this time of year, it’s always best to have a third layering item in your bag or cart in case the wind picks up, the sun goes down or it just starts to cool off. The RLX Golf 1/4 Zip Airflow Jersey pullover is the perfect one.

It’s not too thick and heavy, but it’s better than wearing short sleeves. The fabric is breathable and moisture-wicking, so you won’t overheat, you’ll just keep away that nagging chill. Plus, it can double as a sun protectant.

It’s available in a few different colors that you can explore using the button below!

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The post How this golf-equipment company is helping to make the game more diverse and inclusive appeared first on Golf.

The post How this golf-equipment company is helping to make the game more diverse and inclusive appeared first on Golf.

Employees are used to taking vacation days, sick days and, in certain climes, the occasional snow day.

Earlier this year, nearly 80 female members of golf-equipment manufacturer PXG’s workforce had a golf day.

The June outing was conducted at Scottsdale National Golf Club, one of Arizona’s most exclusive enclaves, and bestowed upon PXG’s women staffers by company owner Bob Parsons and his wife, President and Executive Creative Director of PXG Apparel, Renee Parsons. Some of the women had never swung a club before, but no matter: All were made to feel welcome. They could glean advice in a clinic, play a round or simply enjoy a meal together — without sacrificing a day’s pay.

Beats a company softball game, right?

“PXG Women’s Day to Play is a punctuation mark in an ongoing effort by the company to encourage more women to get into golf,” Renee Parsons shared via email. “This opportunity brings the women of PXG centerstage and celebrates their daily efforts to help grow the business and the game.” 

The event was a cool scene but just one of many ways PXG has demonstrated its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion over the last two years.

“Golf needs to have the courage to welcome new people into the game, and the best way we can do that is by exemplifying inclusive behavior,” Leela Brennan, PXG’s VP of brand communications and engagement, told me on a recent call. “If you look in [Bob Parsons’] history, the context of his things — there’s lots and lots of women who have contributed to the various businesses he builds. But to see so many women inside of golf, a historically male-dominant group, have so many meaningful roles in leadership, in engineering, in all different parts of this company, that is really exciting.”

Some may be surprised to hear that Parsons, who founded web domain registrar GoDaddy, which gained notoriety (and criticism) for its racy and controversial commercials, is the driving force behind such equity initiatives. (Parsons sold his remaining stake in GoDaddy and retired from the board in 2018.) But Brennan said that supporting women is an integral part of the company’s ethos.

Last year, PXG became the title sponsor of the PXG Women’s Match Play Championship. The company also sponsors the Women’s All Pro Tour and the PXG Race to Stage II, which awards top performers with exemptions into Stage II of LPGA Q-School. Additionally, Brennan said that it has always been company policy to provide equal investment into both men’s and women’s collegiate programs.

“We don’t make golf clubs for men, we don’t make golf clubs for women, we don’t make golf clubs for juniors or seniors,” Brennan said. “We engineer golf clubs for golfers. We take care of the individual and the human standing in front of us. And our measure of success is their performance.”

In addition to the club-making portion of the business, which launched in 2013, PXG has been expanding rapidly in the apparel space since the first collection debuted in 2018. The company has 16 brick-and-mortar apparel stores, with plans to add eight more by the end of the year.

Given the added visibility of the brand, Brennan said that gaining a reputation as a company with strong community ties has been a priority.

“We’re looking for ways to be great partners inside of the communities where our stores exist,” she said. “Because we have a facility and a presence where we can actually start talking at a much more local level and make connections, develop programs, and create opportunities that we didn’t necessarily have access to before.”

One such example of PXG’s commitment to community outreach occurred at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in July, where a partnership with Rocket Mortgage and DAPCEP (Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program) enabled 24 local high school students to visit PXG Detroit for an up-close look at golf-related STEM fields.

The students had an opportunity to measure smash factor, calculate face angles, use a Trackman and chat to PXG employees about the real-world intersection of science and golf. Afterward, the students watched the pros in action at Detroit Golf Club — and even got some face time with PXG staffer Zach Johnson.

The event was such a success that PXG has more planned in the coming year, and Brennan says that the company is determined to do its part to grow the game as equitably as possible.

“The reason we make golf clubs is because we love the sport, and we believe that everyone has a place in golf,” she said. “Sometimes you just need to invite them to the table. And one of the ways you do that is you invite them before they think they shouldn’t be there.”

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The post These stylish floral prints are perfect for fall golf appeared first on Golf.

The post These stylish floral prints are perfect for fall golf appeared first on Golf.

Though floral prints are usually associated with springtime, all it takes is a subtle change in the color palette, and voila! You have a floral suitable for fall.

The items below from Nike and Puma showcase traditional autumnal colors like orange and blue, while RLX Golf’s matching pieces mix pastels with deep blue and forest green to create a pattern that feels seasonally appropriate year-round.

Check out some of our favorite fall florals in detail below, and make sure to browse through the inventory in GOLF’s Pro Shop for more of the latest gear for your game.

The post These stylish floral prints are perfect for fall golf appeared first on Golf.

The post How this putting tool helped propel Ally Ewing to her third career LPGA win appeared first on Golf.

The post How this putting tool helped propel Ally Ewing to her third career LPGA win appeared first on Golf.

Ally Ewing claimed her third career LPGA victory on Sunday in dramatic fashion at the Kroger Queen City Championship in Cincinnati, making five birdies in a row on the back nine to defeat her closest competitor, Xiyu Lin, by one shot.

Though her final-round birdies featured a series of clutch putts (including two eight-footers and a 10-footer), Ewing’s positive momentum on the greens had been building since the beginning of the tournament.

After firing a second round of eight-under 64 to climb into contention at the tournament’s halfway point, Ewing was asked what was working well for her. She admitted that prior to the start of the tournament, the source of many of her problems was on the green.

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“I’ve been hitting it great. Driving it great. It’s just kind of been — mentally I’ve kind of struggled with the putter,” she said. “I’ve seen some putts miss and then I’ve gotten down on myself.

“I’ve worked hard with my coach and we kind of pinpointed a really big key for me. I think just it’s kind of freed me up. But it’s also helped me to consistently hit some good putts. For me, if I’m hitting good putts I’m happy, because you can hit a good putt and the ball doesn’t go in, but you can hit some good putts and the ball goes in. I’m just trying to stick with the game plan and continue to execute.”

So what was the key? Ewing said it was all about tempo.

“My tempo had gotten off. My stroke had gotten really long,” she said. “So for me, I’ve just kind of tried to get it really balanced. That’s kind of the key.”

In addition to using a metronome to hone in on her tempo, Ewing said she also liked a training aid called Blast Golf, which features a sensor that clips on to the butt of the club to measure things like backstroke and forward stroke time, tempo, stroke length and face angle at impact.

“I’ve used a metronome for years actually. But Blast Golf that you kind of put on the butt of the putter has just kind of helped me kind of see some numbers and some tempo and stuff like that,” Ewing said.

Looking for a tempo fix yourself? Using a metronome can be helpful for practice both on and off the green, and you can even download a metronome app on your phone. So next time you’re at the range, give it a try! What worked for Ewing could work for you too.

The post How this putting tool helped propel Ally Ewing to her third career LPGA win appeared first on Golf.

The post Ally Ewing uses birdie barrage to take Kroger Queen City Championship appeared first on Golf.

The post Ally Ewing uses birdie barrage to take Kroger Queen City Championship appeared first on Golf.

Ally Ewing did her best Cameron Smith impression at the LPGA’s Kroger Queen City Championship.

No, Ewing is not the first female commit to LIV Golf, but she did make five birdies in a row on the back nine Sunday, like Smith did at this summer’s Open Championship.

And, like Smith, those five birdies were enough to catapult Ewing past the field as she won the Queen City Championship by one over Xiyu Lin at 22 under.

Short Game

Ewing slept on the 54-hole lead for just the second time in her career and looked to be treading water early in the day, playing the first 11 holes in just one-under and allowing Lin to tie her. But the birdie barrage on 12 though 16 was enough to pull out ahead and hang on for her third career LPGA win.

“It was just kind of early on just kind of hang in. I was dealing with some nerves.,” Ewing said. “[I’m] just really excited. Really happy and pleased with how I played. To get the win means a lot.”

Ewing parred the first eight holes of the day as she struggled to turn greens in regulation into birdie opportunities. But after getting a birdie on the card at the 9th, she settled in for a five-under 31 coming home.

“I was seeing lines really well all day, but my speed just wasn’t quite there the first few holes,” she said. “I finally saw putts go in, and then I hit it really well for those holes that I made five in a row.”

The 29-year-old can credit her putting over the last several holes to a change she made with her putting just a few weeks ago at the CP Women’s Open: shortening her back stroke.

“In Canada I was really close to putting some stuff together, but it was still kind of a little finicky,” Ewing said. “But this week, like you said, I saw putts go in and once I saw them go in, I had that confidence.”

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The post How tennis champ Ash Barty takes her skills to the golf course appeared first on Golf.

The post How tennis champ Ash Barty takes her skills to the golf course appeared first on Golf.

Take it from 3-time Grand Slam winner Ash Barty, on their faces, golf and tennis aren’t very similar.

“[They’re] very different. In fact, probably polar opposites,” Barty told GOLF.com’s Claire Rogers. “Tennis happens very quickly, golf, but a lot of time to think about it. You’re in control of my shots, which in tennis you don’t get.”

But that doesn’t mean the former World No. 1 doesn’t use the skills she used in her more than decade long career on the golf course. She actually compared shaping a golf shot and the swing required for it, to hitting a topspin or backspin return in tennis.

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“If I’m trying to draw it or to fade it, I’m thinking more, How would I do that to a tennis ball and how does that change with my hands?” Barty said. “I’m thinking with tennis, when you’re trying to hit topspin on the ball, it’s your right hand comes over. So for me, when I’m hitting a draw, I’m kind of thinking that my right hand is going to come over naturally. That’s going to bring the club a little bit more in-to-out.”

Barty retired from competitive tennis in March, while still holding the top ranking in the world, so she has plenty of time to focus on her golf game and change the those tennis terms to golf terms in her mind.

She also spoke to why so many other athletes, and tennis players like U.S. Open finalist Casper Ruud, are drawn to golf.

Golf becomes a bit of meditation for me,” Barty said. “It’s time to think your nature. You’re connected to the land. I mean, you’re on the grass. It’s it’s beautiful. And I think you don’t need anyone else. You can kind of just go out there and all the people you can kind of play by yourself.

“And golf can be a very therapeutic tempo. You just get moving. And I think it’s that’s why it’s a sport you can play for life for sure.”

Check out the entire video above.

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