Passion for the game is driving over 5.3 million women to the golf course. Women are increasingly discovering the pleasure of a light workout, doing business, being with friends, or making new ones, while playing an almost addictive game, set in lush courses, away from the daily grind. Golf is changing--it's a game that you can start when you're young and play well into your senior years--it's challenges more mental than physical.

Golf apparel depicts the change in attitude. From Liz, Ralph, and Nicole Miller to Reebok and Nike, fashion and active sport designers want to jump on the golf cart, to take part in America's wardrobe evolution to the casual, "lifestyle" look of today's golf. Easy care, microfiber skorts, peg-leg stretch pants and flattering shorts, sweaters and tops can go from the office, to the course, to the mall, or dinner. Says Nancy Haley, veteran golf wear designer, "A woman doesn't have to play golf to wear my clothes." Whether choosing the traditional, rich, country club look of Bobby Jones knits, or picking up the play with fun items from Jamie Sadock or Leon Levin ((play)), unusual details, fabrics and asymmetrical lines score big on or off the course.

Equipment is also addressing the needs of a woman. Now clubs can enhance the game, because they fit a woman's body size, height and swing. Smaller grips and technological materials like lightweight graphite in shafts and lighter density titanium in metal woods, enable a faster and easier swing. Since women seem to have difficulty getting the ball airborne, Taylor Made Golf has redesigned its steel irons to lower the center of gravity to put more weight under the ball at impact, and to get shots in the air higher and quicker. Cobra Golf, who also makes clubs in petite sizes, constructs club heads with a wider sole and an adapted loft system to lift the ball, then adds "hump" shafts for stability and directional control. Callaway, known for its Big, Great Big and Biggest Big Bertha oversized drivers, adds a heaier tungsten insert to its titanium club head for specific weighting, and is top of the line in popularity and price. Square Two Golf is endorsed by the LPGA and is seen as a value performance brand using many similar features and materials as the higher-end and priced clubs.

A putter is one of the most important clubs in your bag--choose it carefully, testing it in the pro shop for weight, balance and length. Many putters, like Odyssey and Bobby Grace now have synthetic inserts for a softer "feel" for the ball.

Balls come in many types for different swings and ability levels, but in two basic kinds of construction. Wound balls have a liquid filled core, surrounded by wound elastic and a soft rubber "balata" cover, for softer landing on the green. Two-piece balls have a solid core, are harder, don't scuff as easily and offer more distance. Top-Flite introduced a new "Aero" ball with aerodynamic tear drop shaped dimples, and a Magna ball which is slightly larger to generate less spin and more roll. Titleist offers a wide range of balls, but also makes a Pinnacle marked with a pink ribbon, proceeds of which go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research.

A wide range of shoes can match your budget--or your choice of clothing. If you like to walk, opt for a softer athletic style like the new Nike Air Max 2-Up, resembling a cross trainer with a waffle spike. For fashion at any price, Walter Genuine and Tags are tops in Italian leather and styling. FootJoy is the industry leader with a broad line, while Lady Fairway found its niche in women's golf shoes--a great twosome formed by company president Jimmy Jones, husband of LPGA pro Dawn Coe-Jones! Since metal spikes are seen as detrimental to smooth putting greens, soft rubber, green-friendly spikes are increasingly replacing metal at many clubs. Soft spikes still offer traction and grip, and spikeless styles with a heavier, rubber tread soles can also be worn off the course.

Accessories like hats, sunglasses and gloves are functional fashion. Protect yourself from four hours in the sun with a comfortable visor or stylish straw hat, coupled with performance eyewear. Cobra's sunglasses can accommodate your prescription, and with comfortable spring hinges, they are scratch resistant, visually precise and as an added feature--have slip resistant ear tips and nosepads with air-flow cylinders that let your skin breathe. Bolle created a special Tour Elite, blade style wrap without a nose bridge, so there are no distractions as you look down at the ball. The Breakaway model features 180 degree peripheral vision and both styles have interchangeable lenses and flexible wire core temples.

Gloves keep the club from slipping in your hand--right handers wear a left glove and vice versa. Women with long nails, or those who wear a large stone ring, will enjoy the Lady Classic, an open finger tip glove in leather, suede or synthetic leather, with a strategic ring finger hole. The Classic Half has a breathable mesh and leather palm for warm weather comfort, while HJ Glove offers 15 fashion colors as well as a cotton mesh half glove. Lady Fairway gloves add an extra size of medium-large to better fit all women's hands, and have lycra knuckle inserts and a terry wrist band for smooth fit and stretch. Most gloves have a marker on the side that snaps off for easy access to mark your ball, while waiting for others to putt out. Such nuances are an important part of golf etiquette, so learn the rules, take some lessons and earn the respect of fellow golfers by playing courteously.

Dori O'Rourke, LPGA teaching pro, at "On Target" in San Diego, California, and author of I Found the Golf God, has a positive approach to golf and life, "Adults expect to learn everything right away. When learning golf, give yourself time to learn and offer yourself the same patience you would extend to a child. Part of the learning process is making mistakes, so if you get frustrated over your mistakes, you're blocking your learning process."

OPENING SHOT
Woman in traditional apparel. Sending options from:

TRADITIONAL LOOK
Bobby Jones (sweater set, light blue)
Options being sent for Como Sweater
Sport Haley (navy pants)
Tehama Pant
Walter Genuin Shoes (leather)
Tag Shoes
Cobra Sunglasses
Lady Fairway Glove
Sonni "Michelle Sport" straw hat with brim (coordinating color)
Cobra Clubs, Belding Bag
Options being sent for Como Sweater, Tehama Pants, Tag Shoes

ATHLETIC LOOK
Jamie Sadock, black & white stripe Reebok Short (white) NIKE shoes/socks Bolle sunglasses Lady Classic glove No-Headache Visor Square Two Clubs & Sun Mountain Bag

Other group shots

SHOES Tag or Walter Genuin (whichever doesn't get used in main shot)
Foot Joy
Lady Fairway

CLOTHING
Antigua sleeveless top (has bra strap holder--great feature for sleeveless golf wear)
Sweaters/vests - Greg Norman, if not used above, Tehama, Como
Skort folded back to show seersucker boxer short- Leon Levin ((play))

HATS
No headache visor (if not shot above)
Michelle McGann hat with big bow
Kangol "funky" caps
East Course Longbill cap with drawcord

GOLF BAGS
Burton animal print
Square Two Golf tapestry fabric
Ogio Travel Bag Hard Case with Wheels

FOWL WEATHER GEAR (suggestion)
Bogner technical jacket
Reebok windshirt that folds into pouch
SDI microfiber vest
Golf Umbrella

PUTTERS/CLUBS
Cobra Bobby Grace mallet with HMS insert
Odyssey putter with black trapezoid insert
Bobby Jones blade
Callaway Great Big Bertha Driver
Taylor Made Champagne Burner LG Irons
Square Two Clubs (if not shot in main shot with Athletic Look)

GLOVES
Lady Classic - with finger tip cut out for nails and hole for ring
HJ - Hot colors, also half glove with open weave
Lady Fairway with lycra in finger

ACCESSORIES
Bead stroke counter
Accu-Tees and Match Pack metallic painted tees
Ball mark repair tool
Balls - TopFlite "Aero" and "Magna" balls, Planet Golf, Titleist Pinnacle Ball (with Pink Ribbon - proceeds benefit Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research)

Practice your putting in style, roll out the Dream Green, a portable wood frame, carpeted putting surface that can be adapted to different elevations to duplicate various putting situations. Available in standard Ash, Dream Green can be custom made in Cherry, Walnut or exotic woods for a rich club house look. Depending on the size and wood, prices range from $399 for an Executive model, to $4,795 for the top of the line contourable, elevated and extended model. Remember, you "drive for show, putt for dough!"

(I am awaiting call backs on 2 LPGA and teaching pros for technique tips. Would like to tag on to Dori O'Rourke's mention below.

I could also quote Tom Welz, PGA teaching pro at the South Florida Golf Academy, who says, "You can't think about too many things when you're trying to hit the ball. You have to get rid of all the junk that you think you have to remember. Think only two swing thoughts to focus your attention, such as 'Slow back, follow through' or 'hip turn, arms through.'

From Harvey Pennick's Little Red Book Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf (This s a classic book, written by a famous coach and teacher to many top pros) "No pretty woman can miss a single shot without a man giving her some poor advice." Or "A husband should never try to teach his wife to play golf or drive a car."

SIDE BARS
With Thanks to the Pioneers ... Women's golf is not new--It was 1513 when Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII, found solace in the links when attempts to produce an heir to the throne were unsuccessful.

Scottish women in the 1800's were relegated to a putting game, since ladies were not to raise the club above the waist. In 1855, Mrs. Wolfe-Murray came out swinging, to the horror of the townsfolk by playing the whole course at St. Andrews. Thanks to her spunk, other Scottish women became regulars on the course 12 years later.

In 1995, 21-year old Kari Webb became the first rookie pro in the LPGA, or PGA to earn $1 million in tour winnings.

Golf Buzz Words and Axioms
(Karen, These are important things I think people need to know about golf that they may not be aware of--Especially etiquette--I didn't know if you were including anything about that in the issue, but it is VERY important. Players get very testy when new golfers don't know the "little" rules, as well as the USGA rules.)

Woods, are no longer made of wood. Easier to hit over-sized heads paved the way for lighter metal construction, so now titanium is the hottest (and most expensive) alloy. Similarly, irons are no longer made of iron. Many irons now have graphite shafts to make them lighter and easier to swing.

Balls--you gotta have 'em to play! There are many types, for different swings and ability levels, but in two basic kinds of construction. Wound balls have a liquid filled core, surrounded by wound elastic and covered with soft balata, a natural rubber. Two-piece balls have a solid core, are harder, don't scuff as easily and offer more distance. Experiment to see what "feels" better.

When you call to schedule a tee time, ask about the club's spike policy. Course managers maintain that metal spikes destroy the carefully manicured putting greens, so they are slowly being phased out for "soft" spikes. If metal spikes are not allowed, the pro shop will generally change your spikes at no cost. Or, you can change your own with a simple spike wrench, available where you buy your spikes at golf or sporting goods stores.

Golf etiquette is as important as your swing. Take some lessons, learn the rules, be courteous about playing "ready," crossing a players "line," and being quiet while others swing, and you'll earn the respect of your fellow golfers.

Golf is a mental game, so don't beat yourself with negative thoughts.
Dori O'Rourke, LPGA teaching pro, at "On Target" in San Diego, California , created a program that centers on building confidence through positive affirmations. In her book, I Found the Golf God, O'Rourke's positive psychological premises pertain both to golf and life. She also offers a variety of classes including an All-Day golf school for women. According to O'Rourke, "Adults expect to learn everything right away. When learning golf, give yourself time to learn and offer yourself the same patience you would extend to a child. Part of the learning process is making mistakes, so if you get frustrated over your mistakes, you're blocking your learning process."

Empowered Women's Golf, a specialty store in Dallas, Texas offers a full line of equipment and apparel and even has LPGA pros on staff to assist in club fitting and lessons. Says Jennie Stine, LPGA teaching pro, "If you're going to take lessons, go out of your way to find an LPGA pro to help properly fit your clubs and work with you. Women's clubs are built for a woman who is an average of 5'4". Shorter women should look for petite clubs (made by certain manufacturers), while taller women can try men's clubs with an "A" (or "senior") flex. It's not just how tall you are, what matters is the distance from your finger tips to the ground." To counteract a recurring problem for teachers, Stine adds, "If your husband or boyfriend is interested in your game, bring him to your lessons so you don't get conflicting information from him when you play."

"Golf is twenty percent mechanics and technique. The other eighty percent is p hilosophy, humor, tragedy, romance, melodrama, companionshiop, camaraderie, cussedness and conversation." Grantland Rice (1880-1954) American Sportswriter

PHOTO OF CLUBS/PUTTERS (if Cobra & Square Two are covered in main shot, omit) (How much room do I get for captions?)

Cobra carries petites, and both left and right hand clubs, with shafts and grips geared to a slower swing speed and smaller hand, in Sandstone or Indigo Blue. A set of 8 irons cost about $960 and $225 per wood for graphite or $350 for Titanium.

Callaway's claim to fame it its "Big, Great Big, and Biggest Bertha drivers. Callaway also carries women's graphite irons and woods, as well as top-of-the-line Titanium with tungsten inserts. The "Heaven" 9 wood is a favorite or women, as it replaces the harder to hit 3 iron. Clubs are sold individually, not by sets. Irons range from $145-$250 each and woods from $250-500 and up

Taylor Made is tailor-made for women golfers of all skill levels. Irons are oversized with a cavity back and feature 4 wedges for a variety of chip shots--but not cheap shots--a set of 8 irons retails for $1,064.

Also check out the Square Two Golf line of clubs, official club sponsor of the LPGA. Square Two features Long, Middle and Short woods to simplify club selection for beginners, with four degrees of flexibility in graphite shafts adapt to your strength level. These clubs are a great value, ranging in price from $299-$999 for a complete set.

Don't forget your putter--one of your most personal and important clubs. Cobra just acquired the company of renowned designer Bobby Grace, who offers the Soft Lady, a medium mallet--with a soft composite insert that provides a square, consistent stroke.

Callaway's Bobby Jones blade and Odyssey black insert putters are touted as the winningest putter on the LPGA tour. Shelling out $110-150 doesn't seem unreasonable to golf aficionado's--especially if you make that birdie putt!

Jump in with both feet! Shoes are an important piece of equipment. From high to low end, make your choice based on comfort and support--you'll walk a lot, especially if you opt for exercise and carry your bag or use a pull cart. Pictured are ...

NIKE's newest is Air Max 2-Up, a cross-trainer look-alike with Air technology in the heel, a speed lacing system, lightweight midsole, waffle spikes and a waterproof rubber outsole, was designed for new LPGA sensation, Kelli Kuehne.

Lady Fairway--ahh! These shoes just feel good--and wear forever! Created by Jimmy Jones, for his wife, LPGA pro, Dawn Coe-Jones. From a new all-black leather, to traditional saddles or wingtips, to top-of-the-line Brooklawn, with all-leather outsoles, Lady Fairways run in the $69- $115 range.

For the ultimate "look," try Italian-made Walter Genuins. Sporty and elegant, in exotic skins, Gortex-lined leather high tops, or even a summer calfskin T-strap with a kiltie flap, you can strut in the Rolls Royce of golf shoes.

Also boasting Italian craftsmanship and golf chic, Tags steps in the tee box with classic 2-tones, woven and patent leathers, then adds a new Tags Sport line, with a green-friendly, cushioned sole that can be worn on or off course.

If you want to look the part ...
Tehama - Avid golfer Clint Eastwood teams up with popular golf designer, Nancy Haley, to create a line named for his new course in Carmel Valley, CA

Golf legend Bobby Jones may not have been Italian, but credit his ever-elegant golf haberdasher, who now caters to women in wonderful style. Waffle weave microfiber slacks, spun silk sweater sets with mother of pearl buttons and trouser suits of stretch twill, in quiet tones of celery, coral and eucalyptus, can stylishly intimidate the competition!

Como Sport - Cobra's licensed apparel line likewise hails from Italy and features sumptuous knits, jaquards, and intriguing neck lines, coupled with smooth microfiber slacks and shorts, in rich colors like adobe, rose quartz, terra cotta, clay, dusk, flame, iris and sun.

With a top-notch reputation from the ski slopes, Bogner steps up to the course, with slenderizing stretch slacks, microfiber jackets and zip-neck knits in natural tones or bright reds and royals. Outerwear is a specialty, and a polyurethane anorak jacket can be great looking rain gear!

Now if you are ready for an upbeat, fashion-forward look, Jamie Sadock has an unsurpassed eye for detail and her line just screams, "I'm having too much fun!" Asymetrical cuts and stripes, mix colors and patterns in the most interesting way, and you can feel free to wear these clothes out to play--any game, any where you want!

And speaking of ((Play)), Leon Levin makes it a line that is all about fun--bright colors, stretch fabrics, and contrasting patterns, with fun twists like a seersucker boxer short under a golf skort.

Nicole Miller, not to be left out, takes to the course in animal prints, bright patterns and narrow silhouettes in her new entree to the pro shop.

Antigua caters to a woman's needs with a comfortable, practical sleeveless polo top, with a snap strap holder to keep bra straps in place. In basic colors with contrast and solid collars, or wide sleeve piping, that's fashionable function at its best!

HJ Glove offers a leather glove in 15 fashion colors from Peach to Grape, if you like to fully coordinate, and Lady Fairway has a women's specific glove in four sizes--they added a medium-large--with a terry wrist band and lycra knuckle that keeps the palm from stretching out and provides a tight, smooth grip.

Sunglasses are useful equipment if you don't wear a hat or visor for sun protection. Cobra has it's own line of eyewear specifically designed for golf--and they can also provide prescription service. With comfortable spring hinges, scratch resistant, visually precise lenses and most important, slip-resistant ear tips and nosepads, with air-flow cylinders that let your skin breath, you won't even notice you're wearing these light frames. And that's important when you're concentrating over a putt!

Bolle urges, "See Better, Play Better." You'll see LPGA pros like Dawn Coe-Jones in her Tour Elites, a blade style wrap, without a nose bridge to get in the way as you look down at the ball. The Tour Elite has a stabilizing brow bar and grip temples for non-slip fit and interchangeable lenses for different light conditions. Jenny Ledbbeck prefers the Breakaway which features 180 degree peripheral vision, interchangeable lenses and flexible wire core temples for custom fit.

PHOTO OF BALLS
You gotta have balls to play! Top-Flite's new "Aero" ball with aerodynamic tear drop shaped dimples, is designed to fly higher . The "Magna" ball is slightly larger to generate less spin and more roll for more distance. Titleist offers a hard or a soft ball for whatever "feels" better to the player. Proceeds from sale of the company's pink ribbon Pinnacle ball go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. The Tour Planet Golf Ball touts high velocity and explosive distance--which everyone wants on those tee and fairway shots!