I like to think that I am a man in every sence of the word... I like meat, I watch NASCAR from time-to-time, I can name the Red Sox starting line-up... but, I just wish I was more like Paula Creamer! She had a few drives yesterday barely over 230 yrds (I ave 265)... hit 7i into a 140 yrd par three (I'd hit 9i), and came up a bit short... and yet she would absolutely kill me score wise. I learn so much about course management and scoring from watching the LPGA, much more so than watching the men. They (all LPGA players) ARE amazing!

I couldnt agree more! I love the LPGA. I average 240 off the tee and hit about the same clubs give or take 1 and learn so much from the way they play.

Thanks for this great post! I can't tell you how many men have told me the only reason they watch the LPGA is for the short skirts. They think it's funny. I think it's sad.

I've heard golf pros tell men to watch the women play because they'd learn more about how to improve their game than watching Tiger Woods and the other long bombers.

It's so refreshing to read posts like this. Keep them coming!

Golfgal

Well short skirts ARE nice...

But their game closely resembles most of ours. I love watching the LGPA because when I hear a commentator say thay Lorena bombed it 280, that's how I feel. If I could hit it 280, I'd be doing backflips on the tee!

I have been telling people that for years, if they would only have the same mindset as the LPGA they would be far better off.

On the other side of the coin, they have far fewer players that are capable of winning a tournament on any given Sunday. So it is usually a steady diet of the stars, which is not always a bad thing.

I love the LPGA so may great players.....I model my swing after Lorena she is so smooth. I do hate the fact the the coverage up here in Canada sucks I only get to watch the final round, More LPGA coverage less Euro and Champions please

I have to say that I find a lot of the ladies attractive but I also watch because I really enjoy watching them play. Their swings are a lot easier to learn from and I find I play better if I model my short game after theirs.

Although I, too, prefer to watch the LPGA than the normal PGA event, I am actually surprised that the women are not as good as the men with their short games and putting, an area that does not take strength. Also, although I can relate closer to their swings, tempo and course management (to a degree), they play much shorter courses and are hitting more short irons while I am hitting long irons and hybrids into par 4's.

I couldn't agree more with the OP. Distance, course management, short-game, putting, definitely more relevant to my game than the men. (By relevant I mean "not even close but closer than the men" LOL)

Those ladies are awesome.

I wouldn't suggest any men to learn from the LPGA Ladies swings, because of different body size, physique and body shape.

Women will tend to swing more flat for a reason or more precise two reasons

I like to watch the LPGA, but I must say, that I prefer to watch PGA and Euro Tour to the LPGA.

Maybe more girls like Lorena would make me watch more LPGA - she can put, hit it a mile and is also a very creative shot maker, high, low, fade, draw, punch shot etc.
Much more than the other girls/ladies are on the LPGA Tour.

The LPGA ladies still lack a LOT in the short game area compared to the pro guys, which surprises me quite a bit - because strength and power have exactly NOTHING to do with the short game )

I don't know who the guys are that said that (about the skirts) but I hope they represent a small and continually shrinking % of male golfers. I was about 100 feet away at the Longs in Blackhawk last year, and watching that playoff between Petterson and Ochoa was one of the most thrilling sporting events i've ever been to.

I really enjoy watching the women play and funny enough, my Pro (Taught two females. 1 got onto the LPGA and 1 onto the womens european tour) and we talking about the LPGA. I made a comment about how there techneique was so good, and there rhythm and tempo are great.

He agreed saying that because they lack the power of men, they focus more on the above to get there distance.

What about watching that Wie gal? Makes us all feel human when she 3 hacks from inside 15 feet, spray one off the tee, and card a 79, then say in the clubhouse, "I was so close to shooting a 69, just a couple of bad breaks othewise I would have" YOU KNOW?

Seriously, it's like playing with guys who are relatively old, say in ther late 60s or 70s, who dirve it 220 string straight, get someone near the green in two and get up and down from anywhere.....shoot their age thereabout.....it's chipping and putting and how many, not how far you hit whatever club at this ss and this launch angle.

Now, Paula, Natalie, Anna Rawson and few others, they DO DRESS NICELY, don't they....

Agree with the OP. I enjoy watching LPGA golf because it more closely resembles my game so I learn more from it.

I must say, there is a small part of me that watches LPGA matches for the short skirts.

I think it's pretty cool that their shots are similar to ours, but they score so much lower. Makes me want to go out and play. I used to watch LPGA matches because there wasn't a clear winner(*cough* tiger). But with this whole Lorena streak going on it's kind of boring to watch now.

Paula Creamer is my 2nd favorite golfer, just behind Phil Mickelson. She's from CA, pretty close to my age, and plays like a champ. Phil just has that backflip shot or whatever it's called. That's nuts.

Interesting reading the comments that the short game has nothing to do with strength. I remember seeing Greg Norman comment that the short game was very dependent on strength as the stronger you are the more control you have over the clubhead no matter what speed it is moving at...

I don't think so. I'm a pretty skinny guy, 5'11" and 140 lbs at best, and my short game completely shatters my long game. From 7 iron and below I'm pretty good. Of course, you're going to need strength, but you don't need insane amounts.

Anybody attending an LPGA event should get by the
practice tee when Birdie Kim is hitting balls. Poetry in
motion.

Love watching the LPGA for both their games and looks. Come on I enjoy looking at pretty girls. I also enjoy watching them play. I can relate more to their games and learn a lot more. The good looks is the icing on the cake. I think the mens swings are more robotic. You watch the women and it seems like they do what they need to do to get the job done. Their swings arent picture perfect for the mose part. But they show that with the correct fundamentals that success can be had.

Yay for the lpga.

the golf has always been good; the LPGA gets more viewers with the short skirts too though.

I love checking out the Future's tour when it rolls into town every year

its REALLY helped my game

if I watch the men I get the notion that I should bomb the driver, go after every par 5, and chase every single pin

it was quite the eye opener when I saw Dana Lacey, Ashley Prange and the like simply hit fairways, put it somewhere in the middle of the green and two putt. Sure they make some birdies, but they seem to play a much more calculated game that I should aspire to.

I add myself to the list of men who watch the LPGA as much to learn about course management as I do for the comeliness of the lasses. I watch the PGA to marvel at guys hitting a 9i 175 yards, whereas the women hit a hybrid, same as me.

Of course, there is the added attraction of seein a Suzanne Petterson or a Brittany Lincicome from the *ahem* rear view as she leaves the tee.

i wouldn't suggest that any man try to emulate an LPGA'ers swing......but i would encourage any golfer to try to emulate their tempo.


if you are going to try and copy a swing....lorena's is where it's at...imo. i've started the lag at the top and then dropping into the slot...gold.


oh and paula's f-bomb out of the bunker today was classic.

What did I miss? Paula talking 'dirty'....LOL Was it on TGC? I have to find clip, sounds hilarious....and agree Lorena is one to emulate.

I can not believe that no one else has mentioned this...but the course distance in comparision to their drives is at least equal to the drives that men on the PGA tour hit. If a man tried to play a PGA course while hitting 230-240 drives you would average over a 200-225 yard second shot on par 4's. We have to hit the ball further in order to keep up with the distances from our tees. I do totally agree that everyone can learn from their course management and tempo. But please do no think that Paula is a short-driver on tour. She is not the longest, but she is also no tthe Pavin of the LPGA.

TGC broadcast today...don't know which hole....probably 14-15-16'ish.....greenside bunker. her shot came out and didn't roll out. GIANT F-BOMB. Almost Cristie Kerr proportions or Christina Kim.....

Hmm I have this on dvr and I don't hear it... in fact I don't hear any player audio at all on that hole. I see her mouthing a word after the shot, but IMO it's no F-bomb...more like a "What...".

Not that it matters - it wouldn't bother me a bit if it was an F-bomb TBH..

no audio. But clearly a 'fuuuu' ... imo.

I'd rather be Corey Pavin.

No one looks at sport/entertainment in a generic manner, ignoring gender. Gulbis makes a nice living relying on male viewers (although I can't watch her--I'm always embarrassed by her misplaced vanity). But viewing the LPGA for the sport not the skirts doesn't have to be sexual in the least, just aesthetic. Women feel the same about the cute or hunky male golfers. That's not wrong, it's just fact.

AS a golfer, I find the spirit much more friendly and joyful on the LPGA. I emulate their tempo in my own swing, rather than the lightning speed swings of the men. There never seems to be as much at stake as with the PGA, but I think the LPGA is on the rise, not because of nice legs, but because of big talent and peer-to-peer competition. It's good golf and good drama, as well as being beautiful.

Maybe it's just a matter of viewer maturity. It does make a good discussion, and I'll bet the LPGA talks about sex vs. the sport constantly, as they probably do in tennis, too.

But to deny that women are beautiful and men are pigs for saying so is, to me, very sad.

I have told many friends to watch the LPGA to learn about golf. The swings are more poetic that most blurs you catch on the PGA. And agrees with post about the ladies tempo. Granted there are some quirky swings out there: Creamer, Gulbis with their dramatic drops in their downswing - Paula a little less and a better swing, and even Ochoa has her head tilt, but overall a wonderful swing.

I tell folks to watch Annika swing. IMHO she has a "perfect" swing in a game that can never be perfect. Never overswings, rarely hits it far offline... Yeah the LPGA should get more credit and more fans. There is a lot to watch and learn out there. And yeah - I agree with Tim, there is nothing sexist or wrong to enjoy women playing golf. We are human after all.

I have read a few posts above that indicate ------ yes the woman are good but they play short courses and there is little to learn from them since they are hitting wegdes into greens instead of 4 irons.

Sooooooooooooo let's look at the average lenght of the May LPGA events;

6602 yds Sem Group
6315 Kingsmill
6432 Sybase
6223 Corning
6459 Ginn


This is not PGA length BUT ------- I would think the tees they play on are on par with what most men play. If these women came to your club I doubt they would play the forward tees.

No different than women checking out the butt on a baseball or football player ------- they do it too.

No, the ladies don't always have a wedge to the greens. The length is relative to their hitting length, IMO. Why do so many people have the urge to compare the LPGA and PGA as if they are comparable and equal?

Know what I want? More LPGA on TV...live, not replayed.

I was at the Corning Classic this weekend. It was a good time and I go every year (since I get free season passes from work). The tempo of the girls is so smooth. It makes me wish I swung like that. Sure, the courses are shorter, but the ladies don't hit the ball as far as the men of the PGA. However, they probably hit the ball further than I do. I watched Creamer smoke some pretty good drives. I did notice that the ladies seem to hit a lot more fairways. Rarely do I remember seeing them outside the fairway, and if they were, it was just into the rough a foot or two.

I didn't catch Creamer's F-bomb, but I followed her most of the day on Saturday and heard her use a few other choice words. In my opinion, I think it's good for them to swear. It lets the rest of us know that they are human and lets them blow off a little steam. We all do it, to varying degrees. Paula just looked frustrated in general, with the way she was playing Saturday. It was probably a little stressful for her, since she easily had the largest crowd following her each day.

These ladies play some good golf, and it's fun to watch.

Well, to start with, you have a Y chromosome that she doesn't have...

You are right about the length of women's courses...but, I drive 260 on average and most par 4's I am within 150 hitting an approach. The PGA pros drive 300+ and still have 150-190 on most par 4's. So you can not relate pro women to amateur men like me or others on here. In relation to other professionals...a 250 women's drive is proportionately equal to a PGA man's drive on a par 4.

I love watching the women play. I've been to 2 events in person and have seen all of the great players. Watching Annika on the range is something everyone needs to see. She is so precise and literally makes the same swing every time. The LPGA game is a lot closer to the game most of us play. No 2 irons, no blades but lots of fairway woods and hybrids. I think the distance they hit is proportionate with the PGA but the men have much better short games out of the rough and around the greens...

One thing I've noticed watching the LPGA is that the women seem to be more accurate off the tee than the men. That is, their 'fairways hit' stats are usually pretty good. So I started thinking why that would be. Has anyone considered that yes the hole lengths are porportional to what the men hit but the fairway widths don't change much so they have more margin for error at the landing areas in the fairway than the men who drive the ball much farther. I'm not saying they don't drive the ball well, but that slight advantage can be the difference between hitting from the short grass versus the rough.

I bet your boyfriend is glad you're not a man, lol.
The Women US Open sectional qualifier is at my club each year, I really like watching them practice and play, such rhythm and tempo.
Alot of men wish they were more like Paula or Lorena but would never admit it.
Men can learn alot from Women players.