DogLegMedia

May

18

Turkish Airlines Ladies Open

Posting a few photos from last weekend’s Turkish Airlines Ladies Open which was hosted by National Golf Club in Belek, Turkey (Antalya region). Once again National was in excellent shape for the tournament, even better than previous years. From tee to green, lush and ready for the tournament.

link: Tournament photos from the 2013 Turkish Airlines Ladies Open

The par 73 track again presented its challenges. Scores were not low as compared to other tournaments and the tight fairways truly required strong course management challenges for the golfers.

The galleries were treated to a fantastic week of golf, with the final round truly a highlight since five or six golfers were in the running for the trophy on the final day.

Lee-Anne Pace teeing off from the 10th during teh final round of the 2013 Turkish Airlines Ladies Open (Robin Willing)

Lee-Anne Pace teeing off from the 10th during the final round of the 2013 Turkish Airlines Ladies Open

Christel Boeljon near the 16th tee during the final round of the 2013 Turkish Ladies Open

Mexico’s Margarita Ramos on the 13th green during the final round of the 2013 Turkish Airlines Ladies Open

Maria Salinas on the 13th fairway during the final round of the 2013 Turkish Ladies Open

Paula Hurtado chipping onto the 8th green at National Golf Club during round 3 of the 2013 Turkish Ladies Open

Trish Johnson on the 10th tee during the final round of the 2013 Turkish Airlines Ladies Open

Beth Allen near the 16th tee during the 3rd round of the 2013 Turkish Ladies Open

Margherita Rigon on the 15th green during round 3 of the 2013 Turkish Ladies Open

Apr

08

Monica Christiansen wins at Dinard

Big congratulations to Denmark’s Monica Christiansen on her win at the 2013 Dinard Ladies Open this week ! It was an amazing final round on a cold spring day along the Bretagne coast of France filled with everything a golf fan could ask for in terms of thrills and chills.

link: golf tournament photos from the 2013 Dinard Ladies Open

Monica Christiansen at the awards ceremony following the 2013 Dinard Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia.com)

Monica Christiansen at the awards ceremony following the 2013 Dinard Ladies Open (© Robin Willing / www.doglegmedia.com)

The day began with USA’s Megan Grehan atop the leaderboard. The lead moved nearly continuously throughout the day with Mireia Prat and Ann-Kathrin Lindner also spending time in the lead at different points in the day.

The true test of the layout along the Atlantic coast comes on the back nine, as the 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th all feature blind approaches that are already challenging on a calm day, nevermind one with wind. And that’s really where the tournament was won by Christiansen. Monica simply played steady golf through the danger, let the leaders comes to her, and then struck with a decisive birdie on the 15th. She had left herself a 30 footer or so, but read the long putt perfectly. At the same time dropped shots by the leaders suddenly handed Christiansen a two shot advantage heading into the final three holes.

The leader change at that point had to come as a shocker to the two final flights, as the on-course board hadn’t really shown Christiansen’s name until then. On course, few of the spectators were even aware how tight the field had become.

Monica Christiansen with the trophy and champagne after her win at the 2013 Dinard Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia.com)

Monica Christiansen with the trophy and champagne after her win at the 2013 Dinard Ladies Open (© Robin Willing / www.doglegmedia.com)

By the 16th, Monica’s flight started to draw the majority of the spectators. And she held her nerve with steady pars on 16 and 17 before heading up the 18th. Actually she nearly birdied the 16th, but her putt flirted with the cup before moving just right of the hole, leaving a tap-in for the par.

Christiansen played her drive off the 18th toward the right, safely removing the greenside bunkers from play and opening up the green to her approach. A steady shot into from about 125 yds to within 8 feet of the cup left her with two putts to secure the win. You could tell this one was a long time coming for Monica, as a large contingent of fellow pros waited near the 18th to cheer her victory and give her a hug.

Monica Christiansen with her caddie on the 18th green after the winning putt at the 2013 Dinard Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia.com)

Should more golfers consider signing up for “Dancing with the Stars”? I got a laugh out of Monica when I asked that after the prize ceremony. In case you aren’t already aware, Monica competed on the Danish version of the popular dance reality show last summer. But truth is that since then, Monica’s golf game has really taken off. She seems to have a renewed sense of purpose competing these days.

Final thoughts

The LET Access Series has again taken a step up in terms of the quality of the golf. Amazing to watch. Still wondering why we haven’t seen more golfers from the university ranks in the States choose to come play on LETAS rather than on the Symetra Tour. And that’s not a knock on the Symetra at all, but the quality of the venues and level of competition on the Access Series is really, really impressive.

Ann-Katherin Lindner teeing off from the 7th during round 1 of the 2013 Dinard Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia.com)

German amateur Ann-Kathrin Lindner was the real surprise in my mind. Her game took a big step forward this week in terms of both form and maturity – no doubt she will contend in future LETAS and LET tournaments. Definitely one to watch.

Superb to see Isabella Ramsay competing in the final groups this week. Great first round and final round as well under the conditions. She’s a great young player, and one who could very well turn some heads this year.

Isabella Ramsay teeing off from the 10th during the final round of the 2013 Dinard Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia.com)

Megan Grehan had a great week in Dinard and has really had a strong start to her LET Access campaign for 2013. It was nice to see her mom come over and support her during the week in France.

Felt incredibly badly for Mireia Prat. After barely missing a birdie on the 9th, the wheels simply came off on the 10th. And is was really just a bad break, rather than anything else. Her approach to the 10th green was fully blind. The ball travelled maybe a couple of inches to far in the air and simply rolled an extra 6 inched too far (greens were again very quick and not holding), just over the boundary which is tight to the back of the 10th green. She had to go back and take the approach again and simply couldn’t recover from there. All after probably missing a blind approach by a an inch or two. The margin for error was just incredibly thin.

Mireia Prat teeing off from the 10th during the final round of the 2013 Dinard Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia.com)

The next generation of French amateurs has the potential to be truely special. Manon Molle, Eva Gilly, Louise Gateau Chovelon have each taken big jumps in the past year. Perrine Delacour and Ariane Provot are poised to reached new heights if they keep working hard. Much of this is due to both the organizational efforts by FFGolf and of course the Generali Tour itself, which gives these young golfers great playing opportunities.

Eva Gilly lining up on the 15th tee during the final round of the 2013 Dinard Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia.com)

Louise Gateau Chovelon putting on the 6th during the 1st round of the 2013 Dinard Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia.com)

Many, many thanks to everyone at Dinard Golf for their warm hospitality again this week. It’s the 3rd year in a row that I managed to visit Dinard and it’s a true favourite. Merci beaucoup !!

Apr

05

Wash Out

Generali Ladies Tour / LET Access Series / 0 comments

In Bretagne this weekend for the 2013 Dinard Ladies Open, one of three tournaments on the LET Access Series schedule which are co-sanctioned with the Generali Ladies Tour.

Unfortunately mother nature had different plans today, as high winds and rain have forced the organizers to postpone the 1st round. According to information provided this morning, the tournament will be reduced to a 36 hole event with no cut, meaning all players will also compete on Sunday. As there may be changes to plans from what was mentioned earlier, we encourage everyone to recheck with tournament officials for further information.

Didn’t take any photos today. Instead perhaps a reminder from past editions of the Dinard Ladies Open are appropriate.

link: tournament photos from the 2012 Dinard Ladies Open

link: tournament photos from the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open

Katy McNicoll on the 6th green during the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

Katy McNicoll on the 6th green during the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (© Robin Willing / www.doglegmedia.com)

Julie teeing off from the 7th during round 2 of the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

Julie Greciet teeing off from the 7th during round 2 of the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (© Robin Willing / www.doglegmedia.com)

Viva Schlasberg and Isabella Ramsay having a mini competition on the chipping green at Dinard. (© 2012-13 www.doglegmedia.com. all rights reserved.)

Viva Schlasberg and Isabella Ramsay having a mini competition on the chipping green at Dinard. (© Robin Willing / www.doglegmedia.com)

Barbara Genuini (France) teeing off from the 1st at the start of round 1 at the 2012 Dinard Ladies Open (© 2012-13 www.doglegmedia.com. all rights reserved.)

Tinna Johannsdottir (Iceland) putting on the 12th green during round 1 at the 2012 Dinard Ladies Open (© 2012-13 www.doglegmedia.com. all rights reserved.)

Tinna Johannsdottir (Iceland) putting on the 12th green during round 1 at the 2012 Dinard Ladies Open (© Robin Willing / www.doglegmedia.com)

Holland's Chrisje de Vries teeing off from the 17th at the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

Holland’s Chrisje de Vries teeing off from the 17th at the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (© Robin Willing / www.doglegmedia.com)

Laure on the 14th fairway during the 1st round of the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

Laure Sibille on the 14th fairway during the 1st round of the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (© Robin Willing / www.doglegmedia.com)

Carly Booth, champion of the 2012 Dinard Ladies Open (© 2012-13 www.doglegmedia.com. all rights reserved.)

Carly Booth, champion of the 2012 Dinard Ladies Open (© Robin Willing / www.doglegmedia.com)

Belgium's Laurence Herman on the 1st tee during the final round of the 2012 Dinard Ladies Open (© 2012-13 www.doglegmedia.com. all rights reserved.)

Belgium’s Laurence Herman on the 1st tee during the final round of the 2012 Dinard Ladies Open (© Robin Willing / www.doglegmedia.com)

Justne Sicot approaching the 18th green at the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

Justine Sicot approaching the 18th green at the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (© Robin Willing / www.doglegmedia.com)

Vicky Tomko on the 13th tee at Dinard (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

Vicky Tomko on the 13th tee at Dinard (© Robin Willing / www.doglegmedia.com)

Marion at the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

Marion Kaddouche at the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (© Robin Willing / www.doglegmedia.com)

Holly Calvert teeing off from the 13th at the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

Holly Calvert teeing off from the 13th at the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (© Robin Willing / www.doglegmedia.com)

Krista on the 12th green at Dinard. (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

Krista Ontronen on the 12th green at Dinard. (© Robin Willing / www.doglegmedia.com)

Stacey Keating at the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

Stacey Keating at the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (© Robin Willing / www.doglegmedia.com)

Mar

29

Sweet Spring Swing

Blog / Generali Ladies Tour / LET Access Series / 0 comments

Just in time for spring, a couple of great pieces to get your swing in shape from the pros.

First, english womens professional Rachel Jennings. Rachel is known to be not only one of the most colorful pros on the Ladies European Tour but also for her great swing. She is featured in the March issue of Lady Golfer with great tips for a good swing path – see pages 30-13 of the magazine.

Follow Rachel on Twitter @RacheyJGolf

Energy of the Golf Swing

On top of it, we have a great DogLegMedia video of the sweet swing of dutch mens golf pro Wouter de Vries. The video is in dutch, but is easy enough to understand for everyone.

The main focus is on swing balance and how to keep your energy moving forward through the ball with great before and after segments, showing off one of the Inner Genius (Auke Hempenius) teaching methods. Though this is an InnerGenius segment, Wouter and Auke are also half of the “Flight19″ gang at 19Golf.

The Energy of the Golf Swing from DogLegMedia on Vimeo.

“Vanaf eind 2012 werken Wouter de Vries en Auke Hempenius samen aan de metamorfose van Wouter’s golfswing.

Wij houden jullie in 2013 d.m.v. video op de hoogte van zijn ontwikkelingen.”

http://www.innergeniusgolf.nl
http://www.wouterdevries.nl

I should also mention that the video was shot at The International, the new host venue for the Deloitte Dutch Ladies Open. The new clubhouse (opening shortly) and snow-covered 18th green are in the background. It looks like a superb venue for the Ladies European Tour and should be very convenient for the golfers, due to it’s location on the outskirts of Amsterdam near Schiphol.

Marion Ricordeau being interviewed for French television after her win at the 2012 Terre Blanche Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia.com)

Marion Ricordeau being interviewed for French television after her win at the 2012 Terre Blanche Ladies Open (© doglegmedia.com)

Golf Internet TV

We’ve been following, tweeting and reporting on each of the Ladies European Tour and LET Access Series tournaments so far. The quality of womens golf in Europe is rising rapidly. And as we once again are watching and cheering from a distance this week, we really, really miss being able to watch these tournaments on live TV.

Rachel with her RAA putter. (© www.doglegmedia.com/poodle)

Rachel Jennings at the Unicredit German Ladies Open (© doglegmedia.com)

In Holland, there’s not much choice when it comes to golf on TV. Only Sport1 seems to show anything and they basically do not cover the womens game. And this week they have full coverage of the European Tour’s Trophy Hassan II live from Agadir.

Hey guys, the girls are right across the street – you can’t get the production team to send a camera team across to get glimpses of the LET?

Occasionally Sport1 does broadcast LPGA highlights. Kudos for that, but I’d really like to see live coverage of the Ladies European Tour. Makes me wonder why a european equivalent to Golf Channel hasn’t emerged or why the LET hasn’t taken matters into its own hands and started webcasting their tournaments.

Ultimately internet TV is where live sports broadcasting is headed anyway, so why not get a jump on it? Setting up a couple of stationary cameras on a couple of tees and a couple of greens would be enough. Plenty of inexpensive solutions for connectivity. Tweet streams and live scoring would be more than enough for commentary at least to start. Total cost is minimal and the LET would retain full control of the advertising and commercial possibilities. Win-win don’t you think? Please. Pretty please ….

Lucy Williams on the 18th fairway during the 2nd round of the 2012 Open Femenino (© doglegmedia.com)

Twitter Golf Birdies

DogLegMedia has conducted an informal study regarding womens golf and social media. Twitter is the overwhelming most popular choice of social media for most of the girls. Facebook is now #2. That’s more or less the reverse of where we were two years ago, the last time DLM did a comprehensive study.

Rebecca chipping onto the 18th green at the 2011 German Ladies Open (© doglegmedia.com)

Follow Rebecca Hudson, one of Europe’s top pro golfers, on Twitter (© doglegmedia.com)

Around 350 womens professional golfers are on Twitter today, primarily golfers who compete in the US, Europe, and Australia. Korean, Chinese, and Japanese golfers have largely opted to have a presence on regional social networks. We will publish a comprehensive list of womens golfers on Twitter in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, you can subscribe to the PoodleGolf list on Twitter. Follow as many of the golfers and tweet as much support as you can.

An interesting change from a few years ago is that many of the golfers have opted to go single-channel in terms of social, that is they chosen twitter over facebook or google+ rather than maintaining a presence on all channels. At the time of the last study, most had at least a facebook page plus one other (usually twitter).

My guess is that the same phenomenon is starting to set in with the golfers as with the general public. Social media fatigue is real and it’s just too cumbersome or time-consuming to share, tweet, and build up their fan base across all of the networks.

Dinard Ladies Open

The 2nd LET Access Series and Generali Ladies Tour tournament of the year is coming up next week – the Dinard Ladies Open. For anyone who isn’t already familiar with the LET Access Series, it’s the highly competitive european equivalent to the LPGA Symetra Futures tour in the States.

The host venue, located just to the south of Dinard in the village of Saint Briac sur Mer, is a gorgeous, quirky course right on the Bretagne coast of France. It’s a DLM favourite simply because on a sunny day, the blue Atlantic backgrounds are simply stunning. Sailboats, lighthouses, surfers, and fisherman are all part of the scene.

One of the great things about the Generali /LETAS cooperation is that we get to see basically all of the top French amateurs competing at each event. It’s amazing to watch the development of the girls, who are usually paired with a veteran french tour pro in the tournaments.

We’re planning to be there to photograph the tournament and cheer for the golfers, so follow Poodle Golf on Twitter for our live tweets and check back here each night during the tournament for photos.

link: tournament photos from the 2012 Dinard Ladies Open

link: tournament photos from the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open

France's Anyssia Herbault teeing off from the 13th during round 1 of the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (© doglegmedia.com)

Ariane Provot & Celine Palomar near the 1st tee at Dinard. (© doglegmedia.com)

The iconic sign atop the clubhouse at Dinard Golf (© doglegmedia.com)

Surfer just below the 6th fairway at the 2011 Dinard Ladies Open (© doglegmedia.com)

Denmark's Cathrine Madsen on the 9th green during round 1 at Dinard (© doglegmedia.com)

Have a great weekend everyone !

Mar

15

Opening Day for European Golf

Generali Ladies Tour / LET Access Series / 0 comments

As snow falls here in Amsterdam, extending an unusual March cold snap in the Netherlands, it’s hard not to feel that spring is near. And of course that means the opening of the European golf season. Earlier in the week, Sunningdale foursomes were competed in the UK. The Sunningdale event is seen by all insiders in the UK to be the traditional start of the golf season each year.

For womens golf, the first tour event on european soil is coming up next week at the Terre Blanche Ladies Open near Tourettes/Fayence, France.

Caroline Afonso teeing off from the 13th during round 2 of the 2012 Ladies Open de France (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

The former Four Seasons resort has been recently renovated and reopened, just in time for the golfers to arrive. It’s a lovely spot in the hills above the Cote d’Azur and Cannes, just under an hour drive from the airport in Nice. One of the true resort gems in European golf.

link: tournament photos from the 2011 Terre Blanche Ladies Open

Henni Zuel and Caroline Afonso on the 18th green (Poodle)

Henni Zuel and Caroline Afonso on the 18th green at the 2011 Terre Blanche Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

The golfers will face a challenging test on the (normally members-only) Riou course at Terre Blanche. The hilly layout and quick greens (usually 11.5+ on the stimpmeter) focus attention to the accuracy of approach shots. And while the event has always been popular (2013 will be the 4th edition), it seems even more so this year. Likely due to the inclusion of the LET Access Series in the womens Rolex world ranking point system. But it’s also a great tune-up as bigger tournaments approach.

link: tournament photos from the 2012 Terre Blanche Ladies Open

Marion Ricordeau (France) after securing her win on the 18th green at Terre Blanche (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

Marion Ricordeau (France) after securing her win on the 18th green at the 2012 Terre Blanche Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

In the three year history of LETAS/Generali at Terre Blanche, there have been no repeat winners. Caroline Afonso, Henni Zuel and Marion Ricordeau have each earned a win at the Provence resort.

Both of the French champions are the product of a great developmental system which has been created by FFGolf, the French golfing federation and the support of Generali in sponsoring the Generali Ladies Tour. In 2012, the LET Access Series and Generali Ladies Tour began working together, with each of the three GLT tournaments also co-sanctioned as part of the LET Access Series. We love to see the cooperation and hope to see both developmental tours thrive as they move forward.

The Terre Blanche Ladies Open is a great tournament to watch – beautiful views of the snow-capped Alpes Maritimes especially on the back nine. If you’re thinking about going to the tournament, here are some nearby hotels.

Lauralie Migneaux (France) on the 14th green during round 2 at the 2012 Terre Blanche Ladies Open (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

News & Notes

And there’s extra incentive for golfers to join the LET Access Series now that golfers will finally earn points on LETAS for the womens Rolex World Rankings. In our opinion there has been far too much LPGA/Futures Tour bias in the world rankings and discrimination against talented golfers who compete on competitive tours in other parts of the world.

And having seen many of the feeder tour events in Europe over the past few years, it’s really a shame that until now the golfers weren’t recognized. The good news is that both LETAS and China LPGA now count. And giving credit where credit is due, kudos to Florida-based R2IT (who manage the womens Rolex world rankings) for implementing the change.

Rikako Morita 森田理香子 near the 3rd tee at Evian (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

Rikako Morita 森田理香子 near the 3rd tee at Evian Masters (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

Congratulations to Rikako Morita who earned another opening day win on the Japan LPGA’s 2013 Daikin Orchid Ladies Golf Tournament. It was the third time Rikako has won the first tournament of the season on the JLPGA – quite an achievement. And she did it this time on the first playoff hole with Sakura Yokomine.

Interestingly the most viewed photo here at DogLegMedia during 2012 wasn’t actually a golf photo per se. It was Carly Booth on the catwalk at the 2012 Golf Fashion Week in Den Bosch. It was great to she her earn several podiums on the Ladies European Tour in 2012. No doubt she’ll be in contention again in 2013.

Gorgeous scottish pro Carly Booth traded the fairways for the catwalk at Golf Fashion Week (Poodle)

Golfer turned model – gorgeous scottish golf pro Carly Booth traded the fairways for the catwalk at Golf Fashion Week (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

How great would it be to see Trish Johnson earn a spot on the 2013 European Solheim Cup team? Currently 10th on the points list and has eight previous cup appearances. Trish is actually tied for 2nd most all-time for Team Europe with Helen Alfredsson, Annika Sorenstam, and Sophie Gustafson. Now that’s an elite group !

The 2013 season for the newly-formed South African-based IGT Ladies Tour is well underway. Morgana Robbertze won the opening tournament, the IGT Centurion Challenge at Centurion Country Club. The 2nd tournament on the schedule, the IGT Kempton Park Ladies, begins Monday (18 Mar) near Johannesburg. also should mention that we’ve added the confirmed IGT tournaments to our 2013 golf tournament calendar.

Morgana Robbertze near the 9th tee during the 1st round of the 2011 Tenerife Ladies Match Play (Poodle)

Follow South African pro golfer Morgana Robbertze on Twitter (Robin Willing / DogLegMedia)

How strange would this be? Imagine a round of early spring golf on a sunny fairway. Then the ground opens beneath you and you’re three meters down in a sinkhole. Was that hazard mentioned somewhere on the course map?

Poodle Golf’s Wendy Byrne has authored an article in the February 2013 Nederlandse Golfkrant. The article is on page 21, in dutch. Might post an english translation in the next few days on the Poodle website.

Have a great weekend everyone !

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18

Turkish Airlines Ladies Open

08

Monica Christiansen wins at Dinard

Final thoughts

05

Wash Out

29