Tag: Paula Creamer

  • Paula Creamer Wins with Bridgestone B330-RX

    At Oakmont Country Club last weekend, LPGA superstar Paula Creamer teamed with Bridgestone GolfPaula Creamer Wins the US Open to capture the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open, her first career ‘major’– despite battling a sore thumb and a golf course that yielded only a single under-par scorecard. Paula’s victory was also the first major victory for Bridgestone’s B330-RX – a golf ball designed for Tour performance on and around the greens, yet optimized for moderate swing speeds off the tee for better distance and accuracy.

    Creamer used a deft touch and laser-like iron approaches down the stretch on Sunday to secure the title in convincing fashion, besting her nearest competitor by four shots with a tournament total 281 (3-under par.  As a result of a rain-delayed second round, Creamer put her injured thumb through a rigorous endurance test, playing 23 holes on Sunday and a total of 52 holes over the weekend. For the week, Creamer hit an impressive 75% of fairways-in-regulation, ranking near the top of the field in that category.  Demonstrating the improved accuracy she’s gotten from the B330-RX, Paula managed 72% greens-in-regulation at Oakmont, which also put her in the top 10 of that category.

    “Earlier this year we put Paula through an extensive ball-fitting,” said Dan Murphy, Vice President of Marketing – Bridgestone Golf, Inc.  “During the fitting we found that Paula’s 100 mph swing speed was producing excess driver spin with firmer golf balls.  Her swing was ideal for the softer new B330-RX.  She began testing it and absolutely fell in love with it.  Paula was a little disappointed that we didn’t have a pink B330-RX for her, but she was willing to give up on the color preference for what she felt was better greenside control and more distance off the tee.  We are really excited for Paula because we know how much this championship means to her.  Having the first major championship title for the B330-RX is incredible for our brand, as well. The ball has had a great reception at retail since we launched it in March and this win should help continue that momentum.”

    Bridgestone Golf is now also teaming with Golfballs.com to offer a special late-summer quantity purchase deal on Bridgestone’s most popular balls. Through the promotion, exclusively available on the Golfballs.com web site beginning July 15, golfers may take advantage of a buy-three, get-one-free deal on one-dozen packages of Bridgestone’s popular “B” and “e” series.

    The special includes Bridgestone’s 3-piece B330RXS, the softest multi-layer urethane series ball on the market and one designed for moderate-swing speed players. It also includes the Bridgestone e6, a soft multi-layer ball designed to reduce hooks and slices off the tee and deliver a straighter, longer and more accurate ball flight. The B330RXS and the e6 are Bridgestone’s two largest-selling balls.

    “We’re very pleased to team with Bridgestone to offer a quantity deal to our customers,” said Golfballs.com president and CEO Tom Cox. “The Bridgestone lines are among our best-selling, and the ability to provide the ball best suited to each player’s swing speed and style makes this a great value.”

    The entire “B” series, which also includes the B330, the B330S and Paula’s B330-RX, and the “e” series that also includes the e5 and e7 balls are all available through the promotion that runs through Aug. 31. Golfers who purchase three dozen of any of the seven ball types at the regular price will receive the fourth dozen free. There is a limit of one free dozen per customer. Complete details on the Bridgestone offer will be available at www.golfballs.com beginning Thursday, July 15.

    ABOUT GOLFBALLS.COM

    From humble beginnings in a 100-square-foot room in a small-town warehouse, to its current state-of-the-art 20,000-square-foot facility, Golfballs.com has grown to become one of the world’s leaders in on-line golf ball and equipment sales. Co-Founder Tom Cox has served as president and CEO since its 1995 start-up, growing the business from $17,000 in first-year sales to a 40-employee company that has over $10 million in annual sales, and which has sold over 50 million golf balls direct to consumers in all 50 states and over 50 countries. Golfballs.com has an in-house production department and is an authorized internet retailer for key brands including Titleist, Callaway and Nike and has been an approved Titleist imprinter since 2003, creating a company-wide focus on the sale of customized and personalized golf equipment. The company opened its retail outlet store in 2004 and recently launched loyaltylogo.com, a full-service promotional product distributor catering to businesses.

  • Sheex Performance Bedding – The World’s First Athletic Sheets

    Sheex Performance BeddingI know I know, I’m sure your first thought when reading this title was: “What the heck does bedding have to do with golf?” There are a few reasons why I’m talking about bed sheets on a golf website. For starters, everyone has to sleep – even golfers. In fact, most people will spend about a third of their lifetime sleeping! (8 hours per 24 hour day) Secondly, anyone who lives an active lifestyle knows how beneficial a good night’s rest can be for recovery and stress reduction. Even so, sleeping isn’t something most people think about. I never gave it much thought either, until I discovered Sheex. A while back, LPGA golfer Paula Creamer wrote on twitter account about Sheex after ordering one of their body sleeves for traveling. After reading about their products I reached out and they were kind enough to send me a set to try out for myself.

    Before you read on – for those interested in saving a few bucks, Sheex has created a promo code for our readers!  To receive 10% off purchases from the Sheex Online Store. Just go here: http://sheex.com/intothegrain and you’ll receive 10% off automatically.

    What is Sheex? Sheex is performance bedding. Long gone are the days of wearing a heavy cotton shirt to work out, or even play golf. Most people (in warm climates especially) wear some sort of moisture wicking light weight fabric, like Nike’s DryFit, Adidas’ CLIMACOOL or Under Armour. So why sleep on heavy cotton sheets any more? After seeing the evolution of fabrics in athletic clothing, company founders Susan Walvius and Michelle Marciniak decided to bring the same type of high performance fabrics to the bedroom and created Sheex.

    Sheex Founders Susan Walvius & Michelle MarciniakTo describe it in the most basic terms, Sheex bedding is like Under Armor for your bed. Sheex performance bedding is designed to help people sleep better by achieving and maintaining better thermal conditions for sleep. What does that mean? Basically, Sheex helps keep your body cooler, which is one of the most critical factors for optimal sleep. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, “A cool (not cold) bedroom is often the most conducive to sleep.” The National Sleep Foundation also notes that “temperatures above 75 degrees and below 54 degrees will disrupt sleep,” with 65 degrees being the ideal sleep temperature for most individuals, according to the Foundation.

    Sheex performance bedding works just like an athletic shirt or shorts made of similar materials. According to testing conducted at the North Carolina State University Center for Research on textile Protections and Comfort, the bedding transfers body heat twice as effectively as cotton and breaths nearly 50% better to allow the body to cool itself rapidly for faster and deeper sleep onset. It also reduces temperature fluctuations that can be distracting to sleep. The high performance fabrics used in Sheex also feel softer and cooler to the touch than cotton. “Research shows that sleeping better and longer leads to improvements in athletic performance, including faster sprint time, better endurance, lower heart rate, and even improved mood and higher levels of energy during a workout. …Getting a better night’s sleep is about making a larger investment in sleep overall, including taking a closer look at your sleep surface and surroundings. Improving sleep quality is just as important as quantity.” – Dr. Bert Jacobson, Oklahoma State University

    But the real question is, does one really sleep better with Sheex versus cotton sheets? In a word – probably! I was sent a king set to test at home. The king set included a fitted sheet, top sheet and two king pillow cases. At first glance and touch, the sheets are smooth and silky feeling, just like a good athletic fabric. However, the fabric used in Sheex bedding is quite a bit thicker than a DryFit shirt, giving it a very luxurious and high quality feel. The bedding is also made with Lycra, so it is stretchy to fit any bed well. Before putting the Sheex on my bed, I ran them through the washer and dryer. After a normal wash cycle, I noticed that they came out of the washer almost completely dry, which is consistent with the company’s claims that they dry three times faster than cotton and effectively wick moisture. Being made of 82% Polyester and 18% Lycra spandex, the fabric won’t shrink or fade like cotton either. After a quick session in the dryer they were ready. I have a king size Sealy memory foam mattress with an additional 1.5″ thick memory foam topper. Most normal fitted sheets are a tight fit, but the stretchy Sheex bedding slid on with ease and I have plenty of additional room. I’ve noticed with memory foam mattresses that when a fitted sheet is too small, it limits the effectiveness of such a bed, not allowing the body to totally sink into it. the ability of the Sheex bedding to stretch allows the sleeper to sink into the memory foam a bit more for a better “fit”.

    Sheex Performance BeddingAfter my first night with Sheex I particularly enjoyed the soft, luxurious feel of the pillow cases. Most people sweat a bit during sleep, weather they know it or not. The moisture wicking ability of Sheex may help with this. My pillow felt soft and cool, which is very nice. I even brought my Sheex covered pillow on a recent road trip, giving that hotel pillows are always too soft or too thick for my tastes. I live in Florida, and the weather at the time of my testing has been in the mid 90s with over 60% humidity. Needless to say, it’s not the most comfortable weather for sleeping. My thermostat normally stays at 74 during the day, and goes down to 72 at night. The actual temperature in my bedroom normally hovers a few degrees above the rest of the house, so when the thermostat is set on 74 I have trouble sleeping. I decided to experiment for a few nights to test the Sheex bedding’s ability to transfer body heat, breathe better and wick moisture better than cotton sheets. For my testing, I bumped the temperature to 75 for a few nights to see if I was able to get to sleep and remain asleep with the Sheex bedding, then tried the same with my old cotton sheets. As stated above by the National Sleep Foundation, 75 degrees is the borderline high temperature for a good night’s sleep and 10 degrees above the ideal temperature of 65.

    There weren't any scientific methods or techniques used in my test, I just tried to sleep normally with the different sheets and tried to observe the results. With the Sheex bedding, I didn't feel hot or uncomfortable, and I slept well for the most part. I woke up once or twice, rolled over and went back to sleep, which is normal for me. In the morning I felt rested and ready to go, which is also normal for me. After two nights with the Sheex, I went back to my old cotton bedding for two nights at the same 75 degree temperature. I didn't employ any timers or brain wave measurement devices to get real concrete data like a lab study would use, but at 75 degrees with the cotton sheets I wasn't able to get to sleep. I was not able to cool down enough and get comfortable, which is consistent with all the times in the past and why I always set the thermostat to 72 at night. Given my past experience with cotton sheets and the two nights I spent with the Sheex bedding at a room temperature that was three degrees warmer than normal, I can conclude that the two times better heat transfer and 46% better breathing claims of Sheex compared to cotton are absolutely true. Of course there are many factors that go into a good night's sleep, but I've been sleeping normally for two weeks with Sheex on my bed and I've settled on a temperature of 74 degrees in the house, which is two degrees warmer than normal for me. One could even claim that Sheex will save you money on your electric bill, not only by using less AC, but also because they take less time in the dryer! I know, that's a bit of a stretch, but every penny counts in a down economy right? Sheex bedding comes in several colors and all the most common sizes, as well as collections for baby beds, boats and RVs. Also available is the Sleep Sax, which is a fantastic travel sleeping bag. This one is becoming very popular with travelers who cringe at the thought of sleeping in dingy, starchy hotel bedding. I for one love bringing my Sleep Sax me when I travel to golf tournaments and such. Guests at my house also ask for it while they are hear! Check out the review of the Sheex Sleep Sax here. At a price of $219 (king) and $199 (queen), Sheex bedding falls into the premium price range of Silk and high end Satin sheets. If they can contribute to energy savings as I speculated above, I wonder how long would it take for them to pay for themselves? Either way, given that we spend so much of our lives in bed and that the value of a good night's sleep is immeasurable, both for working professionals and athletes, the price for a high quality set of bedding seems reasonable to me. I can do better than that however. Through their affiliate program, the nice folks at Sheex have created a promo code for ITG readers to receive 10% off purchases from the Sheex Online Store.  Just go here: http://sheex.com/intothegrain and you'll receive 10% off automatically. This amounts to a savings of over $20 on a king sheet set, which isn't bad if you ask me. With all the advancements in high performance fabrics, it only makes sense that someone would have thought to put those fabrics on your bed. When I read about Sheex, I had one of those "Why didn't I think of that!?" moments. While I can't state that they will help everyone sleep better, they helped me sleep better. I can't say they are affordable for everyone, because not everyone thinks spending $200 on sheets is reasonable. But if you are willing to spend thousands on a quality bed like many are, why not put quality sheets on it? Most people play sports in high performance moisture wicking fabrics now, so why sleep on old fashioned cotton bedding? Sheex performance bedding is catching on with professional athletes and others who just want to sleep better. I'm very impressed with the product, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to get a better night's sleep! Remember, for a 10% discount on Sheex, visit shop.sheex.com and use our exclusive promo code!  

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  • Whats Wrong With The LPGA Tour – Update

    Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press
    Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press

    I just got a tweet from @TweetPGA about the news this morning that several LPGA Tour players have signed a petition calling for Commissioner Carolyn Bivens’ resignation over the tour’s struggles, citing mismanagement in the wake of the failed language issue and twitter fiasco. Some of the names on the petition include Paula Creamer, Lorena Ochoa, Morgan Pressel and Cristie Kerr.

    Read the full article here:

    http://golf.fanhouse.com/2009/07/07/ochoa-creamer-kerr-pressel-all-sign-letter-calling-for-bivens/

  • What’s Wrong With The LPGA Tour? (Part 2)

    Photo Credit: Matt Dunham/AP
    Photo Credit: Matt Dunham/AP

    Back in May I did a piece on what I thought was wrong with the LPGA Tour. I touched on a few issues that, to me, made it tougher for the LPGA Tour to compete with the others for TV viewers. I have observed another issue lately that may be of much greater concern to the Tour, and the steps they have taken to solve that issue. With any luck, we’ll see the LPGA Tour come out of this tough time and continue to grow.

    Last Sunday ESPN chose to rebroadcast the 2008 World Series of Poker rather than air the final round of the Wegmans LPGA. Maybe ESPN thought they would get better ratings by showing tape of a year old show that everyone has already seen, rather than showing live LPGA golf. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t watch a sporting event on television when I know what the outcome is going to be. It’s like watching those pathetically scripted reality shows. Sports are the first and only reality shows out there. Millions and millions of fans watch sports because of the simple fact that you don’t know who is going to win, and you never know when the game or match will come down to the last second, the last hole, or the last point. My biggest problem with it is for all the grief I get from football, baseball and hockey fans questioning golf as a sport, ESPN replaces golf with Poker – hardly what I would consider a sport.

    It’s become clear to me that ESPN has a clear agenda to promote the events that it has a vested financial interest in, as Martin Kaufmann also pointed out in Golfweek. This would tend to explain the Poker rerun, just a few days before the 2009 World Series of Poker started. This also explains the ridiculous hype over the X-Games every year. It’s all about the ratings. ESPN also seems to try to influence the viewing public with its virtual monopoly of viewership, powerful opinions and tenancy to beat a story to death. Just watch the lineup on weekdays starting at 4:30 with Around the Horn, followed by PTI and finally Sportcenter. You’ll see the same highlighted story talked about on all three shows, and the general opinion on the subject seems to be the same across the board. ESPN seems to have embraced the FOX News model of “info-tainment”, where they choose a story that has some editorial angle to it and over cover it in an attempt to draw ratings, or come up with a cheesy special feature to plug a sponsor’s products and fill air time. Why else would we need a Brett Favre update every single night or a stupid “Who’s Now” bracket?

    In any case, it seems that the LPGA Tour is finally taking matters into their own hands lately in an attempt to breathe life into its dying franchise. Carolyn Bivens, the LPGA Tour Commissioner, has her work cut out for her in reviving the struggling tour. Several tournaments are without title sponsors in 2010 and are in trouble of folding, and only 10 events on the LPGA calendar for 2010 are in the United States. Hawaii, once host to three LPGA Tournaments, now has lost its final remaining event, with the death of the Kapalua tournament joining the SBS Open and the Fields Open. What can save this tour? Well, the LPGA recently inked a deal with the Golf Channel to become the LPGA Tour’s exclusive cable broadcaster in the US. That’s a good start, but the problem with that is the Golf Channel also broadcasts PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour events. Will this lead to competition for air time? Will the LPGA Tour be pushed out of prime time in favor of the PGA Tour on tape delay? I fear LPGA fans will have to set their DVR to record tournaments airing at midnight, long after the final results have been posted on the internet or been talked about on Sportscenter. Oh that’s right, Sportscenter doesn’t even cover the LPGA Tour unless Michelle Wie does something. The problem with that is she really hasn’t done anything yet, except cash in on the hype and false promises that ESPN contributed to creating. I have nothing against Michelle Wie. To expect her to fill the shoes of Annika in her rookie year on tour is unrealistic anyway.

    The LPGA has many great personalities and has a lot to offer the fans. If you have a chance to attend an LPGA tournament you can see this.  For more entertainment value you can follow many players on sites like Facebook and Twitter. Just tune into Christina Kim’s twitter feed and you’ll see what I mean. Although there was a bit of a circus following the Commissioner’s mis-communicated suggestion to the players to tweet during play, for the most part it’s an easy way to keep up with your favorite players and get a look at the world behind the ropes. For sheer entertainment value, there no better way to get into the lives of the players than to follow Christina, Morgan Pressel and others on Twitter. On the PGA Tour, Ian Poulter and John Daly are favorites.

    Let’s hope we can get more LPGA golf on the air and the Golf Channel doesn’t butcher the coverage by sticking it on late night or over exposing us to Kelly Tilghman. (Sorry Kelly, but you’re no Jim Nantz.) With any luck, the players that the tour spends much of it’s marketing dollars promoting – Wie, Gulbis, Creamer, Ochoa, etc will start playing better and make more of an impact on Sundays. There has been much critisism about the throngs of Korean girls that seem to have no identity cluttering up the leader boards, but I don’t blame them. They are a product of the worlds best junior golf program for girls, and each one of them have rightfully earned their place on the Tour, it’s just that these girls being in contention have the same depressing effect on television ratings that Tiger does when he doesn’t play…

  • What’s wrong with the LPGA Tour?

    lpgaThe English-only policy the LPGA Tour tried to install recently drew a lot of criticism, and they promptly retracted it. Sadly, I think it’s probably needed, but in some watered down form, used not to scare or alienate foreign players, but to encourage them to learn the language. The throngs of Korean girls – who were largely thought to be the so called “targets” of this ill-fated policy – are taking the LPGA by storm, thanks to Se Ri Pak paving the way for them in the 90s. In general, Koreans are quiet and tend to keep to themselves. Their families are very tight-knit and their presence around the players is evident on the practice greens and driving range of tour events. One of the criticisms they have endured is that they show no emotion on the course. That’s just the way they are, and while even keel emotions makes for mentally strong golfers, it’s not very fan friendly. Tennis hall of famers Pete Sampras and Bjorn Borg were criticized in the same manner for not being more flamboyant or outgoing, in part due to the popularity of their great rivals Andre Agassi and John McEnroe. In the era of bubbly stars like Paula Creamer, Christina Kim and others, the stoic and cerebral Korean girls get the same treatment.

    I think what the LPGA needs in order to recover from its post Annika hangover is some fan friendly innovations. On course interviews during the round, such as on the Champions and Nationwide tours would be nice, and some personal bios that show the ladies beyond the golf course might let the fans into the lives of the players a bit more. Maybe they can show us that they aren’t golf robots after all and have a personality! More prime time LPGA golf coverage would also be a welcome addition, but it seems the golf channel is getting caught up in the reality show ratings grab. Case in point – The girls got no TV time for weeks after the thrilling Nabisco finish. We are lured in by a great final round and a thrilling finish like that, and then they go off the air for over a month. Not good planning on the part of the LPGA.

    The LPGA Tour is also struggling to find an identity since Annika has retired. Lorena has taken the place of Annika as the best player in the world, but Americans are not enamored with her like they were with Annika. Paula Creamer is dealing with health issues and hasn’t been on her game, Natalie Gulbis hasn’t yet reached her potential, and Michelle Wie hasn’t stepped in to be the next superstar yet. Will she ever? Who knows, but I think we all forget that she’s not even old enough to drink. Give her time! Some of the other young players I know that have lots of star qualities seem to be busy partying and enjoying life, rather than focusing on being the best golfer they can be. I won’t mention their names because it’s their right to live how they want. They could be working hard and competing for championships (they have the talent), but instead they choose to skate by making a cut here and there and cashing a nice check. In my opinion, If we can get some of these superstars in waiting to come forward and take the bull by the horns the LPGA would see a great resurgence.

    I would also like to see more PGA/LPGA tournaments, like the old JC Penny classic at Innisbrook. That was a great way to show off the best golf in the US in a more casual atmosphere. Going back to tennis for examples, the best drawing tournaments of the year other than the majors are the two big co-ed events at Indian Wells and Miami. We get to see the best of both tours in one place at one time. I think the LPGA and PGA Tours need to come together a few times a year and hold a WGC event with a limited field of say 32 men and 32 women. I think fans would love to see the men and woman competing on the same course at the same time. And while we’re at it, why not start a co-ed Ryder Cup style event? Wouldn’t it be great to see the best guys and gals in the US team up against the best guys and gals from the rest of the world? Maybe Annika would come out of retirement for that too. I for one would love to see the possible match ups for that one! I’ll be eagerly awaiting the Woods/Wie vs. Garcia/Ochoa match-up, or Mickelson/Creamer vs. Ogilvy/Webb. How about the all south pairing of Weekly/McPherson vs the all Korean powerhouses of Choi/Shin? The possibilities are endless!