Nude Golf has a New Venue: Karlskoga Golfklubb

Newsflash: Karlskoga Golfklubb, in central Sweden, is relaxing their dress code... significantly.

Effective immediately as soon as it warms up a bit, "country club conservative" will be replaced by "clothing optional" on the fairways of this established course. You see, the golf club has recently partnered with a local "naturalist club" and Karlskoga General Manger, Sven Nödtorftig, embraced the concept of golf in-the-altogether, with enthusiasm although he was careful to reassure those who find the idea of nude golf... and nude golfers... unsettling. "We aren't forcing everyone to play naked," he declared, "and you will see the naked players playing at specific times, such as early morning or late afternoon".

Mr. Nödtorftig BTW, is himself a naturist, and presumably looks forward to playing in the buff as the sunny season begins.

I've written about nude golf on a couple of occasions, most recently a couple of months ago regarding Nude Golf International, a global nude golf tournament that takes place in New Zealand.

However, it was the awesome Exilgolfer who tweeted me about this latest nude golf development,... and he's got additional details... and photos.

Though most everyone I've spoken to on this side of the Atlantic seems to find the idea of playing golf in the nude quite preposterous... and one does need to be careful regarding sun exposure...  the concept seems to be catching on in other lands.  It's a trend worth watching. IMHO.

German Golf, Ryder Cup 2018 & Sandra Gal's Win

I had to smile when I heard about Sandra Gal's win at the Kia Classic yesterday.

The first thing I thought of were the headlines it would produce. Any time a golfer has a last name that's also a word, things can get ...well... weird. Who'll ever forget the Jim Nantz reciting Bette Midler in honor of Justin Rose debacle, right? Needless to say, I was expecting the worst. -->



However,  thus far I've seen nothing more egregious than an inoffensive "Thatta Gal", so perhaps headline writers have finally learned to resist the facile play-on-words.

When Gal defeated five time winner... and third round leader.. Jiyai Shin for her first LPGA win yesterday, it was the only the second time a German national had ever won on the LPGA Tour.

The statuesque brunette was born in Dusseldorf and played collegiate golf at the University of Florida. She qualified for the LPGA Tour in 2008 and finished her degree... with honors.. while playing full time on the tour.

Certainly Sandra's win comes a good time for RC Deutschland GmbH, the bid company for the 2018 Ryder Cup in Germany.  Germany is one of the five nations bidding for the 2018 Cup, and their bid is backed two-time Masters Champion, hall-of-fame golfer, Bernhard Langer enjoying a stellar career on the Champions Tour and Martin Kaymer currently the No. 1 male golfer in the world. Both men are featured prominently on the German Bid website.  Now... somewhat unexpectedly... German golf also has a Gal!  (I apologize - I couldn't resist) I'm sure Sandra will be lending her support to the bid as well with the decision date fast approaching. 

In addition to her remarkable game,  Sandra Gal has a sleek style sense which was on display yesterday with the black leggings she wore under a red two-piece (Nike?) outfit.  And speaking of Sandra's sense of style, it was almost a year ago that the long-limbed golfer had a minor run-in with a dress code dictator at a Palm Springs Club where she was practicing.  Sandra was told she'd need to change because her shorts were too short!  The good-natured golfer took it all in stride and later tweeted about the encounter with humor.  I'm sure there are lots of golf fans looking forward to seeing Sandra Gal on the leaderboard throughout the season.

Is W#1 Martin Kaymer a Teutonic Robot?

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I only ask because he's frequently been described as Teutonic.  And his on course demeanor is... well, admittedly, robotic does comes to mind.  Some refer to him as The Germanator, which he scoffs at, but I'm guessing he doesn't really mind. 

As he gets ready to face Luke Donald later today for the Accenture Match Play tournament title Martin Kaymer is also being called World No. 1,  though he's quick to clarify that he won't actually feel like the top golfer until the rankings are officially posted on Monday. 

You see? Herr Kaymer's got feelings, so clearly he's not a robot, and as for German stereotypes, well has anyone ever seen W#1 in lederhosen? I think not.  His on-course look is elegant and classic: Hugo Boss,  though he added his own sartorially brilliant touch yesterday when he wore a distinctive scarf known as a Buff, designed by Black Fly Outfitters for... fly fishermen.

The fact is, golf is still considered something of an exclusionary, niche sport in Germany, and until his PGA Championship win Martin Kaymer was arguably more well known outside of his own country then within it.  Though Bernard Langer placed Germany firmly on the golfing map in the 1980s, his ego was not made for the limelight,  and his impact on German sports fans was somewhat muted by the enormous celebrity of tennis player Boris Becker, whose larger-than-life persona and youthful triumphs overshadowed Langer's amazing accomplishments. As such, golf has a huge potential for growth in Germany... which by the way is among six bidding nations for the 2018 Ryder cup... and Kaymer's rapid rise seems perfectly timed to allow Germany to take advantage of that potential.

Martin Kaymer may or may not win this afternoon, but he is W#1, and as more golf fans get to know him, I'm guessing the Teutonic Robot rumors will be put to rest quite quickly.

Golf Girl's Note: I HIGHLY recommend  reading Jason Sobel's  Martin Kaymer is One Cool Customer.  He perfectly captures the non-robotic charm of the soon-to-be-#1.

Photograph: (upper) Fadil Berisha/Rolex  

Photograph: (lower) Scott Halleran/Getty Images North America