Sweet Young Things and a Sexy Campaign to Sell Golf

It was Australian golfer Jan Stephenson who first popularized the idea that LPGA stars should openly embrace a "sex-sells" approach to marketing their game.

A couple of decades later, even though she won many international titles and attained the rank of number one in the world, she is still best known for bringing glamour... and a bathtub full of golf balls... to the ladies game.

Now, the shoe is on the other foot... so to speak... and the normally straight laced PGA of Australia has unveiled photos displaying young male pro golfers wearing... um... precious little in the way of golf apparel. (Those who lament the NASCAR effect will have nothing to complain about here).



Attractive young golfer,  James McLean, pictured above, is one of the poster boys... or should I say, "screen saver" boys for a campaign being called "Pro Golf Exposed".  In some cases it's also being referred to as the "Sweet Young Swings" campaign.

Either way, what's a bit unusual (and rather telling) about this campaign is the audience it's directed at:  Ladies, are you ready to watch these guys play golf?

"Only Two Things" - 2010: The Year in Golf & Sex

Back in early June we aired our first episode of "Only Two Things".

Our inspiration was one of golf's most popular quotes: 

"Golf and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at them."    

Our formula was a half hour review of the week in golf, followed by a half hour discussion of a "Mars/Venus" topic of the day .  Over the ensuing weeks we covered some controversial topics... and we were often joined by guests who brought a special insight to the issue at hand. 

Liza Churchill, a respected golf media producer and "proud former beverage cart girl" joined us for an episode on "The World of a Beverage Cart Girl" while Christina Ricci author of A Girl's On-Course Survival Guide spoke with us about playing from the correct tees in "Of Red Tees and Big Egos".  We had Ethan Johnson from the popular blog Mister Women's Sports on to talk about the new sports media brand espnW and relations hip coach/former golf instructor Catherine Behan explored with us the potential joys of a golf date.  Recently Donna Tavoso the chief marketing officer at Playboy Golf was on the show to talk about the fun guys and girls can have at  Playboy Golf Scrambles.

It's been a great six months.  Tomorrow night on "Only Two Things" we'll be reviewing some of the year's best moments in golf... and we'll be revisiting some of the show's most provocative discussions.  Some of our past guests will be checking in with us,  and we'd love to have you join the conversation too... on-air... by using our call-in number, which is: 917-889-9592.  Or, weigh in at the chat room or on Twitter... or just have a listen on the Sport City Chefs network at Blog Talk Radio. We'll be live from 9:30 - 10:30 ET.

Only Two Things - Who Cheats More - Men or Women?

This week an LPGA cheating scandal hit the internet.

In involves accusations based on secondhand accounts, and some suspect that an ugly element of anti-Korean xenophobia may have come into play because the accuser, LPGA caddy/blogger, Larry Smich has a history of "issues" with Korean players.

The situation is currently under investigation and I think it's wise to reserve judgment until the facts become clear, however I did receive an email not long ago from a reader/listener who asked, "Which sex is more likely to cheat, Men or Women?" She'd just played in a scramble at a golf event with some colleagues and was quite surprised to find what she described as "a culture of cheating among the men".

"Though it wasn't a highly competitive event," she complained, "there was a "nice prize" for the winning team, and as such the "so-called lite cheating" struck me and the other women who were playing as blatantly wrong".

My reader didn't go into detail, but from what I gathered the men had no such qualms, and that's what led to her question. In light of the LPGA incident last week, I think this makes for a very interesting topic.

So here's the question: "Which sex is more likely to cheat, Men or Women?" And we'll apply it not only to golf, but also to relationships, business and life in general.

That's what we'll be talking about tonight on "Only Two Things". We'll be broadcasting from 9:30 - 10:30PM ET. And you can weigh in on-air by using call-in number 917-889-9592. Or join the conversation in the chat room or on Twitter... or just listen at BlogTalkRadio. Talk to you tonight.