Three wishes …

She Sells Sea Shells by the Sea Shore…. While I may not have asked for a Christmas gift I am asking now for you to get involved and support the Ocean the best way you can. Almost everyone has contact, fond memories and love for the OCEAN. Summers by the beach, sailing, boating, diving, beach vacations, oysters, lobsta’, shrimp, toes in the sand, Moby Dick, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Little Mermaid, Jaws, and Nemo to name a few.   

Here are three ways to get involved:   

(Mike Hirshfield, Elisa Gaudet & Xavier Past)

1-      Auction Participation- If you know of or have access to an auction item or an experience that can be auctioned off at “Christies Green Auction” taking place at Christies in NYC. http://www.abidtosavetheearth.org . If you click on “View Silent Auction” you have an idea of the packages auctioned off last year (Golf with Bill Clinton, A week in Bali, Spend the Day with Hugh Jackman or Jude Law, exclusive golf outings etc.) Please contact me if you have an auction item or access to something that would make a great item or experience.

 2-      Donate – before the end of the month. Double your gift!! Donate by August 31 and your gift will be matched. Click below and make a contribution to the Ocean and to help support the Oceana Latitude.

Click on the link:  https://oceana.democracyinaction.org/o/209/donate_page/2010expedition?utm_source=gaudet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fundraising

 3- Participate - Get involved by going to www.Oceana.org and support Oceana by signing up and learning more about what interests you. From protecting marine wildlife like sharks from fining, sea turtles and bluefin tuna to stopping ocean pollution, deep water drilling and other issues that affect the ocean.

 I visited the Latitude in early August just two days before they left for a two-month research expedition in the Gulf of Mexico to assess the long-term impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  The expedition is taking place aboard the Oceana Latitude, a 170-foot vessel capable of sailing in both shallow and deep waters, and adapted to serve as a diving platform.

The expedition team, led by Oceana’s Chief Scientist Mike Hirshfield and Oceana’s vice president for Europe, Xavier Pastor, will also include research by Dr. Jeff Short, Oceana’s Pacific science director and one of the world’s leading experts on Exxon Valdez and the effects of oil spills. The crew also includes scientists, divers and underwater photographers from our U.S., Chile and Spain offices, as well as academic scientists. 

My last On the Lip Do Mermaids GOLF column (www.onthelip.com) focused on golf and the ocean and a special place in Curacao. There are so many special ocean golf locations and truly spectacular places like Pebble Beach- CA, Mayakoba – Mexico and Casa de Campo- Dominican Republic.  I urge all my friends to get involved and pass this message along to others.

Please contact me with any suggestions and opportunities you may have for Christies Green Auction or ways to get involved.  PLEASE FORWARD THIS ON

 Love Elisa

CONTACT: Elisa@execgolfintl.com  or Phone 646 678 5747

How Do You Say Funk in Spanish?
By: Elisa Gaudet

That would be funkeon (campeon – champion) or funkador (ganador – winner).

The above question is well worth asking as Fred Funk is the champion of the inaugural Mayakoba Golf Classic. This event – the first-ever official PGA Tour stop in Mexico – was held at the stunning Mayakoba Resort just south of Cancun, on the Rivera Maya. It will continue here for the next six years.

The best way to describe the property is that it’s a “Venice of the Caribbean.” Visionary developers OHL, along with golf course designer Greg Norman, created this golf wonderland. Breathtaking views of the ocean are enjoyed on Nos. 7 and 15, while at many other junctures the experience is like playing golf alongside Venetian canals filled with turquoise water.

Mayakoba is situated just south of Cancun on Mexico’s prized Caribbean coast – the Riviera Maya. The golf course, El Camaleon, is managed by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. The layout offers players an ever-changing environment that moves gracefully from mangroves to the sea. Created to harmonize with the unspoiled tropical forest, Mayakoba is connected with a series of lagoons and canals. Guests navigate these waterways using “lanchas” (covered boats), as well as a network of walking trails.

Because of the course’s name, the champion’s trophy is a chameleon. Funk had this to say about his win: “It just feels good to win the tournament. Just to be able to compete with the young guys on the regular Tour, it shows that the old guy has still got something. It’s a very satisfying win for me.” Funk became only the second player – the first was Craig Stadler – to be victorious on the PGA Tour after winning on the Champions Tour.

The 7,039-yard layout is unusual. It involves three distinct landscapes – mangrove jungles, limestone canals and oceanfront stretches of sand. On the first hole you find a cenote, a massive underground cavern, in the center of the fairway. This proved a challenge for even the world’s best golfers.

When asked to rank the course and how it matches up with other Tour stops, Funk said: “Condition-wise, it’s a 9 or a 10. It’s really, really good. Golf design-wise, considering how much wind can blow down here, it’s an 8 or a 9. It’s really good. It’s the kind of golf course that rewards good play. If you play well, you can score well on it. Anything under par today is a really good round, I thought, and that’s the sign of a really tough golf course, a really good golf course. It rewards good shots and penalizes bad shots, and that’s all you can ask.”

This must be what the funkador asked for – as he wins with that style and grace that are signatures of a true champion and a great man. Funk is one of those people where you can say this victory could not have happened to a nicer guy. A wonderful family man, committed to his community and giving back, and well one heck of a golfer.

The PGA Tour says, “Theses guys are good.” But you know some of them are GREAT.

A question I am sure many have pondered as they venture out into the deep blue: Lurking in the mind of every late-night swimmer, scuba diver or golfer as he looks over the edge of an ocean hole searching for a lost golf ball is not… are there sharks? Rather do Mermaids golf?  Like the Loch Ness monster, myths of underwater sirens golfing has filled the ship journals of many sailors and perhaps drunken golfers at the 19^th holes in such renowned ocean golf courses as Kiawah Island in South Carolina, Old Head in Ireland, Turnberry in Scotland, Casa De Campo in the Dominican Republic and probably the most well known ocean golf course Pebble Beach in California. The sea and golf also meet in one spectacular location, Curacao.

 Photo- Jelle Kolet

GOLF

You can now add to the list of ocean golf paradise courses the Old Quarry Golf Course at the Santa Barbara Plantation in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles    

If you’re looking for a phenomenal sea and golf getaway this Curacao location is as good as it gets. The newly opened par 72 layout designed by Pete Dye is named “Old Quarry” after the historic marble quarries that offer the second best views from the golf course after the strikingly blue nearby water.  The mine still functions once a week and the topography surrounding the course can best be described as Arizona-meets-Cape Town-South Africa-meets-the-Caribbean. The Santa Barbara Plantation property and the golf course are located in the middle of this rocky marble landscape with contrasting blue Caribbean waters running alongside the entire coastline. www.santabarbaraplantation.com.

Measuring 7,200 yards from the tips, the course offers a visually stunning experience for any level golfer and the natural surroundings makes it difficult to concentrate on the game. Their are eight stunning ocean– and bay- side holes. Featured are vistas of the Caribbean Sea and the picturesque bay known as Spanish Water, named centuries ago after the Spanish sailors who came ashore looking for treasures and freshwater.  

Adding to the charm are trees estimated to be 200 to 300 years old. In order to create a least disturbance effect, Dye used paspalum grass on the fairways and tees and the native grass for the outer rough. The resort irrigates the course with recycled water mixed with salt water. Throughout the project and at the Hyatt there is a strong theme of respect for the environment and protection of nature and its resources. 

 “The ambiance is what makes it special,” says Dye. “First you see the Caribbean, then the bay and the boats, then that big mountain. This land is incredible—the contours, the views, the ruins, the setting. Here the topography has enough movement; you don’t have to create it.”

The course is part of Santa Barbara Plantation, a 1,500-acre, resort-style community just 25 minutes from Curaçao’s capital city of Willemstad and 40 minutes from the airport. The development also has the Hyatt Regency Curaçao Resort & Spa and 120-slip Seru Boca Marina on Spanish Water, capable of accommodating vessels up to 80 feet in length. In addition, Santa Barbara Plantation features a stunning beach that is sectioned off by  a  floatingdock to make it safe and easy to snorkel right off the beach. 

 There is no way to give enough accolades to the Hyatt Regency Curaçao Resort & Spa. It is always difficult when you travel to islands especially from big cities where we are accustomed to great food and great service. The Hyatt staff was sent from “staff heaven” and flawless in every department. From the moment you arrive to every area you frequent, including golf, spa, restaurants and the pool-side lunch spot, SWIM, that will deliver delicious fish tacos right to your lounge chair on the beach. www.curacao.hyatt.com

Another golf course on the island, Blue Bay Golf & Beach Resort, is worth the drive just to play hole number five. This was how the course was presented by Joel, an avid island golfer.  On the last day before our flight back a few of us did just that and ventured out to play hole five and managed to squeeze in No. 16, 17 & 18 whish also have stunning ocean views.  Blue Bay has more of a relaxed island feel than your typical resort course and No. five, the 180 yard par three cliff hole over the crashing waves, did not disappoint.  http://golf.bluebay-curacao.com

DIVING

 Scuba Diving Magazine’s 2010 Readers Choice Awads gave Curacao high marks in a number of categories, including second place for Top Shore Diving and Top Beginner Diving and Third Place for Top Marine Life, Top Visibility, Top Health of Marine Environment, Top Macro Life and Top Overall Diving. 

The diving facility Ocean Encounters (www.oceanencounters.com) is operated by Christian Ambrosi and his family. They took over the business in 2003 after many years visiting the island. Curacao boasts one of the best dive sites in the world and it did not disappoint. The dives are very well run by knowledgeable, friendly people of different nationalities who truly enjoy diving and love the ocean. The equipment and boats are great and well maintained. They went above and beyond to ensure everyone, both snorkelers and divers, had a pleasant experience and assisted greatly in locating and photographing the golfing mermaid.

Ocean Encounters is a PADI 5* IDC Resort and National Geographic Dive operator. Their fleet includes eight boats and six different locations around the island, taking underwater explorers to the best diving and snorkeling sites. 

Calm conditions, good visibility, healthy reefs, great macro life, unlimited shore diving and over 100 dive sites make Curacao a diver’s dream. Because Curacao – part of the “ABC” islands of the Netherlands Antilles (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao) – is surrounded by a fringing reef created by geological events long ago, dozens of dive sites are within feet of the shoreline. Some of the standout shore dive sites include Playa Lagun, Playa Kalki (Alice in Wonderland) and Cas Abao. If you enjoy the boat-diving experience, there are a myriad of sites within a quick boat ride of nearby resorts. Two of the better known can’t-miss dives include Mushroom Forest and the Superior Producer wreck.

 It is here with all the great splendor of aquatic life that we realize how fragile and important the ocean is and the importance of protecting this natural resource. Christian and his group have a “zero contact” policy: no touching and no contact of sea life. Oceana (www.oceana.org), the largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation, is dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans and working tirelessly on strategic, directed campaigns that will help return our oceans to former levels of abundance.

Golfing Mermaids were spotted near the Tugboat dive site. A tugboat wrecked 25 years ago just a few yards offshore and rests at 17 feet in a protected bay that has become a famous site for divers as well as snorkelers. The site offers lots of diving choices – wall, wreck and deep. Located on the protected southeast side of Caracasbay, the Tugboat site is accessible only by boat. A steep wall is located a mere three-minute swim from the wreck, which drops about 100 feet. Overgrown with tube sponges, coral, and a variety of colourful reef fish, including majestic blue parrot fish and yellow tail snappers, the abandoned tugboat makes this an ideal location for a mermaid’s version of miniature golf.  No doubt the mermaids obtain most of their golf balls in the water just off Old Quarry Golf Course hole Nos. 1 and 2.

Carl Spackler: “So I jump ship in Hong Kong and make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas. A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I’m a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald. striking. So, I’m on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one – big hitter, the Lama – long, into a ten-thousand foot crevice, right at the base of this glacier. And do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga gunga – gunga galunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he’s gonna stiff me. And I say, “Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know.” And he says, “Oh, uh, there won’t be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consiousness.” So I got that goin’ for me, which is nice.”

http://insidemovies.moviefone.com/2010/07/25/30-things-you-might-not-know-about-caddyshack/?icid=main|main|dl7|link3|http%3A%2F%2Finsidemovies.moviefone.com%2F2010%2F07%2F25%2F30-things-you-might-not-know-about-caddyshack%2F

Justin Rose wins the Memorial. Watch an exclusive interview when Elisa interviews Justin at his home. See You Tube video

How far would you travel to meet a friend for coffee? How about 2493.52 miles southwest from New York City to Bogotá, Colombia!

Perhaps if your friends are Camilo Villegas, Juan Pablo Montoya and Juan Valdez, this would be like winning the Colombian trifecta. These men are probably the three most popular legal exports out of Colombia. So southwest I went and the trip was well worth it.

While the South American country has been perceived as a place with drug cartels, it appears it now has three new ambassadors who are changing that image and inviting visitors to know the true Colombia. When I visited, Bogotá was very safe and welcoming, and the passion of the Colombian people is evident in everything they do. As part of its changed image, Colombia is staking a place in the international golf world with over 50 challenging courses and some of the best the sport has to offer in Latin America.

The nation boasts courses designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player in exotic locations as diverse as the country itself. While it has put itself on the golf map by hosting a number of professional tours, including the Tour de las Americas and events on the Challenge and Canadian tours, Colombia can now add the Pacific Rubiales Bogotá Open, a Nationwide Tour event, the first such event by that tour in South America.

Golf has always been about taking into account the community impact and changing peoples’ lives. As the Nationwide Tour expands its presence in Latin America, the field in the Pacific Rubiales Bogotá Open showcased professional golfers from over 12 different countries. Yet it was 48-year-old American Steve Pate who took home the trophy.

Colombia’s capital city of Bogotá, population 8 million, is situated at 2,640 feet above sea level. Given its altitude, a golf ball travels about 12% farther than many other courses around the world. Bogotá contains 24 courses and has the perfect climate for golf. Colombia’s No. 1 golfer, Villegas, came through for his country by appearing Tuesday for a press conference to kick off the Nationwide event and welcome everyone. He then took a plane to Florida to play – and win – the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic, a victory for himself and Colombia.

In the immediate future, Villegas will play on both the European and PGA tours as he feels golf is a global sport and, since at this point in his life, he doesn’t have family responsibilities and, as he jokingly said, “like Pablo who has two, three kids.”

He started playing on the Nationwide Tour in 2005, then advanced to the PGA Tour in 2006 and, in 2008, joined the ranks as one of the top-50 players in the world. As you can imagine, Villegas felt a great sense of pride when he entered the gates of the Country Club of Bogotá and was greeted by a giant sign that read: “Bienvenido – Welcome Nationwide Tour.”

“It was my dream to have a Nationwide event in Colombia. It took 5 years,” he said. “This is a dream come true for me to come through the gates today. It was my hope that if people had direct contact with our country they would see there is a misleading image if you have not been here. Players have been coming up to me and saying what a great place Bogotá is, it’s just awesome.  This is a special event and a big deal for Colombia.”

Camilo’s nickname of “Spiderman” came about in 2005 when he was playing the Nationwide. He was not putting well and needed to read the greens better. Before Villegas realized what he was doing, he got himself into the now well-known low-crawling position and soon made a 12-foot putt. Two holes later he did the same thing and sank that putt. The name has stuck ever since.

He explained to me there is a process to winning that is more than just simply saying, “I want to win this tournament or that one.”

“It is a process and one I asked ‘how do I get there,’ “ he said. “It is a combination of things like practice, focus, patience, managing my time, being organized, hard work and putting the distractions to one side – there are millions of distractions. I want to play good golf and enjoy it.”

Juan Valdez, the recognizable Latin man with the mustache and mule, represents more than 500,000 coffee growers in the heart of the Colombian mountains where the sun and secrets of the soil, combined with the passion and hard work of those “cafeteros,” nurture coffee beans to perfection. With his trusted friend Conchita always by his side, Valdez’s mission is to symbolize the proud traditions of these hard-working men and women, who pick every bean by hand and are 100% committed to their families, communities and the environment. Since 1959, Valdez has been promoting Colombian coffee all over the world and ensuring that the most discerning consumers can always enjoy a cup of the “Richest Coffee in the World.”

Juan Pablo Montoya, a NASCAR driver for Earnhardt Ganassi who races the No. 42 Target car, was born in Bogotá and was proud to return and co-host the pro-am for the Nationwide event with Villegas. Both men are extremely dedicated to their respective charities, which help support underprivileged Colombians. Montoya’s is the Fundacion Formula Sonrisa (Formula Smile Foundation – www.formulasonrisas.com).

Montoya and Villegas understand the significance of golf in Latin America. Such support is important to Latinos, and the two professional athletes are helping the game while increasing golf tourism in the region. They proudly mention that there are now 27 players from Latin America with victories on the PGA Tour.

“We have an opportunity, behind these events, to give exposure to our country and to charity. These events help a great deal to create funds and draw attention to foundations that help lots of needy people” says Villegas, whose charity is Fondo Camilo Villegas.

Juan Pablo has been playing golf for seven years and carries a 6 handicap. His crew chief is a fine golfer and plays to a 2 or 3. When asked to compare golf and driving in NASCAR, he sees a correlation. “Something that is incredible with golf that relates to racing is that if you make a mistake once you get into the next corner, you can not be thinking about the mistake and golf is the same way. If you hit a bad shot it can not drive you down.”

Montoya happily lent his star power to the pro-am as he also believes that in Colombia, “perception is much different than the reality and golf is a way to tell the reality.” Pablo and Camilo have played together a few times but, as Pablo says, you can’t compare their golf games. “It’s like saying who is better at driving.”

Camilo made that clear in the Honda Classic who’s better on the golf course. His win could not have been timelier as it came the same week that the Nationwide Tour debuted in his home country. It was almost as if he was inspired or that he had all of Colombia routing him on.

As they say in NASCAR: “May the Best Driver Win.” It looks like the best driver this time was Camilo Villegas.

For more information on traveling to and playing in Colombia, visit www.colombia.travel.

After running the NY marathon Super Stud Olympic Speed Skater Dan Jansen paid a visit to Stephen Colbert Monday night. What do these two men have in common besides a love of golf…. the need for speed and a hunger for Olympic Gold.

Stephen Colbert stepped up when the Dutch bank DSB went bankrupt and left the US speed skating team without a sponsor. This left a $300,000 hole in U.S. Speed skating budget just a few months before the Olympics.

After a compelling  description by Dan Jansen as to the state of affairs for the US speed skating team Stephen Colbert proposed having “Colbert Nation” sponsor the team. So now when the US team crosses the finish line in hot pursuit of Gold they will have “Colbert Nation” on their cap and legs. This is actually due to the generous donations of Colbert’s fans.

If you would like to donate go to www.colbertnation.com.

While Colbert admitted he is a golfer he would not divulge his handicap. Dan Jansen, an excellent golfer with a 4 handicap, often plays in celebrity tournaments. It also helps that he is married to Karen Palacios Jansen one of the top teaching pros in the USA and named 2008-09 LPGA National Teacher of the Year.

Golf has come a long way first the clothes got hipper and now finally funny golf ads:

Gillette: “Staying Alive” Tiger, Jeter & Federer [link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlYoNlO6Dgw&NR=1]

While the weather played center stage for a good part of the US Open even pushing it to Monday there were some compelling events, story lines and activities on and off course that made it all worth while. Keeping Dry was the name of the game and how better than the pure entertainment of Johnny Miller and Peter Jacobsen in the Lexus tent.

They gave great insight and provided comic relief from the storm. Discussing everything from Tigers swing, predicting who would do well playing in these conditions to impromptu acapella songs and nutrisystem.

Playing a round of golf with someone can give you incredible insight as to their personality and while the weather denied many from watching the long awaited US Open there are still some who found the silver lining. A few new friends took the opportunity to convert the 15the hole into their personal cigar lounge. Their were no frowning faces just a great view, great friends and great cigars you would have never known they were there to watch golf.  

Brain Gay & caddy Kip Henley

Throughout time there have been great Dynamic Duos – Bonnie & Clyde, The Lone Ranger & Tonto, Han Solo & Luke Skywalker, Tom & Jerry, Starsky & Hutch, Bert & Ernie, Mac & Cheese and probably the most well known, Batman & Robin. Add to that list Brian Gay and Kip Henley.

There are also “cenotes,” deep natural wells or sinkholes formed by the collapse of surface limestone that exposes ground water underneath. The first and largest can been seen in the middle of the fairway on the first hole. “Holey rusted metal, Batman! The ground. It’s all metal. It’s full of holes. You know, holey.” These cenotes were once used by ancient Mayans for sacrificial offerings. There is water all around, deep jungle like mangroves and an array of wildlife that suddenly appears like the chameleon for which the course is named.

On the golf course in the Batmobile:   Robin: “Let’s get going and make an emergency bat-turn!” Batman: “Not this time, old chum. Have to think of the golfers. The retro-rockets would burn up the course.

“This is what makes us like Felix and Oscar, yet we really work well together because I see things differently and he is interested in my opinion and takes it to heart some of the time. I will tell him to go for a shot he may not see or would take a more conservative approach using an extra shot. The lessons I have learned from Brian have been many and mostly non-verbal.”

Brian’s comments mirrored Kip’s in that he describes himself as cautious and analytical, whereas Kip is aggressive and takes chances. “Kip keeps it light when we are on the course; he jokes and gives me another perspective. For example, if I have a water penalty he will say, ‘It is just a golf ball – you get them for free.’ It helps me to relax and not get too in my head.”

When Brian was asked which dynamic duo best represents their relationship, his response, accompanied, by a chuckle, was macaroni and cheese. “Well . . . I like mac and cheese and Kip likes to eat.”

Brian does see some possible comparisons to the Batman and Robin duo in their relationship. Batman was more a serious character in the TV series, while Robin had a total of 352 “holy,” including such nuggets as “Holy Agility” and “Holy Zorro.” While Kip may not be quite so prolific in his “holy” phrases, he often says “forshizzle,” his version of “for sure.”

During the final round of the Mayakoba, Gay had a three-shot lead and faced a 15-foot downhill putt on the 17th green. He asked Kip if it was going to be “super-fast.” Kip responded, “Forshizzle,” the type of word from a caddie that releases tension in his player.

Both men have high praise for Mexico, Mayakoba and the people they met. They enjoyed the international flavor (alluding to more than the guacamole and cervesa) of playing a PGA Tour event outside the U.S., and found the Mexican people to be gracious hosts. Many are now their friends.

Batman: “The green button will turn the car a la izquierda o a la drecha.” Robin: “To the left or right. Threw in a little Spanish on me, huh, Batman?” Batman: “One should always keep abreast of foreign tongues, Robin.”

Along with their abilities to beat mere mortals with a single golf stroke, Gay and Henley possess other superhero qualities, like belts. Yes, most superheroes have a special belt and these two are no exception. Racing to the scene of the crime in the Batmobile, Batman and Robin must (with the help of the trusty Bat-utility-belt) thwart the efforts of a variety of master criminals.

Brian wears 59 Belts, custom-made in Las Vegas. The one he wore the day of his Mayakoba win has a star; being a Dallas Cowboy fan he takes it to represent the team emblem. Gay prefers to avoid superstitions on his belts, shirts, or any other clothing article for that matter. He relies on talent and shies away from placing importance on anything other his ability to play golf. Kip wears Fligo belts from Canada because, he says, “they make a fat guy look cool.”

Robin: “Where’d you get a live fish, Batman?” Batman: “The true crime fighter always carries everything he needs in his utility belt, Robin.”

When asked who’d be the likely candidate to drive the Batmobile, the response from Kip was quick and decisive, “Not up for discussion… me. If it was up to Brian we’d be going the speed limit.”

Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel – The Mayakoba Golf Classic will be held February 25 – March 1, 2009, when the team of Brian and Kip will defend their title.