And you thought alligators on Florida courses were a problem.

Missing Python Found At Golf Club.

VISIBALL Glasses

For me, one of the most frustraing things in golf is losing a ball in plain sight. You know the feeling: you hit a nice drive and watch it trickle a little off the fairway. Then you get to the spot and for the life of you, you can’t find the ball. So you have to take a stroke and distance penalty, ruining the hole, and possibly the round.

Visiball promises to help you find those wayward balls. The lens is designed to filter out the greens of the course, making the white ball stand out. Of course, it also will make any bits of paper or white leaf undersides stand out, so it’s not a perfect solution.

But I’m seriously thinking about getting one of these. If it saves me even one stroke and distance penalty a round (or saves me five minutes looking for a ball), it’ll be worth it.

I think I’d like these even better, though if there was a flip version. Then I could attach them to my sun glasses and flip them up and down as needed.

Or would that look totally geeky? No matter. Everyone already knows that I’m a geek.

Natalie Gulbis 2007 Calendar

There is no doubt that the LPGA currently has a large number of attractive young players on its roster, but none has played this up as much as Natalie Gulbis. And why not? Sex sells. It’s a shrewd business move on Gulbis’ part. There’s no doubt that it influenced her deals with—among others—Taylor Made Golf, Adidas, Canon, and Amstel Light.

Of course, there aren’t the nude photos like you’ll find in the Sophie Sandolo calendars, but some of those bikini shots are about as close to naked as you can get and still be legal in all 50 states. Her first calendar was banned by the USGA from the US Open venue.

It also doesn’t hurt Natalie’s no slouch on the course, either. While she has yet to actually win a tournament, she finished third in the Kraft Nabisco (an LPGA Major) in 2006, fourth in the US Open in 2005, and fifth in the 2005 LPGA Championship. She placed in the top-10 in four consecutive major championships from the 2005 LPGA Championship to the 2006 Kraft Nabisco Championship. Gulbis also placed sixth on the 2005 money list.

That’s not a bad record. And its only a matter of time before she wins ... and wins ... and wins.

It almost sounds like a scene from a cartoon: A guy attempts to steal a set of golf clubs from a porch, and is beaten into submission by a woman wielding a ten inch cooking pot.

HAMMY PUTTER Milled Faced Putter

If you’ve watched the LPGA at all this year, you no doubt have seen Natalie Gulbis working with her “Hammy” putter. It seems to me to be as much a new style of putting as a new style of putter.

Using the Hammy looks a lot like working with a hockey stock. With your hands apart, you address the ball with an open stance. To putt, your right hand serves as a guide, and a shoulder turn is used to deliver the force.

The theory behind this putter is that it allows you to use both eyes to aim, eliminating the problem of eye dominance and lack of perspective. Since your head is essentially behind the ball, you get a good look at the hole.

The club is called the Hammy because the inventor came up with it while recuperating from a hamstring injury. While he originally used a regular putter, the triple bend and split grip was designed specificaly for the new putting style.

LPGA Legend Mickey Wright is recovering from breast cancer surgery. Her manager said that the procedure was done on Friday. Wright is 71.

Winner of 82 tournaments, Wright is the only person on the LPGA to hold all four major titles at the same time. In that, she stands with Tiger Woods and Bobby Jones as one of three professionals to do so. In all, she won 12 majors.

Those accomplishments are even more astounding when you consider that she retired from tournament golf in 1969 at age 34.

Her’s wishing Ms. Wright a speedy recovery.

NIKE Long Sleeve Interlock Mock

While I’m not a huge fan of Nike balls—and havent’ had much of a chance to try their equipment—I really like their clothing. I was reminded of this the other day when I got my cold weather golf gear out and found five Nike mock turtlenecks among them. They’re warm and are cut just right for playing golf. I also wear for skiing and other wintry outdoor activities (like shoveling the driveway.) I’ve got a date with a course this Wed, and will be wearing one of them for sure.