Golf Babes

You've probably heard of "crowdfunding" sites, such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo and GoFundMe. Entrepreneurs can post their business ideas on such sites and solicit donations to help fund start-ups or product research and development. And some pro golfers have tried such generic crowdfunding websites. But wouldn't it be better if there was a site designed specifically for golfers? Now there is. It's called ProUKnow.com , and Natalie Sheary (above) and Michelle Shin (right) are two of the first golfers giving it a try. You might say Sheary and Shin will serve as test cases for the concept. A small percentage of aspiring pro golfers come out on tour backed by big-dollar sponsorship deals and great fanfare. That's not the case for most golfers, however, many of whom start on developmental tours and work their way up. They face travel expenses, lodging, food costs, caddie costs (if they can afford to pay a caddie at all), tournament entry fees. Expenses can

It was a pretty good birthday this year for Danielle Kang, who turned 22 just a few days ago. But because of her travel schedule - flying into China for this week's Blue Bay LPGA - her birthday stretched and stretched and stretched. “It was the longest birthday of my life actually," Danielle said . "We went on the plane and it was like a charter plane, so everybody is like 'happy birthday' on the plane. Then I went to sleep and then I woke up. And it was still my birthday. We drove in a car, got to the hotel and then I went to sleep and it was still my birthday and I woke up and I had a full day of birthday.” But the biggest present for Danielle was still to come. It arrived on Thursday in the first round of the Blue Bay LPGA, a brand new event on the tour's schedule, played on Hainan Island, China. On the 17th hole, Kang holed out with an 8-iron on the 155-yard par-3. And that was the hole-in-one prize hole. The prize? A Buick LaCrosse luxury midsize

#451688211 / gettyimages.com Morgan Pressel is giving away two of her own stand bags this month, both autographed, and if you want one it's very easy to throw your name into the hat. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As I'm sure you know, the fight against breast cancer is a very personal one for Morgan, who lost her mother to the disease at a young age. So Morgan has always used her celebrity to help raise awareness (and money). Her Morgan Pressel Foundation has raised around $2 million over the past several years, including around $600,000 this year alone. What does it do with money? Things that have very tangible benefits for women (and men): "Last year, with the monies raised, we were able to purchase the Kathryn Krickstein Pressel Mammovan in association with the Boca Raton Regional Hospital, which travels around the area providing easy access for a yearly mammogram." That's good stuff! But back to the golf bags: you want to know how to enter

There's a brand new tournament taking place this week on the LPGA Tour, the Blue Bay LPGA on Hainan Island, China. And some of the LPGA players there shares photos on Instagram and/or Twitter of their pro-am party attire or poolside cool: Here are the newly blue-haired Jessica Korda and Jodi Ewart: Lexi Thompson relaxing poolside: The tour's three musketeers, Mina Harigae, Lizette Salas and Danielle Kang (you'll always find them together): Sandra Gal by the pool: And Michelle Wie:

Ladies European Tour star Carly Booth shared some very simple yet very powerful advice on social media today. Here it is: Live in the moment. Enjoy the little things and be thankful #blessed http://t.co/uMgg0d2OuV — Carly Booth (@CarlyBooth92) October 22, 2014 And the accompanying photo? If you follow Carly - and you should - one thing becomes perfectly clear about her: She's a very happy young woman, leading the life she wants to live. You could certainly do a lot worse than to have Carly as your life coach. More Carly Booth pics

Courtyard by Marriott recently ran a promotion called the "Elevator Pitch," a campaign around its Young Entrepreneur Challenge. And Indian golfer Sharmila Nicollet was a big part of the campaign in Marriott International Asia Pacific territory. Watch the video: Entries for the contest are closed, so don't get any last-minute ideas for submissions. The last minute is already past. The contest was described this way by Marriott International Asia Pacific: "Courtyard by Marriott is looking for the next generation of entrepreneurs with big dreams and big ideas. We are calling for entries for those with a great business idea - be it an innovation, a product or a service. If you think you have what it takes, submit your idea before 28th September 2014 for chance to win 1 million rupees." A microsite about the contest on the India Times website explains that more than 1,000 submissions were received. Those are currently being whittled down to five finalists, an

(Photo: instagram.com/elliegoodall ) Unless you happen to be English, like she is, Ellie Goodall is probably a new name to you. But the first round of the LET Access Series' WPGA International Challenge just ended, as I write this, and Goodall - a 19-year-old amateur - shares the first-round lead. We don't know where Ellie will wind up in that tournament, of course, be we do know what she's done so far in her very young career. She was the English Northern Girls Champion in 2011 and 2012, and the Northern Ladies champion in 2013. (The Girls championship is a junior tournament, the Ladies championship an adult one.) She was also the Yorkshire Girls champion in 2013. In a couple big amateur events so far in 2014, Goulding was 10th in the Scottish Ladies Open Championship in April, and 18th in the English Women's Open Amateur Stroke Play in August.

Many (most) of the tournaments on the LPGA schedule throw gala welcome parties for the golfers. Which is great if you're a fan of golf babes, and the golfers who dress up for these parties enjoy using social media. Below are some of the pics shared by LPGA golfers playing the 2015 LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship in Korea. Here are Ha-Neul Kim and Lydia Ko: Here's a stunning Lexi Thompson in red: This one is like a meeting of the Golf Babes Hall of Fame - Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and Natalie Gulbis: Another trio, the lovely Mina Harigae, Lizette Salas and Danielle Kang: And a twirling Sandra Gal:

What does 2015 have in store for Kylee Duede? She plans on playing Cactus Tour tournaments in Arizona, along with some Symetra Tour events. And some of the state opens, depending on how the calendar falls. She'll be working toward Q-School attempts for both the LPGA and the Ladies European Tour. It helps to enjoy travel when you're a touring professional, and Kylee does. "I love traveling, so add golfing to the part and it couldn't be a better gig," she told Golf Babes. Duede has battled rheumatoid arthritis virtually her entire life, so staying in shape becomes even more important. "Fitness is a huge part of my success," she said. "Eating healthy and staying in tip-top shape helps me move better in my swing." The arthritis affects her left knee, and she likely faces a knee replacement at some point in the not-too-distant future. Kylee told the Arizona Republic newspaper earlier this year, "It worries me a little bit. That is

(Photo: GolfChannel.com ) Tessa Teachman has done something that not many golfers can claim: She's won high school state championships in two different states. Given that you have to be attending high school in a given state to play in that state's high school championship tournament, there aren't many golfers out there who've won in different states. But Tessa won the New York high school championship in 2004 and then the Louisiana state championship in 2007. Beginning Oct. 7, we'll get to watch Teachman as a cast member on Big Break Myrtle Beach ; that's the date the new series begins airing on the Golf Channel. Teachman is one of six women, along with six men, who make up the cast. After high school Tessa played collegiately at Louisiana State University. She made the National Golf Coaches Association All-Scholar team three consecutive years (2010-12). A wrist injury bothered her all four years in college, but she managed to finish third in the NCAA ind

(Photos courtesy of Men's Health Malaysia ) Jean Chua is back home this week, in her hometown of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to play in the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia tournament. You can also spot Jean this month in the page of Men's Health Malaysia , frolicking on the beach as part of a photo shoot that accompanies an article about her. The article is headlined "The Trailblazing Angel," and is teased this way by the magazine: "We spent a day at the beach with Jean Chua, one of the Malaysian angels at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia Tournament this month. She opens up about dating and how you can measure up." Some of the ways you can measure up if you want to date Jean are included in her Twitter bio: "LPGA golfer, born in Malaysia. Avid Fantasy Football Fan. Victoria Secret head to toe. Learning the ropes of hunting gators." Fantasy football, Victoria's Secret, gator hunting. And unexpected combo! (She's serious about the gator hunting, by

Annabel Rolley is a name and face Golf Channel viewers are about to become very familiar with. She's a golf instructor and television presenter, and she's the co-host of new show on Golf Channel. The show is called Lesson Tee Live and, beginning Oct. 8, it will air on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. (ET). Lesson Tee Live is - as you can probably guess from its name - a live instruction show. Some of the biggest names in golf instruction will appear on the show (David Leadbetter, Jim McLean, Bill Harmon, Craig Harmon and Bob Baldassari are among those already lined up), and viewers will be able to interact through social media and technology platforms. That's where Rolley comes in. As the co-host, Rolley is in charge of facilitating social media interaction between viewers and the instructors, working on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, FaceTime and Skype. But Rolley isn't just a pretty face, although she certainly is that. She has broadcasting chops honed in her native Aust

We know Sara Brown very well from her multiple Big Break appearances, including her participation in the recently concluded Big Break Invitational tournament. She's also played well on the Symetra Tour (including a victory) and Ladies European Tour, and held provisional status on the LPGA Tour. But now Sara is trying something new: She's the new cohost on the Golf Channel instructional series School of Golf . The gig lasts through the end of 2014; presumably Brown will head back out on tour in 2015. But regardless of her future golf plans, this is a huge opportunity for the personable Sara to forge a path to a post-competition career. School of Golf is the weekly instructional series with Martin Hall. It airs on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Eastern time. According to Golf Channel, the topics that will be covered in shows cohosted by Brown are: Oct. 8 – Long Drive Special Oct. 15 – From Tee to Green Oct. 22 – Hitting the Range Oct. 29 – Scary Shots Nov. 5 – Stick it Close Nov.

Amy Boulden is having herself quite the rookie season on the Ladies European Tour in 2014. On the day this is being written, the 21-year-old golfer from Wales finished second at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France, one behind winner Azahara Munoz. Earlier in the season Boulden had a fourth-place finish. Then she had a third-place finish. Now she has a runner-up. Is win No. 1 just around the corner? Boulden's rookie LET season got off to a rough start with two missed cuts in her first three starts. But in nine starts since then she has missed only one cut; in the other eight events, her worst finish was 32nd. She has four Top 10s in those other eight starts, plus an 11th and a 20th. That's a very good stretch for a proven veteran; for a young, first-year player, it's fantastic. Boulden won the BBC's Young Sportwomen of the Year citation in 2008. She played on the European Junior Ryder Cup team in 2009 and Junior Solheim Cup team in 2010. She represented Great Bri

Carling (Coffing) Nolan was a Big Break champ and a Futures Tour regular; after Big Break she branched out into vlogging, then television hosting. Now, she is retiring from tournament golf to focus on TV work fulltime. She made the announcement on Twitter: The Big Break was my final tournament. I am retiring from golf to do full-time TV. I will miss it but excited for @18HolesJHanlin on Fox!! — Carling Nolan (@CarlingNolan) October 3, 2014 The Big Break she refers to in the tweet is the just-completed Big Break Invitational . At that event, Nolan made the cut but was eliminated on the next-to-last day in match play. Carling's first appearance on the Golf Channel show - her introduction to America - was on Big Break Sandals Resorts , the season for which she was the champion. She got into two tournaments as a result of that win, finishing 35th in the (no-cut) 2010 Lorena Ochoa Invitational on the LPGA Tour; and making the cut and finishing 22nd in the LET Omega Dubai Lad

We like to occasionally highlight new sponsorship deals signed by women pro golfers because in women's golf - unless you're one of the biggest stars - coming by such deals can be a struggle. So here's some good news: a pair of LPGA youngsters have new deals with a company called Paylocity . Jennifer Kirby (left), in her rookie season, and Victoria Elizabeth (below), in her second year with LPGA status, now have Paylocity as a sponsor. Paylocity is a "cloud-based provider of payroll and human capital management software solutions" that is traded on the NASDAQ exchange. Kirby and Elizabeth join Brooks Koepka as pro golfers sponsored by Paylocity. "... It's their passion and dedication to improvement and future success that made them the obvious choices," Michael Haske, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Paylocity, said. "We wanted to find players who shared our commitment to innovation and growth." Here's how Paylocity