Today is always the first day of my life, nothing else matter, so to warm up I headed for the driving range in spite of raging winds.

I hit whole buckets of golf ball so great, long straight and clean. So what happened….I let go and I let the hands lead and all of my 108 pounds came behind. Simple!

I also did not focus on the wind, the shoulders, the hips the head the ball or the importance of looking great. It all worked out, The Mystery of hitting a golf ball was no mystery today.

It felt great and I am inspired to dig into my notes, add on what is needed and to tell my story.

A woman’s life journey through

The Mystery School of Golf,

Featuring the Awesome Eight Golf Challenge

Golf, Yoga and Laugh

until next time Anna-Lena

Golf. Yoga and Laugh!

Anna-Lena

Thank-you all who has followed my journey. It has been and still is a process. Little did I know how a challenge like this would help me deeper my understanding about me.

I even found a better understanding about my golf swing and have after this played the best golf ever. It is all a matter of taking responsibility over ones decisions.To find ways to be more aware and not take things so serious and never never take anything personally. I love Echart Tolle’s  Ego definition

A Dysfunctional relationship with the Present moment

and how to solve it

The decision to make the Present moment into your friend is the end of the Ego

I have embraced that and it has worked wonders.

My speech about my journey went good. It was hard to compact all what I wanted to say into a half hour speech. People liked it though and I got myself started to share my experiences on another level.

Now when my golf challenge is over and my golf game is coming back I am faced with another opportunity and challenge. I have taken that on…..  So many times during my South America Travel I said to myself I got to learn Spanish and here we go….I manifested that.

I am going to Costa Rica for 3 and half month to oversee and teach at a yoga retreat so extreme golf bliss will be extreme yoga bliss….and there will be lots of opportunities to speak Spanish….follow me there www.bambooyogaplay.com. I will keep you updated about my writings, my book and my life..

Love, Golf, Yoga while you play and laugh!

Anna-Lena

An update what is happening after my completion. I have been on

The Golf Club Radio Show - We Talk Golf!

The show airs Statewide in Hawaii Every Saturday from 7:00 AM to 8:30 AM HST, Hosted and Produced by Danielle Tucker

It was great, being able to talk about my adventures and being interviewed by a woman is always good! We talked about the spirit of golf and THAT if you have read my previous blogs is close to my heart. My game is very little about the score, especially when I am not competing. It is another story when I am in tournament, however I think today I will enjoy even the competition in another way.

Because of the article in Hawaii Golf  News and travel magazine (owner and the person who interviewed me in Hawaii ,Norm Guenther) I have a speaking engagement about by experiences and travel!

I was interviewed and photographed by our local news paper Ventura County Star about the completion and that will be featured Wednesday May 6th. When Mr Buttitta asked me what next I told him that I really want to play the REALmost Northern Course in a Celebrity Golf Tournament that is happening every year the 3rd week of July in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories,Since I am not a celebrity, I wanted to extend that invitation to one and I have a crazy as me one in my mind. Mr Buttitta said he is going to do what he can; I am all for manifesting it.  I am still asking everyone for donation to The Pattaya Fund, those children will surely appreciate any help.

For now and check in soon

Love ,Golf and Yoga and of course LAUGH

Anna-Lena

To satisfy requirements from the masculine forces out there, I am now giving my most directive way with a woman golfer’s touch! I started the morning of the 2nd of April from my lovely bed and breakfast place. I had found out the day before that the tee time for this historic event was going to be 7.20! I wanted to be early so I could maybe hit some balls…. However I managed to get lost, there are many one way streets and my bearings were not set yet.

The car has its steering wheel on the right side and I had to work with my left hand to do the gearing and driving at the left side… It is a very interesting task and my brain and mind was not that good to me, and I wanted to be soooooooooooooo relaxed and in great demeanor for this last leg.

I did find the big St Andrews Hotel , where a nice guy helped me by taking me with the hotel van ( I parked my car there, I think he saw the panic in my eyes!) back to where it all happens, the starter. It is so different here. How important to again be reminded that there are many ways to run businesses.

I found the green fee booth and there I also found Robin Sieger the founder of The Awesome Eight Golf Challenge. How exiting to finally see him and talk to him. We were joined by 2 other guys, also from the States. The starter, a very gracious and fine man, told us about the speed and the importance of keeping up with the group ahead of us.

We got our scorecards and off we went. The first hole at St Andrews is very forgiving, very wide. The sun is shining and there is no wind. It is a miracle, this happens very very seldom. I am very grateful for this miracle, there is plenty of other obstacles to be aware of, like all the pot bunkers and the other deep and steep 6 foot wall bunkers. The fairways offered very tight lies and it was hard to get a regular 3 wood connected to the ball. I needed a hybrid, rescue club, that was obvious here! A true links course with the holes lined up after each other.

Then a hole to turn and then the holes lined up for the home stretch. I liked the famous 17 hole, it was also the most interesting I think, although I could not hit over the roof of the hotel where I had parked my car; however that was the way to go! The many hidden bunkers made the course very unpredictable and to have a caddy the first time when it’s played is a good idea. The flag is not always visible, which makes it even more interesting and for some very frustrating. To walk and to feel the energy of this 600 year old course is a amazing, The golf course was not a course a would like to play often, kind of boring, sorry!

Here comes the woman golfer’s opinion. The front tees were only 330 yards shorter than the tees where the guys played from.

When I had hit the guys were already walking towards their 250+ yard, and the time I had put my club back and started to walk they were far away and always in front of me. I felt very rushed and again I had the opportunity to reflect on how this would affect a relationship!

Having worked with those issues and gone through it I did not think it affected me, however there was one time when I shanked a 5 wood (have never done that before) and almost hit 3 of the guys ( we had 2 caddies in the group too) with the same shanked ball, I did feel some anger that they were in front of me all the time!

At the 17th green a member came up to us, Robins friend Pete and joined us for the last hole.

That was very pleasant someone who was genuinely interested in what I was about to accomplish and who walked with me. St Andrews is a very traditional course, and Pete is a proud member of this very famous place. When I told him that I was going to stand on my head at the 18th green; he very kindly said I will turn my head!

I have absolutely no doubt that the old spirit of St Andrews, I also think Shivas Iron, and the legend in the book Golf in the Kingdom would cheer me on and acknowledge the gratitude I am holding to Mother Earth for providing soil for the wonderful game of golf. My headstand is a celebration of Yoga, union of it all.

Pictures were taken and they all congratulated me. It felt unreal and my emotions were stuck somewhere. I wanted to get the book signed so I went to the starter and what this man said to me and his way of saying it, the journey the adventure the hardships, the excitements, the travel the experiences, the learning’s, the passion of golf, the people I had met the purpose of all this fell into my heart and I teared up. He said ” I have been thinking about your challenge all day and I want to say it is an honor to have had you here and I congratulate you to a splendid accomplishment, he had tears in his eye while he was saying this holding my hands and looked me into my eyes. I felt this deep love from one human to another joined in the passion of life through golf. Thank You wonderful being!

Then celebration begun, Pete the member took us to his clubhouse. There another wonderful guy met up with us,  William McCartney (william@golflinxtravel.com). He arrange both my Bed and Breakfast place Six Murray Park www.sixmurraypark.co.uk  and the tee time for me. He was suppose to play with us , however he had played to many holes with new golf shoes and his feet did not agree to any more walking!. He took his time and still came to congratulate me, Thank-You William, I sure appriciated that.

After a nap in the afternoon the whole foursome+ Pete joined for drinks in the local pub and dinner. Thank You Robin and Pete again for a memorable day and evening.

I had to tell you about my next day. I wanted of course to play more golf, once in the Kingdom of Golf. Decided to play the New Course (built 1894!) No one to play with so I went out by myself and I experienced the mystic atmosphere and the spirit of the ancient golfers. It did help that it was a little foggy; however the round was so pleasurable and so much fun. I liked the course so much more than the old course. I played 2 balls, match play with myself, Anna against Lena, Anna won with I up. The course is also a links course, however the lies were not that tight and the holes where more interesting. A great way of spending a day here where the home of golf is located.

My adventures will continue and please check in once in awhile to see what is going on and how the book is coming along.

LOVE GOLF AND LAUGH and do some yoga!

Anna-Lena

My mind wants to go bisark, what if, what if what if….Back to breathing and back to what I can control.

Pack a variation of my black,red and white clothes, warm fuzzy and wet proof. Put all my “proof” that I really have been to all the places to give to Robin Sieger, who will be meeting me at St Andrerws, and play with me there, as well as the wonderful travel agent Wiiliam I found on the net www.golflinxtravel.com.

My diary, my laptop and my faith and humor! How hard can that be, oh my I am really working myself up for nothing!

I will be on my 2nd radioshow this coming Saturday,Danielle Tucker from Hawaii, she host a golf radioshow and invited me to talk about my adventures, cool!

For now I say goodbye, might come back and tell you more of what is happening, oh I played golf yesterday on my home course Olivas Links here in Ventura,I shot a good round and my distances has improved with my strenght training, yoga does that to you too

The money I am raising will go to Father Rays Foundation, the original Pattya Childrens Fund. I see lots of money coming in so far I have almost $700

Love, Golf and Laugh

My stay at a friends friends house worked out perfectly. Through her a news paper fellow Norman Guenther the owner of Hawaii Golf News and Travel found out about me. Norm arrange to play with me, comped me the greenfee and made the round even nicer.

I had some one there who knew the course to keep the score and keep me calm!!!! We laughed and I cried a little ( in the secret). The course is extraordinary pretty. The walk somewhat difficult because of the ravines, have to walk around them. I might be the first 63 year old woman who has walked it, while carrying my clubs! I particularity liked the par 3 holes. Not only because they were reachable, it was the layouts and the way the bunkers where protecting the greens.

The sudden rain and the sudden stop of it made it even more interesting. I liked the challenge and I did play from some of the back tees just to feel how that felt, not a chance for me to reach the “other” side from most of the holes had to be able to CARRY to ball 200+ yards. No wonder people loose many many balls, great for taming the ego though! The mantra need to be I AM MORE THAN MY GOLF GAME.

I wish I had more time to do another round, truly liked the course. Will be back, that’s for sure!

www.koolaugolfclub.com . Make sure to say Hi to the manager Monica Davis the manager at this beautiful challengeing, character revieling golfcourse.

Norm is going to post his article in his paper and he is sending it to many other publications so you might see me pop up with a smile and a pledge to make donations to the Pattaya Children  by clicking on the Pattaya Donation on top of my blog!

That leads me to next wonderful thing that happened to me in Hawaii. I had lunch with George Red Harris, John Radcliffe and Celeste Nip, 3 wonderful people who does government works and who so generously donated $200 to The Pattya Childrens Fund!!! It got doubled,it is a great sign.

Any one who takes on to walk and to golf at the same time the most challenging golf course in the world need to be supported through her case, thats what Red said. Thank-You ,Thank-You on behalf of the children!

I almost missed the plane going back to LA. In Sweden we use military time so 3pm is 1500 hour. I had read on my itinerary that my plane was leaving at 3, well it said 150 and my Swedish mind said 3 o’clock! It was all unconsciously and  I did not even think about until 1150 departure day when I looked at my schedule when I was packing to leave for the airport. I was about 45 minutes away and I had to bring my car back to Alamo.  (Lucky I did not play golf, Norm  Guenther and I had tentative plans to play that day since I was not going to leave until 3pm!!!)

I did not believe my eyes when I saw the departure time 150. Heart rate 200, knot in my stomach  you get the picture. I mean who cares if I miss the plane, I am in Hawaii!!! How interesting to notice and to be in situation like that, I am very thankfulk for all the life lesson that is handed to me over and over again.

I know in my case was the underlying grimling talk bla bla bla you are not going to make it you are not going to find the Alamo place , you are so stupid all the extra money this will cost you ,how could you misread bla bla bla…I mean come on….

Ease, Grace ,Forgiveness ,Gentleness it is all lessons we can take with us in life and on the golf course!!!!

Until next time, lots of things starts to happen and I will for sure bring you with me.

Thank-You for following me

Love,Golf and Laugh

I am ready, I have packed rain gears, lots of balls and decised at the last minute to let my laptop stay home, so you have to wait to find out how things are going until the weekend ,anticipation is always good.in the mean time watch a very inspirational video on you tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJMbk9dtpdY

It is all about determination and relationships and a willingness to do something outside the ordinary!

Love, Golf and Laugh

Anna-Lena

This journey has taught me  many many life lessons, one of the most important has been NOT TO WORRY!

If I am proactive and if I do my work on my side and put out my needs, it will be taken cared off, maybe not in the way I first thought. Here another great proof of that.

Victoria Stonesifer (cutekailuacottage@gmail.com)  called me just an hour ago and told me that although they did not have the cottage available, they had a new A- Frame little house that I can have for a very reasonable fee. Yippie !

Victoria also new some people who golf and I might even get a golfing partner. All this happen because it is all in flow.When one is proactive, asking for what one wants (be specific) and take action on it, things will happen.

I have found new friends and I will let you know all about my golf, stay and what I experience on this 7th part of The Awesome Eight Golf Challenge on the beautiful Island of Hawaii, Oahu and the hardest golf course in the world Ko’olau golf course

Love Golf and Laugh

Anna-Lena