Baby Names Inspired by Golf!

Isn't this a cute onesie? You can buy it! The link is at the end of my post. 

Around our house these days, all we can talk about is baby names. For our second baby due end of year, we decided to start completely from scratch and not reuse any names from the list our first son's name came from. In our early brainstorming phase we really have been reaching far and wide, and anything, no matter how bizarre, is up for discussion. 

That's led me to making this list of golf names perfect for the baby born to golf-obsessed parents! 

Ace - The golf term for a hole-in-one, it would be a great middle name for a first born. 

Augusta - One of America's most beautiful and famous courses is Augusta National, the site of The Masters, one of golf's Majors. It would make a very pretty, classic name for a little girl as well! 

Albatross - The golf term for a double-eagle, the nick names could be Ross or Albie. It's also the name of a sea-faring bird found near oceans, so there's that. 

Andrew - St. Andrews, Scotland is the birthplace of golf, and the location for a sort of pilgrimage every golfer wants to take at some point in their life. But there's no need to really explain this name too much to the other parents you'll meet on the playground, as Andrew is a perfectly normal, distinguished name -- a bonus just in case the kiddo grows up and doesn't like golf (heaven forbid).

Annika - a sweet name which hits on the popular Scandinavian name trend which also happens to honor the legendary Annika Sorenstam (seriously, my golf idol).

Birdie - In golf, a birdie is one under par, and in life I think Birdie would be adorable for a little girl. I imagine a Lady Bird Johnson born to sporty, millennial parents. 

Links - The oldest style of golf courses are links style, which are all over England and Scotland. I think Links makes a cool middle name, too, for the parent looking for something a little special.

Major - the four Majors in golf are the Masters, the U.S. Open, the British Open, and the PGA Championship. While a bit boisterous, it might make a neat middle name. 

Palmer - The golf legend Arnold Palmer has a long list of accomplishments. And don't forget the refreshing tea and lemonade combo named after him! If you're looking to honor one of golf's GOATs, I personally prefer his last name, Palmer, over his first.

Ryder - The Ryder Cup, a match play competition between America and Europe, is one of the most exciting golf events. As a name, Ryder also has a cool edge that will stand out, while still looking good on a work resume as an adult.

Torrey - Show your love for West Coast golf by naming your kid after Torrey Pines, one of the most beautiful municipal courses in America. I think it's cute for either a boy or girl! 

And that's my list of my favorite names inspired by golf. I'm sneaking as many of them into our name conversations as possible. Would you ever name your kid after something in golf? 

About the onesie in my graphic: I found it on ETSY! Browsing ETSY stores for baby items is one of my favorite time killers. This seller is LittleFroggySurfShop, and you can buy it here.

So what do you do with the baby while you golf?

I push him in his stroller while I carry my bag. It torches calories. In no time I'll lose those last pesky pounds of baby weight and I can go shopping for new skinny jeans and bikinis for summer! I dress him like one of the caddies at Augusta and it's SO cute. He really enjoys the scenery and it's so much fun to spend time together.

Just kidding. Sort of. I have definitely thought about doing that. When he was younger, like around 6-8 months, he would easily nap in his jogging stroller and was never very vocal. So had my back been healthier (pregnancy does a number to you!) and had I had not spent my time moving cross-country, he would have been the perfect playing partner.

But now, at 16 months, he's movin', shakin', and vocally, vehemently,  against sitting for longer than an episode of Sesame Street (the HBO kind which is shorter than PBS). So while I can't wait to get him out on the course and show him all that entails, that's going to have to wait.  (And I'm still very serious about the caddy outfit).

I write this fairly boring post to hopefully illustrate how tough it is to secure quality child care for anything, let alone something as non-serious as golf. Although there are some fancy schmancy clubs with daycare rooms, we can't manage those kinds of luxuries -- so hourly care it is. A full round of golf can take up to 5 hours at some courses (or more, 9 holes a few months back at a local public course took four hours alone!). Depending on where you live, childcare can easily be $15 bucks an hour or more, and that's for just one kiddo. Tack that on to ever rising greens fees and it can easily wipe out a family's budget. But I'm not willing to wait until he (and whatever future nuggets I may have) are school-aged to get in some rounds.

I looked at the websites like Care and Sittercity. On top of what I would have to pay the sitter, there is a monthly fee, and I wasn't entirely confident in the reviews concerning their background checks.

But over the past several months of living in our new city, we've gotten to know our neighbors very well. I'm very good friends with one who also stays home with her daughter who is just a bit older than mine. She's an artist who has a home studio, and we talk often about our interests and work as a core component of our identity and how we so much miss being able to do those things full time and yadda yadda yadda a little bit of self pity and whining about stay at home mom life with a confidant. She's also GREAT with my kid, and knows how hard I've looked for a babysitter being new to this city. So, she did me a huge one and offered to help me by watching him while I golf!

We've worked out a trade of sorts. I am paying her for each hour, but we deduct any hours that she might need. So last week, she watched mine, and this week I watched hers. Win-win.

And the bonus is that a morning with a playmate gives my little guy an EPIC afternoon nap. For which I can get in more practice...

Thankful to have made some friends and earned a bit of luck in this department!