Duramed FUTURES Tour Feature

Shining Bright With Blingo

Second-year Duramed FUTURES Tour professional Charlotte Campbell used to drive her coach at Rollins College (Fla.) crazy when she would decorate her golf shoes with rhinestones.

But that creative spirit was the start of an enterprise that has turned into her own little company. Campbell got the idea to create something special last fall when her mother asked her to make a ball mark to match the outfit she planned to wear for a golf outing. Once her mom's friends saw the ball mark, made with Swarovski crystals, the "special orders" started rolling in. That was the start of "Blingo."

Blingo ball marks are now seen on the brims of most hats and visors on the Duramed FUTURES Tour. They are shiny, colorful and all the rage with young professionals. Generally, Campbell uses a circular design, but she has created some special requests, including a cross and a peace sign. The biggest connection with the public has been through fellow Tour players who stay in the homes of housing hosts. The hosts see the ball marks and often want their own Blingo design. And then there are pro-am partners who request the novelty for their member-guests or other small golf outings.

Most of the ball marks are sold by word of mouth. Campbell sells them for $15 each ($10 for Duramed FUTURES Tour members), and $10 each for orders of 20 or more. She sells them at Lake Toxaway Country Club in North Carolina and at Lake Nona Golf Club in Orlando, as well as on her website at www.CharlotteCampbellGolf.com.

"People seem to love the glitter of the crystals," said Campbell, who recorded 10 collegiate wins and was a two-time individual winner of the NCAA Division II Women's Golf Championships (2003, 2004). "It's been just a fun hobby and something to do when I'm on the road traveling."

Campbell didn't start the hobby as a means of supporting her travel budget while playing golf on tour, but when Blingo took off, the savvy young pro took everything she made on sales and put it directly into her bank account for traveling on the Duramed FUTURES Tour.

While the sparkly ball marks pretty much sell themselves, Campbell said she has had one special request that stands out. A woman approached her and asked if she could buy two ball marks in orange and blue, the colors of the Florida Gators. She said they were her husband's favorite colors.

"I said, OK, but I should tell you they are usually for women, and she said, 'No, he will like them.'" said Campbell. "And then I asked if she was sure, because they are awfully sparkly, and she finally said that he needs a ball mark like this because he only has one eye and he can't see his mark on the green."

Campbell made the Blingo ball marks and sent them to the woman and her husband. A few weeks later, she received a note from the woman saying that the first time her husband use the sparkly ball mark, he scored a hole-in-one.

"I love getting feedback like that," said Campbell, who currently is a contestant on the Golf Channel's new show, "Highway 18."

- Lisa D. Mickey