The third Michigan Women's Golf Summit was held November 9, 1997
at Eagle Crest Conference Resort in Ypsilanti. The theme of the
summit was "Promoting Golf Leadership" and the format included
speakers, panel discussions and workshops.
"We hope to educate, enlighten and inspire those of us here to
continue
our involvement in the sport we love-golf," Susan Bairley, chair
of Michigan Women's Golf Summit III, stated in her opening remarks.
Bairley presented some research results from a recent study conducted
by Golf for Women magazine and the National Golf Foundation. The study found that
women do not play golf for the same reasons as men. The top two
reasons that both women and play golf are to get outdoors and
to have fun. Beyond that, women and men differ on their reasons
for playing. For example, 75% of women say their score doesn't
matter if they hit the ball well. Men focus more on score, with
just 59% saying that playing well is more important that scoring
well.
The research also noted that 56% of the rounds women played in
the past year were nine-hole rounds. Only 21% of the rounds men
played were nine holes. Beginning in 1998, the USGA will offer
an official nine-hole handicap index. Currently, 66% of women
golfers do not maintain a handicap. Golf for Women published the research results in a special report, "Women Mean
Business: Increase Your Share of Golf's Fastest Growing Market,"
released in September 1997. Call 212/551-7185 for more information
about this report.
"We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go," Bairley
remarked about the future of women's golf.
LPGA Tour professional Elaine Crosby, special guest at the Summit,
echoed Bairley's remarks by using LPGA prize money as an indicator
of how far women have come. When Crosby joined the Tour in 1985,
$9 million in prize money was awarded. In 1997, that amount was
more than $30 million. However, "The LPGA still has to fight the
press," she said.
The LPGA has several programs to encourage juniors and women to
play golf. These programs include: LPGA Girls Golf Clubs; the
LPGA Urban Youth Golf Program, and the Gillette LPGA Golf Clinics
for Women. All three of these programs have sites in Michigan.
Crosby said: "Michigan is probably one of the biggest golf states
in the country, and a lot of people find that hard to believe
because of the weather."
Back in the Swing
Betsy Voyles, Physical Therapist, Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch
Golfers commonly experience injuries to the low back, neck, shoulder/rotator
cuff, thoracic region/ribs, elbow, wrist, hand, hip, knee, ankle
and foot. Injuries are often caused by factors such as poor swing
and/or body mechanics, and poor conditioning.
Voyles said: "Golfers need to treat golf as a sport-not an activity-and
condition for it." Golfers need to get into a ready position before
striking the ball, just as participants in sports such as baseball
or tennis must get into the proper ready position before the ball
is thrown or hit toward them.
Panel: Obtaining Publicity and Sponsors for Events
Panelists: Jack Berry, Golf Writers Association of America; Tonia Branch,
Golf Association of Michigan (GAM); Janina Parrott Jacobs, golf entrepreneur; Moderator: Susan Bairley, Michigan Golfer and Women's Golf Network
Tonia Branch stressed the importance of developing partnerships
and cultivating relationships with media people. Instead of asking
the media people what they can do for you, ask what can we do
together. She said, "Press releases alone don't work anymore."
"Don't forget to ask," is the straightforward advice offered by
Janina Jacobs. She agreed with Branch on the importance of cultivating
relationships when looking for media coverage or sponsors, especially
since there were more than 20,000 organized golf events in Michigan
in 1996. "The only way you can get anything accomplished is through
other people," Jacobs remarked.
Jack Berry suggested working with writers at smaller weekly papers
as well as those at the large metropolitan dailies. "Know who
you're dealing with-get a name," he said. Also, find something
unique that sets your event apart from the others.
Panel: Growing the Game for Girls and Women
Panelists:Andi Bullock, USGA intern at GAM; Betty Richart, GAM senior women;
Stacy Slobodnik, MSU women's golf coach; Shirley Wold, Executive
Women's Golf Association; Diane Loy, parent of collegiate golfer
Katy Loy; Moderator: Betty Smith, USGA
"The opportunity is there-we just need to make it known," said
Stacy Slobodnik about junior and collegiate golf. With Title IX,
a lot of smaller colleges and universities are now offering golf
scholarships to women. Her goal is to see more girls than boys
participating in junior golf.
As a parent of a collegiate golfer, Diane Loy emphasized the importance
of parents encouraging their daughters to play golf. Also, junior
golf organizers need to get the word out so that junior girls
know about tournaments, programs, etc.
Andi Bullock researched 22 junior golf organizations in Michigan
as part of her USGA internship with the Golf Association of Michigan.
More than 8,000 golfers were involved in these groups, but 79%
of the participants were male. She noted that the LPGA programs
are getting more girls involved, but she agreed with Slobodnik
that not enough is being done to make girls aware of how many
college scholarships are available and how they can pursue them.
She suggested that women golfers should find a girl to mentor.
"Our juniors are our future," Bullock said.
Lunch Speaker: 25 Years of Title IX
Joyce Kazmierski, former LPGA Tour Professional from Michigan
Joyce Kazmierski has been involved in golf for more than 42 years
and credits the Detroit Free Press Junior Golf School with giving
her the opportunity to get started.
She enrolled at Michigan State University in 1963 to become a
teacher so her summers would be free to play golf. Although MSU
did not have a women's golf team, Kazmierski got support from
many women golfers and was able to play in various events. After
college, she taught school in Livonia for one year before joining
the LPGA Tour, which in 1968 was not an "enlightened career choice."
In 1972, Title IX passed. Title IX of the Education Amendments
of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in
any educational program or activity at any educational institution
that is a recipient of federal funds. Consequently, public high
schools, colleges and universities began to offer more opportunities
for girls to participate in sports and earn college scholarships.
"The fact that a woman could put herself through college with
her athletic skills was wonderful," Kazmierski said.
The LPGA Tour was a direct recipient of the impact of Title IX
on women's golf. Qualifying tournaments were needed because so
many women golfers wanted to turn professional.
"Title IX is about opportunity," Kazmierski told the group. "When
a cause is right, just and moral, it will succeed."
The Mental Game of Golf
Dr. Deborah Graham, sports psychologist, SportPsych Inc.
Dr. Deborah Graham has more than 200 clients on the PGA, LPGA,
Senior PGA and Nike Tours. She and her husband, Jon Stabler, have
conducted studies with LPGA, PGA and Senior PGA players, and have
developed a list of eight personality traits found in frequent
winners.
Eight Champion Personality Traits
- Above average ability to focus
- Above average abstract thinking ability
- More emotionally stable.
- More tough minded
- Ability to manage tension
- Above average self confidence
- Dominant
- More self sufficent
One of the first things she teaches her clients is a mental pre-shot
routine. "Managing your thoughts makes a world of difference in
your ability to play and in your enjoyment of the game," according
to Graham.
Panel: Leading Women's Golf into the 21st Century
Panelists: Inez Bridges, Detroit Newspapers and Tee-Set Golf Club; Patti
Butcher, PGA and LPGA; Laurie Harmon, Capital Area Women's Golf
Association; Jeanne Myers, GAM; Sue Treciak, Michigan Women's
Publinx Golf Association (MWPGA); Wendy Uzelac, USGA; Moderator: Sara Wold, MWPGA
"We owe it to ourselves and to future golfers to force the issue
of education," said Inez Bridges. Bridges advocates the importance
of teaching rules and etiquette to juniors, as well as to women
already playing the game. Tee-Set Golf Club is a group of women
golfers who work with the LPGA on the Urban Youth Golf Program.
Through Inez's encouragement, the women in Tee-Set spent a lot
of time last summer talking about the rules.
Laurie Harmon offered three suggestions for a successful women's
golf association: (1) it needs to have a group of committed individuals
to serve on the board and on committees (2) its members must be
willing to work on getting the word out; and, (3) it needs the
support of community businesses. In her position as a golf course
architect, Harmon can help lead women's golf into the next century
by designing courses with multiple tees that take into account
hazard locations, approaches to greens and forced carries.
The members of the Michigan Women's Publinx Golf Association (MWPGA)
are dedicated to the future of women's golf in Michigan. MWPGA
President Sue Treciak noted that all MWPGA tournaments are open
to anyone and members work to foster camaraderie between public
and private course players.
Jeanne Myers stressed the importance of volunteers to the continued
growth of women's golf. Dedicated volunteers are needed to work
at tournaments and to join committees. In addition, Myers said,
"One of our dreams is to have a golf house in Michigan to house
golf associations, a Michigan hall of fame and a teaching center."
Although Patti Butcher agrees that volunteers are important, she
is concerned about being asked to do so many things as a volunteer
while maintaining her career as a golf professional. We pneed
to have more women in leadership positions in the industry, not
just as volunteers. "The opportunities are boundless, but we must
value ourselves and our time," Butcher said.
Wendy Uzelac told the group that the USGA recently announced a
ten-year,
$50 million grant program, "For the Good of the Game." Instead
of "reinventing the wheel" by starting new programs, Uzelac said
the USGA wants to provide support to good programs already in
place. For example, the USGA awarded a $25,000 grant to the LPGA
Urban Youth Program in Wilmington, Delaware.
The Summit also featured sessions on the Internet, skill development,
and the rules. Women's golf in Michigan continues to be a topic
of great interest as we move toward the next century, so watch
for information about Michigan Women's Golf Summit IV in 1999.