Archive for May, 2009

Let’s Get Women Playing Golf!

May 29, 2009 · Filed under Events · Tagged , ,

We’re all busy, right? Aren’t we also looking for some stress release and fun? How about being able to make new connections? Golf is a great vehicle to do just that. And I know EWGA members are great ambassadors for connecting women to the game of golf. So, what are we waiting for – it’s time to take charge and get more women playing golf.   

Throughout the month of June, women will control the shots on the links. It’s American Express Women’s Golf Month and we need you to be there! Bring a friend. Bring a colleague. Bring your daughter or niece.  Be there. Be supportive and have fun.

It’s easy. During June, participating facilities will offer complimentary golf instruction to people 14 years of age or older as well as activities such as networking receptions, golf etiquette seminars, club fitting and equipment demos, golf apparel fashion shows, on course playing opportunities and contests. Each activity is designed to provide a fun and inviting experience.

To find a list of participating facilities in your area, go to the Play Golf America website at www.playgolfamerica.com and click on the Women’s Golf Month link. Type in your zip code and see what courses in your area are participating.  

June has 30 days…so let’s get started and get a date on the calendar now. And you know what? Once you introduce another woman to the sport, they’ll understand your passion and why you play golf.

And while you’re at it, invite them to join the EWGA too. After all, we’re all about connecting women to learn, play and enjoy golf for business and for fun! And we’re around 12 months of the year.

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The Web Cafe’ Take Away

May 14, 2009 · Filed under EWGA

Thank you for attending our EWGA Web Cafe today.Below is the power point slides from the webinar.

EWGA Web Cafe\’ 5/14/09 Takeaway

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Teeing Up Our Industry’s Own Stimulus Package

May 12, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , ,

Celebrating National Golf Day

This Wednesday, May 13th, is National Golf Day. Top leaders from the golf industry will visit Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. to mark this second annual event and reinforce the message that golf is a vital part of America’s fabric as a sport, and most important in these times, as a source of stable employment for about 2 million people. Through this sport, over $3.5 billion is contributed to charity and $76 billion in direct impact on the economy each year.

At the local level, think of the golf course where you play as the embodiment of the small business sector; employing a multicultural mix of professional and service personnel who rely on the sport to provide food and shelter for their families. And as players of the sport, we continue to reap the multitude of benefits associated with this great game.

While the golf industry couldn’t predict the breadth and depth of the current recession, we were prepared. As a member of the Executive Committee of Golf 20/20 under the World Golf Foundation umbrella, several player development programs under the Play Golf America initiative have been introduced since 2004 to attract new players into the game of golf. Grassroots efforts expanded in 2009 to include the new “Get Golf Ready” adult-player development initiative at facilities across the America. This program provides an affordable golf opportunity to the masses amid trying economic times. It features a series of five introductory lessons at a recommended $99 per participant. Over 800 facilities have been certified to offer this program.

Golf is a great game to play. It’s a great game to watch. As EWGA members, we too have a powerful story to tell. You may not realize it, but EWGA members make an impact on people we touch every day. Think about our Drive for Dreams initiative. Think about your own EWGA member experience. Think about those you have introduced to this sport and those that you want to introduce to this sport.

So, this week in our nation’s capital, the key message the leaders of 11 of the U.S. golf industry’s most prominent Allied Associations will be highlighting is golf’s very significant economic and social contributions. Golf is a meaningful industry, it’s a meaningful business. It makes a deep economic impact on our country. Its stewardship of the environment was award-winning even before the “green” movement hit the headlines.

It’s a significant story that bears repeating.

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Come play the USA with EWGA

May 1, 2009 · Filed under EWGA · Tagged , , , , ,

The EWGA has taken me to so many places and enabled me to meet so many terrific women. Since my EWGA journey began in Boston, MA in 1994 and then to South Florida in 2002, I’ve been to the Carolinas, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Texas, Colorado, Oregon, California, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Georgia and Tennessee. And it doesn’t stop there, I’ve played golf in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Michigan, Illinois, Idaho and Minnesota, Maryland, Virginia and Washington DC too. Even Hawaii.

In fact, last May I was sitting in a Honolulu restaurant having breakfast with my husband when a woman leaned over and asked, “Are you Pam Swensen with the EWGA?” When I said yes, she replied, “I’m an EWGA member from Milwaukee”. Later on that same trip, we were playing The Plantation Course at Kapalua being paired with a couple from San Francisco. I overheard the woman say to her husband, “she has a EWGA tag on her golf bag; she must belong to that group I told you about”. They were there on their honeymoon. We were there on a golf vacation. When we finished the round, she was committed to join the EWGA. The Kapalua Resort also became an EWGA member benefit provider.

You never know where your travels will take you and who you will meet. On Hilton Head Island this past Christmas, I was sitting in yet another restaurant after a fun round of golf at a EWGA Golf Club Network facility and a woman turned around and said, “You’re Pam with the EWGA right?” I said yes – and she said she was a member from Charlotte, NC and was also there playing golf. She recognized me from the 2008 Championship Finals in Oregon where she had been a competitor and I was an “official” starter!

From coast-to-coast, EWGA is there. And, as members, you and I have access to a great network of benefits to keep us traveling and playing golf affordably. So whether you are taking a golf vacation this summer, planning a staycation or participating exclusively in your Chapter events, you are playing the USA with EWGA. Where has the EWGA taken you? We want to hear from you! We know thousands of EWGA members are drawn to the EWGA for a variety of reasons. What’s yours? Did you join to learn how to play golf? Did you join to have a group to play the sport with? Did you join to test yourself in the EWGA Championship? For the personal and professional connections? Whatever your reason, we know the stories are plentiful. We know they are moving, humorous, inspirational and more. So please take the time to share how your life has been enhanced by Playing the USA with EWGA. Send a video clip of 60 seconds or less. Close with saying enthusiastically, “Play the USA with EWGA” while displaying your membership card, bag tag or something with the new EWGA logo on it. Or send a still photo of yourself along with a written story (250 words or less). Send to playusa@myewga.com and we’ll do the rest. Join us – won’t you?

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