Pam’s POV

Splendid scenery. Bubba. Padraig. Keegan. Webb. Spectacular golf. Bermudian Hospitality. Fabulous Sunshine. And new beginnings for EWGA in Bermuda. The 30^th PGA Grand Slam of Golf offered the backdrop for all of this and so much more.

Just last month, 24 U.S. EWGA members traveled to the island of Bermuda for an EWGA On Course event at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf. The action packed agenda included a welcome reception hosted by the Bermuda Department of Tourism under the direction of the Honorable Wayne Furbert, Minister of Business Development and Tourism for the island at an oceanfront location that left one breathless by the captivating scenery. That was just the beginning of our five day visit which also included golf at Port Royal Golf Club where the PGA Grand Slam was played, meeting many of the EWGA-Bermuda members who are so excited and energized to be a part of the EWGA (Kudos to their leadership team who have set the record for being the fastest growing EWGA Chapter with over 100 members in just six short weeks!); watching the four champions up close for two days on the course demonstrate why they are the best of the best and having the opportunity to attend the Champions Dinner where each Champion shared insights into their lives which was very special. And did I mention that I played in the Pro Am and was paired with Keegan Bradley for 6 holes! A memory that will last a lifetime.

And of course, congrats to Paddy for winning the PGA Grand Slam! While he may have been quoted as saying, “the wins don’t come around as often as you think” as a last minute replacement for the injured Ernie Els, the trip for Paddy from Dublin to this idyllic island was well worth it!  And we were able to enjoy it all!

To view pictures of this wonderful occassion, follow this link.

To join EWGA, follow this link.

Earlier this month, I was invited to Indianapolis to spend an evening with members from the Central Indiana Chapter of the EWGA ( and a few members from the Cincinnati Chapter who made the 2 hour drive to be with us!) at the site of their Thursday evening league. The venue just so happens to be The Legends Golf Club in Franklin, IN which is owned by Ted Bishop and his family. Ted not only runs The Legends, he also holds the prestigious position of being the Vice President of the PGA of America. He was our gracious host for the evening.

What a night! We had two very special guests join us at this event: the first couple of golf, Alice and Pete Dye. What a wonderful pair. Both of them have been involved in golf most of their lives. Alice is known for her passion in promoting forward tees for women and comes by her title of “First Lady of Golf” honestly given all of her accomplishments both on and off the course. She’s a leader, a champion of women’s golf and an architect. She’s won 50 Amateur Championships, including 9 State Championships in Indiana, 3 State Championships in Florida, the Women’s North and South, the Eastern and was a member of the 1970 Curtis Cup Team. As a senior, Alice won two USGA Senior and Two Canadian Senior tournaments as well as five Women’s Western Senior Tournaments. She also won a gold medal in golf at the senior Olympics. Earlier in the week, Alice, 84, competed in the Championship flight of the City of Indianapolis’ Women’s Open and won her match on the first day. She won this tournament for the first time 67 years ago!

Both she and Pete regaled us with numerous stories about their life and golf course design. Her passion for the game is infectious and her crusade to expand the accessibility to the game for women is unparalleled. She shared her story about meeting Nancy Oliver, EWGA’s founder 20 years ago and being there on the first EWGA Advisory Board when the EWGA got started. She, like our founder, was a trailblazer! Alice was the first woman President of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. She met her husband Pete following WW II and from then on collaborated on the design of many of America’s premier golf courses.

She treated everyone to a signed copy of her book “ From Birdies to Bunkers” which shares tips, insights and techniques on experiences in golf and life. It was a night to be remembered. For the EWGA members and guests that were there, they witnessed a piece of golf history that was truly magical. And who says that all golf experiences need to be on the course!

To view pictures and video of this special event, please visit my blog posted in the EWGA Member Clubhouse by following this link http://www.myewga.com/MYEWGA/MYEWGA/Resources/Blogs/BlogViewer/Default.aspx?BlogKey=b4db2587-c50a-4bd9-835b-ea24535a6b33.

Last week, I had the privilege to attend a fabulous event at the PGA Education Center in Port St. Lucie, FL and represent EWGA as a welcoming organization to minority women. This event was hosted by GLOW Media and was designed to foster the growth of African-American female participation in the multi-billion dollar golf industry.

The Conference theme was “Re-thinking Your Possibilities; Breaking the Grass Ceiling” and my keynote luncheon presentation was called “Game Changer: Using the Links to Build your Business”. The dialogue that ensued was inspiring, insightful and certainly thought provoking and it tied right into EWGA’s Diversity Initiative.

The women in attendance were very interested in how they can get engaged in golf and how we can collectively raise the awareness of the great health related benefits golf offers to all, but also the business opportunities that are created on the greens that women need to take advantage of and the EWGA is a great vehicle to help women to just that.

Aligning with key stakeholder groups like GLOW Media makes perfect sense. We will all benefit from embracing and inviting people of all backgrounds, races, ethnicities and gender to enjoy all the sport has to offer.

EWGA Volunteers deliver the EWGA experience of enriching women’s lives through golf each day of the year. Their passion, energy, dedication and desire to make an impact through the game of golf is the foundation of our organization.
 
From the 1500+ volunteer leaders who run EWGA local Chapters; to the thousands of others who serve as mentors, on committees and volunteer at events; the dedicated team that runs the EWGA Championship and support other EWGA initiatives; and the EWGA and EWGA Foundation Board of Directors — all who give freely of their time and talent to help others benefit through the game of golf — we salute you!
 
You are all amazing! And we wouldn’t be here without you making a difference in the lives of over 100,000 women since the EWGA started in 1991. THANK YOU!

We have all cracked a few grass ceilings throughout our careers. And you know what — when it happens, it feels terrific! When you think back to 1991 when the EWGA was originally created by Nancy Oliver, she was sticking her neck out and taking a risk to provide each and every one of us with opportunities through the game of golf that were not readily available and sought after at that time by women. And for nearly 20 years, the EWGA has made a difference in the lives of over 100,000 women. That is something we can all be very proud of! As an organization we do so much for women of all ages: we support young girls; we provide women with tools to advance their careers through volunteer leadership, the awarding of the EWGA Foundation’s Women On Par Scholarship, the Drive for Dreams Campaign and the countless charity events EWGA members run coast-to-coast annuallly. EWGA members and EWGA volunteer leaders truly live the EWGA vision of enriching the lives of women through the game of golf.

With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women’s visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women’s education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men. Our work is not done. However, women do have real choices. And we need to celebrate those choices and role models!

While here in the United States, the entire month of March is designated as “Women’s History Month”; around the world thousands of events are held celebrating, inspiring and honoring the achievements of women. The EWGA is about to celebrate the achievements of our top leaders at the upcoming EWGA Golfpalooza in Pinehurst in early April.

Each and every one of us can make a difference. Do your part to ensure that the future is bright and rewarding for all women. Give yourself a round of applause and celebrate your individual achievements on this 8th day of March which is International Women’s Day!