Attracting women to the game of golf and then providing the support and mentoring needed to keep them interested is one of the challenges behind the creation of Golf For Cause. Recently at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, I sat down with Debbie Waitkus, President and Founder of Golf For Cause and current President of WIGI (Women In the Golf Industry) to discuss some of the problems women encounter in golf. Debbie and other industry leaders are developing programs to overcome those barriers and help women — especially business women discover the “gold in golf.®” This is the second of two podcasts. (Read and listen to the first podcast: Golf Can Be Your Key to Success in Business)
The key to attracting and retaining women is in building relationships and providing an atmosphere that is supportive and nurturing.
Although many women are competitive when it comes to golf, competition alone does not seem to be enough to retain membership among women. If you want to continue to attract women to the game of golf, planning social events is a key component. With programs such as “9 & Wine” and “Birdies Bogeys and Business” Golf For Cause has great solutions to “demystifying” the game for all players.
Women who have chosen to work within the golf industry often find themselves in need of a support group. WIGI offers that network of professionals for both personal and professional assistance.
The Mission of Women in the Golf Industry is to connect business women whose careers are in the golf industry – providing both networking and business opportunities. (From the wigi.info website)
Some of the benefits of becoming a member of WIGI include: networking, direct access to other members, speakers bureau, resources to help answer a wide variety of industry-related issues, discounts and employment opportunity listings.
In his short podcast interview Debbie offers some significant insights and shares her experience helping women get involved in the great game of golf. (Use the Firefox browser if you wish to download the podcast to listen later.)
Podcast (golfgurls-podcast): Download (Duration: 9:40 — 8.9MB)
Do you belong to a women’s league? What special events or tournaments do you think would attract and keep women in the game?
