Empowering women to "master the "business" game of golf from the Boardroom to the Course

Why is it that 900,000 women enter the game of golf each year making it the fastest growing segment of new golfers in the market … yet about the same number give up on it in the same period? Two organizations are trying to change all this: The EWGA (Executive Women’s Golf Association) and Boardroom Golf. Both are focused on providing opportunities to make it a lot easier for women to get into the game, enjoy it and use it for business, networking and for life.

“Golf can be a very intimidating game for women. “But for a man, no matter how he plays, he usually doesn’t give it up. He’s had a baseball bat in his hand since he was a little kid and he doesn’t care if it goes into the woods, just that it goes far,” says Joan Chickvary Cavanaugh, former president of the EWGA and a Certified Business Golf Coach.

“Men learn from competition; women approach golf from their heads and from relationships. It’s important for women to play with people they enjoy. If they’re not having a good time, they probably won’t stay with it. Getting an instructor who likes to teach women and understands we learn differently and are built differently, is also important.”

Like the majority of golfers, man and women, Joan is a bogie player and she says, “I’m addicted to the game. Golf helps me reflect on my behavior and relationships with other people. I love the sense of accomplishment, the possibility of doing better and the ongoing challenges. I want to see more women get into the game and stay with it.”

Her interest in developing young women golfers, led to Joan’s founding EWGA’s LPGA USGA junior golf programs in Connecticut, New York City and Lakeland, Fla. The program reaches out to girls 7 to 12 years of age providing clinics and social opportunities. Six years after the programs were launched, they found 65 percent of the girls had stayed with the game taking it on to college. In fact the entire EWGA membership boasts a surprising 93 percent retention rate after the first year.

EWGA’s programs and monthly tournaments are designed for players from beginners to advanced and EWGA’s annual tournament is the largest women’s amateur golf tournament in the country.

Now Joan is bringing her passion for golf and expertise in empowering women to play into a new venture: Boardroom Golf. She works under the premise that there are many women in business who don’t yet play or play little who would like to be part of the company’s golf. They want to network like the guys, be part of the fun.

With this in mind, Joan has founded Boardroom Golf, an organization offering seminars, workshops and continuing follow-up. “An important thing to remember is that “business” golf doesn’t have to be about how well you play, as much as how well you present yourself, and how knowledgeable you are about the game.

Addressing these issues, her sessions bring in experts to talk about things like essential golf jargon, etiquette and game rules; to point out why golf is so critically important to your success in business and show you how to level the playing field quickly, get beyond your fears, invite and be invited to golf outings, using golf to develop successful business relationships.

The Boardroom is a real crash course teaching the aspects of playing successful business golf to non-golfing executive women. It’s one companies can offer at their place of business while the lessons learned continue onto the course following continuing on course with an LPGA teaching professional at a city golf range for a one or two hour skill lesson.

Other seminars, workshops and special events are offered in various areas throughout the country.