The CWGA has long conducted a full schedule of golf competitions, and this year is no exception, with about 20 events on the calendar including state championships, USGA qualifiers and other tournaments.
But there’s also another set of annual CWGA events that’s been growing rapidly in recent years.
With the association putting an increased emphasis on the social side of golf, this year it has a dozen social events on the calendar, starting with the CWGA Night at the PGA Tour Superstore on Wednesday (April 4).
The CWGA Night, open to members and prospective members alike, will run from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Tour Superstore in Greenwood Village, located at 9451 E. Arapahoe Road. The event will include door prizes, discounts, light food and refreshments, Rules of Golf and etiquette sessions provided by CWGA staff, putting tips from the Superstore’s Jerry Walters, and information on upcoming CWGA events.
It’s an ideal lead-in to an expanded social golf schedule for the CWGA.
“Women’s golf is very social in nature,” said Kim Nissen, assistant executive director for the CWGA. “We want to get women playing and keep them playing and having fun. That’s the big push.”
It’s no secret that golf in general is facing plenty of challenges in trying to grow the game. And, based on what the National Golf Foundation reports, it’s especially challenging regarding women’s golf. The NGF says that the number of female golfers in the U.S. dropped about 23 percent from 2005 to 2010.
A number of initiatives, including the PGA of America’s Golf 2.0 and Get Golf Ready, have been developed to try to give golf a jumpstart, and the CWGA aims to assist in those growth-of-the-game efforts on the female side.
The association figures it can make some inroads by attracting women to the game who have no interest in competing or in having a USGA handicap, but who would enjoy the social aspects of the game.
Two years ago, the CWGA began pushing its social golf initiatives, including offering a less costly Affiliate membership for women who don’t want a USGA handicap but are interested in the benefits and discounts that CWGA membership provides. These days, those social-golf efforts have increased several fold.
— This year, the association will expand its CWGA Experience (pictured above) to include stops across the state. The Experience features women-only group golf instruction (full swing, chipping and putting) conducted by LPGA and PGA professionals, along with some socializing over food and refreshments.
The association will hold three CWGA Experience events this year and will take the Experience to the Western Slope for the first time. On the calendar are CWGA Experiences May 5 at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora, and May 19 at both the Country Club of Colorado in Colorado Springs and Bookcliff Country Club in Grand Junction.
To sign up for the CWGA Experience, CLICK HERE.
— Eight CWGA Nine-Hole Social Golf Outings will be held from June through early September at courses throughout the metro Denver area. The casual outings are scheduled after work so as to attract women who are too busy to make it during the day.
The Social Golf Outings are planned for June 21 at the Green Valley Ranch par-3 in Denver (in conjunction with a clinic conducted by Lana Ortega); June 27 at The Homestead in Lakewood; July 12 at Heritage Todd Creek in Thornton; July 18 at Saddleback in Firestone (in conjunction with a clinic conducted by Scott Sommers); Aug. 9 at Emerald Greens par-3 in Denver; Aug. 23 at the Kennedy par-3 and West Nine in Denver; Aug. 30 at the Columbine par-3 in Littleton; and Sept. 4 at South Suburban Family Sports in Centennial.
Between the CWGA Experience events and Social Golf Outings, the association hopes its Affiliate membership continues to grow. More than four times as many Affiliate members signed up in 2011 compared to 2010, and CWGA officials hope for another jump this year.
“We’re obviously picking up some momentum,” Nissen said.
In addition, the CWGA is planning to help others in the golf business in their efforts to promote the game. For instance, Nissen said the association will soon be sending out letters to all Colorado-based LPGA and PGA professionals offering to help them promote instructional events, tournaments etc., by distributing information through the CWGA’s database, which includes more than 18,000 people.
