When it comes to running LPGA-USGA Girls Golf of Northern Colorado, Kim Stiner says her husband, Gale, is known as “Coach Fun”.
Which, of course, makes him perfect for the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program based at the Olde Course in Loveland.
The national LPGA-USGA Girls Golf concept has been a big hit in recent years — it’s grown from 5,000 participants to about 50,000 in just the last five years — and a big reason is that key ingredient: the fun part.
“We focus hard on making it fun,” said Kim Stiner, the LPGA head professional at the Olde Course and the director of LPGA-USGA Girls Golf of Northern Colorado. “Gale says it’s almost like we trick them into learning through fun. We use contests, games, anything we can think of. If you’re just hitting balls on the driving range, it can get pretty boring, so you need to push creativity. A big part of the success is the fun the kids have.”
The Northern Colorado chapter (see photos) is one of 10 LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs in Colorado. There are several in the Denver metro area — the one started and operated by the CWGA at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora, along with others at The First Tee of Denver, The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch, Golden/Westminster, Valley Country Club, and the Family Sports Center in Centennial.
Other sites around the state include Northern Colorado in Loveland, Colorado Springs at Cherokee Ridge Golf Course, Montrose at Black Canyon Golf Club, and the Pueblo YMCA. CLICK HERE to see all the sites and contact information.
Some of the 2015 programs start as soon as this week. Most at least run through the bulk of the summer when many kids are out of school. At CommonGround, which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA, the program will be held weekly on Friday afternoons beginning June 12.
The CWGA has a big stake in the developmental junior program’s success, not only at CommonGround but around the state. After all, it’s an ideal portal for bringing girls into the game — and helping them develop — through fun activities, instruction and simply playing on the course.
“LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs have great potential for girls to participate together in a group environment and to have fun,” said CWGA executive director Ann Guiberson. “It’s very social. Girls participation in the game is growing, but we have to keep at it. We have to keep encouraging girls. They are a demographic that can lead the next generation of golf.”
Kim Stiner oversees one of the more successful local LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs. It’s been in place at the Olde Course since 2005.
“The first year, I had no idea what to expect,” Stiner said. “The LPGA said we’d probably have no more than 20 girls. We had 75. I was like, ‘Wow, this is awesome.’ We’ve been as high as the 90s (one year). The last few years it’s been around 50. We haven’t done any advertising other than flyers in schools. It seem to get a lot of word of mouth. It’s a nice size, manageable.
“Before we started this, our town had three courses but not really anything (specifically) for girls. They were just thrown into a mix of mostly boys. With this, we’ve tweaked it over the years and made it our own program. It’s a work in progress. We (Kim and Gale) both call it our labor of love.”
The Northern Colorado chapter draws girls (age 7-17 of any golf skill level) not only from Loveland but from other neighboring communities. And Stiner and her husband, who’s the clubhouse manager at the Olde Course, have certainly seen it pay dividends. For instance, six girls on Loveland-area high school golf teams this week qualified for one of the two state tournaments. (Coincidentally, the 5A state meet this year is scheduled for the Olde Course, on May 18-19.)
But the Northern Colorado chapter draws all sorts of participants.
“Some have maybe been in other programs, others may not have touched a club,” Kim Stiner said. “Some may be entering high school golf. What’s nice is there’s something for everyone (including 3-hole, 6-hole, 9-hole and 18-hole play days). I feel strongly about girls that they’re very social and want to fit in, and we make that possible. They don’t have to worry or stress about not being good enough.”
Different LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs run things differently, but in Loveland, they devote one day per week in June and July to playing on the course, and one to practice, instruction and games.
Moving forward, Guiberson would like to see more coordination among the different programs in the state. “We want to pull all the programs together to see where we can share some best practices and resources,” she said.
Though LPGA-USGA Girls Golf is a countrywide program — grants are provided from the national organizations — it’s administered locally. That takes shape differently at various local chapters.
“We have to do quite a bit locally to get the participants and to knock on doors of school districts and the Girl Scouts to try to get to the audience,” Guiberson said.
Besides having various chapters in Colorado, LPGA-USGA Girls Golf owes some of its organizational success to a Coloradan, former USGA president Judy Bell, a Colorado Springs resident. Bell facilitated the link-up between the LPGA Foundation and the USGA.
“She was of our advocate with the USGA,” said Nancy Henderson, president of the LPGA Foundation. “She was the one who said the USGA needed to partner with us on this program. Since then, we couldn’t have asked for a better partnership. It not only adds credibility, but to have a presence at the U.S. Women’s Open means so much to us.”
Nowadays, about 300 communities around the country have LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs. The initiative, which took form in 1989, has directly affected several big-name players, including one-time participants Brittany Lincicome and Morgan Pressel, both prominent LPGA Tour players.
