Par Excellence Demo

their golf skill, not because they know how to take photos for the newspaper and write a press release. Take a role in helping your facility spread the word that this is a ‘Women Welcome Here’ facility. Take new women golfers under your wing. It generally requires about five to 10 on-course friendly, coaching, mentoring experiences offered by a seasoned golfer to a new golfer before that new golfer feels comfortable to go out on the course on her own. Think about how to be a good mentor and encourage your friends to be mentors also. Be a mentor Figure out what’s the best – and most politically effective – plan of action to get women on the governing boards and important committees of your golf facility or association. Most women-friendly courses have women-friendly top management. I personally have observed that three women on a committee can perform magic, whether it’s a committee of seven or 77. Promote women for leadership roles Establish regular communications Don’t wait for a problem to arise. Think ahead and be proactive. Set up regular informational meetings with the pro staff (informal – over breakfast, lunch or cocktails) and the women representing various segments of your golf community. Make it an open discussion. Ask: “What’s working well, what’s not? Count the customers. How many are playing, taking lessons and improving? How can we make our golf experience even better? How are we measuring our success? Communicate regularly with your fellow women golfers through newsletters and bulletin boards. There will surely be complaints and problems. But before you bring a problem to the staff, make sure you have done your research. Is this a one-person issue or is it bigger? Are two women complaining that they can’t play on a Tuesday, or are there 50? In my experience, most one-person issues are personality driven. As a golf leader among your women colleagues, don’t ask the professionals to solve these kinds of problems. Maybe they have some advice, but try to deal with it woman-to-woman first. Most golf professionals and managers don’t like to – or want to – discipline their customers. Complaints: do your research Be patient and have a plan. Don’t have too many projects in any one year. Concentrate on a few at a time. Make a multiyear plan – at least three years – on growing women’s golf and measure your progress. What gets measured, gets done! There are many reasons why a program might not work in the first year, but with a little patience and tinkering the program could become very successful in year two or three. Encourage the staff to be patient with you. If all else fails, move on. If you have tried to lead positive change at your golf facility or organization, and continually meet with resistance, move on. There are many golf facilities that want your business. And many ways to enjoy this game. Stay focused Nancy Berkley, president of Berkley Consulting, is an author, speaker and marketing consultant in the golf industry. She is the author of ‘Women Welcome Here – A Guide to Growing Women’s Golf’ (2003); ‘Careers in Golf: A Guide to Careers in the Golf Industry’ (2001) and ‘Women’s Golf Programs That Work’ (1999) – all published by the National Golf Foundation and available at www.ngf.org or 800-744-6006. She is frequently asked to speak about women’s golf at golf industry conferences. For further information contact: Nancy Berkley at nmberkley@aol.com or at her office: 16 Fordham Road, Livingston, NJ 07030 (Tel: 973-992-1656 Fax: 973-533-1986). *‘Women Welcome Here: A Guide to Growing Women’s Golf’ is published by the National Golf Foundation and available at www.NGF.org It’s much better to say: “How can we help the staff handle all the pairings on a Friday morning?” rather than: “Why couldn’t they get the bags on the right cart last week?” Don’t shy away from demanding customer service, but do it without putting the staff on the defensive. Use your communication skills Whether it’s the locker room bulletin board or the local newspaper, be proactive in figuring out the best way to communicate among your fellow women golfers and the larger community. Women golfers bring so many skills with them from their professional backgrounds. There are writers and computer wizards and creative artists. Most golf professionals and managers, on the other hand, came to golf because of Be a public relations partner http://www.ngf.org http://www.NGF.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Par Excellence Demo

Par Excellence Demo Contents Why I am Optimistic about Women in Business All the Presidents, Women Maverick Who Took on a Start-Up-and Learned a Valuable Lesson Golf Advice to Women Golfers (And it's Not How to Hit a Ball) Lifestyle You Shall go to the Ball, Cinderella (But First you Have to Get Real...) Travel Health

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