Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2011 - 8

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Golf Course Closings
Eclipse Openings
Calling it a " golf supply market
correction, " the National Golf
Foundation (NGF) reports that
the equivalent of 46 18-hole golf
courses opened in 2010-but that there were
also 107 closures, for a net negative of 61.
This is the fi fth consecutive year that closures
have outpaced openings (the net loss of 220
courses, 2006-2010, represents about 1.5
percent of the total course supply, according
to NGF). Currently there are 15,890 golf facilities
in the United States, 167 less than the
all-time high of 16,057 in 2004.
What Women Want
Overheard at the Women in the Golf Industry
(WIGI) panel discussion in Orlando, which was
moderated by the MGA's own Barb Hanson: The
top fi ve things women want out of their golf
experience include:
s Fun
s Socializing
s Improvement
s Validation
s Respect
Giving Girls the Gift of Golf
( Featured Member
" You've come a long way,
baby. "
That feminist-themed
ad campaign for a cigarette
brand from the 1970s could
stand in for the change in
opportunities for young
women in golf, thanks to
Title IX and the advent of
girls' golf programs (see
junior programs, page 34).
Before Title IX, unless the
young female golfer made
a splash on the national
junior golf scene, there was
little chance that she could
fi nd fi nancial assistance
through a scholarship to help her fulfi ll a
dream of a college education.
Sheila Doran, of Edina, has seen these
( Sheila Doran
matriculated. Many
have
sought advanced degrees,
Doran adds.
" I'm just so proud of the
accomplishments of the
scholarship recipients who
have gone through school
since the foundation's inception
in 1998, " she says.
Currently, 17 girls are
Posted Rounds: 34
Handicap Index: 11.2
Home Club: Interlachen CC
in college, thanks to the
foundation's scholarship,
and Doran would like to
see that fi gure grow. The
MWGA Foundation communicates
with all high
school athletic departments
changes fi rst-hand since her father got her
involved in the game at Cloquet Country
Club as a teen. Doran played competitively
at a time when high schools did not fi eld
golf teams for girls, so she took the initiative
to search out competitive opportunities
on her own.
Since 1999, fi rst as development
director and now as
executive director of the Minnesota
Womens Golf Association's
Foundation, Doran has awarded
high school senior girls with fouryear
academic scholarships through
the MWGA's Scholarship Foundation.
The foundation accepts, on average,
100 applications every year
from high school seniors who have
a connection to the game. Recipients
are selected based on academics,
fi nancial need, quality of
character demonstrated by civic and
academic activities and involvement
in golf (competitive excellence isn't
required).
Since 1998, 39 young women
have been awarded the scholarship
and successfully
6
MINNESOTAGOLFER Spring 2011
across the state, and through a new initiative,
Doran hopes to reach all school counselors
as well.
Doran is also tasked with making rain
for the foundation. She works with MGA
golf clubs to help organize fundraisers on
behalf of the foundation, and encourages
individual MWGA golfers to donate as
well. The foundation's largest fundraiser,
the Annual Curtis Cup, occurs every
summer at Brackett's Crossing Country
Club in Lakeville.
Doran is no stranger to staging
large scale golf events, having chaired
committees involved with the U.S.
Walker Cup, the Solheim Cup and the
U.S. Women's Open, all at her home
club,
Interlachen Country Club in
Edina.
Scholarship winners are selected
by a small, hard-working foundation
board. But notifying the
scholars is one of the highlights
of Doran's job. " It's so exciting
to call the girls-their response is
such gratitude. It's a wonderful, rewarding
experience. "
For more info on the MWGA
e-mail
Scholarship Foundation,
mwgafoundation@mngolf.org.
www.mngolf.org
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2011

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