Three Cheers for the Spirit of Golf "In School Program"!

One of the things I love about the whole social media explosion is the wealth of new friends I’ve made – people I’ve never physically met, but who share a common love for golf and growing the game. One such cyber-friend is Greg Cox, Executive Director of The Spirit of Golf Foundation.

I met Greg on Facebook and learned from him what the SGF has been doing since 1988 -- it is the only organization that trains and certifies golf coaches in High School, Middle School and youth golf programs across the US and Internationally. I had no idea it even existed. Well, shame on me!

Anyway, as impressed I was with their history and what they've done, what really got me excited was their future. The Spirit of Golf Foundation has started a new program that I believe could be our best hope for growing the sport and making it as common in school curriculums as football or gymnastics is today.

SFG is working in cooperation with the PGA to offer an In School Program that can be set up either indoors or out.

For a nominal fee of only $5,000, a school can bring a complete turnkey golf training program inhouse and teach children everything they need to know to play golf for life. And it's free for the kids!

Check out this video and see it in action...pretty cool, eh?




I was so impressed with the program, I had to ask Greg to fill me in on the details...

Although the program is new, the early results sound very impressive. I sure wish we had this when I was in school. Then it wouldn't have taken me 40 years to discover my love for this game.

I'm going to send this to every teacher I know and encourage them to lobby for SGF's School Program in their schools. I encourage you to do the same. And become a fan on facebook - spread the news to all your FB buddies and Twitter followers.

Let's create a ground swell and help the Spirit of Golf Foundation grow golf inside our schools and make golf a game for life for kids of all ages.

Golfgal

Feel at "home" away from home at your next PGA event

The Olympics are only a few days away and Vangroovy is buzzing! Okay, they have to truck snow to Cypress Mountain for the snowboarders (it’s been so warm, there’s no snow up there), but other than that, things are moving along pretty smoothly.

Hmmm… maybe not so smoothly for some folks who thought they would be floating pretty on the Norwegian Star during the Games – a cruise ship that was going to be a floating hotel for spectators.

Looks like that ship has sunk under economic hardship. Yikes! Time for the lifeboats for the guests who signed up to stay on board!

Well, thankfully, I discovered a solution which could help a few of these stranded spectators – SportsEventRental.com.

I learned about this company about a week ago. They are listed on Mike Perez's website. Apparently one of their founders, Todd Brenneman designed Mike's new site, which is looking pretty cool. Small world, eh?

When I visited Sports Event Rental, I was impressed to see that they are offering homes for rent in Vancouver during the Olympics. When I dug a little deeper, I discovered they also rent homes, condos, apts and even yachts at tons of sporting events throughout the year, including the entire PGA Tour (you wouldn’t expect me to write a non-golfing post, now, would you? :)).

To test it out, I decided to check out the Accenture Match Play Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain in Marana, Arizona in February. Just for fun, I looked at the price of a single room at The Ritz during the event – the cheapest was 559.00 (USD) per night. Not fun! Then I took at look at what Sports Event Rental could offer. There were more than a dozen homes listed in the area; one 4 bedroom house was 10-15 minutes from the event and was renting out at only $150 per night! No, that's more like it!

I wanted to learn more about this company, so, as I am known to do, I talked to one of the founders (Robert (Bob) Hayes) by phone to get the skinny on how it all works. Check out his interview...






Well, I am very happy to announce that after our chat, Bob Hayes and his team got together and added the LPGA majors to their list of events, with plans to add more LPGA events. Cool, don’t you think? Ask and ye shall receive, as they say.

For you home owners looking to rent out your place, you should check their rates. From what I can tell, they are much more affordable and flexible than VRBO (about $300 cheaper) and they don’t charge commissions that VRBO is rumored to be adding to their fees.

I know I'm going to check out SportsEventRental.com the next time I plan a trip to a golf event. Actually, the Senior Men's US Open is at Sahalee in July. Hey, Bob! Can you put that event on your site too! I'll be there.

And what about the 2010 U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay in August? I'm thinking of going there as well!

Keep them coming guys! I think you've got a winner!

Golfgal

Kudos to these pro women golfers who won't roll over for sponsorship

As a marketing consultant, I'm often asked by young pro golfers, "Can you help me find a sponsor?" Even in the best economic times, sponsorship money is hard to come by. So imagine what it's like for today's new golf professionals who are trying to make it in the big leagues. It is especially difficult women, who constantly struggle to capture their fair share of the $195B the golf industry generates every year.

Now, I could get into a rant about pathetic purses in the Duramed FUTURES Tour compared to the NationWide; and I could go on and on about the PGA:LPGA financial imbalance, but I won't. :) Instead I'm going to applaud the entrepreneural spirit of 6 professional women golfers who decided to take matters into their own hands and not sit by waiting for someone to dish them out some cash.

Stacey Bieber, Highway 18 champion, Charlotte Campbell, Big Break Ka'anapali contestant Susan Choi, Julie Miller, Katie Miller and Big Break Michigan challenger Amber Prange

have banded together to launch GolfProGirls.com.

A first-of-its-kind venture, GolfProGirls.com was designed specifically to help women golfers of all ages and skill levels improve their game and have more fun.

According to Charlotte Campbell, "GolfProGirls.com is for anyone that is interested in learning and improving their game. Because you have 8 teachers, you have 8 different approaches to the game that everyone can benefit from. It's hard to find the right teacher but with this site, you can pick and choose what you like. I loved working with Rick Martino and really took a lot away from the lesson personally. I didn't know what to expect, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised with the entire golfprogirls.com experience."

Along with Martino, the Teaching Academy brings to GolfProGirl members the talents of PGA Hall of Famer, Dr. Gary Wiren, Todd Sones a Golf Digest Top 50 Instructor, Top 100 Teacher and head of instruction at Pebble Beach, and Matt Kluck, Master PGA Instructor, to name a few.

And if top golf instruction isn't enough, there are holiday destination profiles, equipment reviews, rule and etiquette tips and "behind the ropes" interviews with players, pros and celebrities. You can even book a GolfProGirl at your next corporate golf event - quite the draw, don't you think?

Given how hard it is to find time between hectic travel and playing schedules, I am really impressed with what these women have done to get this site off the ground. I can't wait to see it grow and prosper, setting an example for the young and hungry golfers coming out of college. Gals and guys...you don't have to wait for sponsors to discover you; use the talents, brains and discipline that got you this far in your career and use them be master of your own destiny.

Follow GolfProGirls on twitter and facebook. And if you're wondering what to give that special golfer in your life on their birthday or Valentines, think about a year's subscription to GolfProGirls.com. It will cost you less than a large bucket of range balls a month.

Well done ladies! Now go out there and show that you girls don't just rock, you are on a roll!

Golfgal