Golf Fore Gals on Maui: Where Wahines Win!

For those of us who began playing golf with husbands or boyfriends, we all remember how naked we felt on the first tee in front of strangers, especially those golfers who never bothered to wait for us to tee off before heading down the fairway (or into the woods) to hit their next shot.

I almost gave up the game when this happened to me early in my golfing career, but my golfguy was very supportive and became my biggest fan on the course, encouraging me and making up for others less considerate.  It’s probably why I married him 🙂

When I finally felt more confident with my game a few years ago, I became an advocate for getting more women into golf.  I discovered that many women didn’t play because they were afraid.  They had either had a bad experience or found golf clubs to be intimidating.  A number of those who did play had given it up because they couldn’t find gal pals to play with and they were too uncomfortable about walking on as a single.

For all of those ladies, the first thing I say to them, is, “You need to check out Golf Fore Gals (GFG).  GFG a virtual golf club (i.e. one not tied to any specific course) that offers ladies of all skill levels a chance to play with other golfgals who want to play the game, get better and most importantly…have FUN.

At Golf Fore Gals, women find friendship, fun and freedom from fear, learning the game with women who have “been there” and know how hard it is to break into the male-dominated sport.

GFG offers women from Vancouver, the Okanagan, Fraser Valley and now Maui, 3 levels of membership, so no matter what your skill level or goals, there’s a place for you in the “club”.  You really need to check out their website and see what members are saying about their experiences.  Or check out their Open Facebook Group where there are lots of great pictures of their events.

The Maui chapter of Golf Fore Gals is new this year and I had the great pleasure of playing their Maui Women’s Annual Classic in November.  No matter what the score, every wahine was a winner that day. It was a blast!

I’m booking next year’s November getaway to ensure I’ll be there in time to play it again.

Diane Fru, the owner and president of GFG, and her husband, Rod are from Vancouver, but they spend as much time as they can in paradise just like I do with my golfguy every year.  We always try to get a game in together and this year we chose the most women-friendly course on the island – Ka’anapali Kai.

I love both of the Ka’anapali courses and from my experience playing them for two weeks in November, so do many other women.  We were paired with husbands and wives on many days and even single women joined us. 

One day, we were a few holes behind a regular monthly women’s event; there were over 40 golfgals playing the Royal Course and from the hooting and hollering going on, I could tell that these ladies were having a good time!  I was very tempted jump in my cart and join them.

I found out later from the Marshall that two of the women scored aces that day – one on the par 3, 8th and a second on the par 3, 17th.

Par 3 17th Hole at Royal Ka’anapali

I remember the pin placement on the sloping 17th green very well, and I can tell you that it was not easy. Not one person in my foursome could putt their ball into the hole.  We’ll all lipped out and eventually picked up.  Thank goodness for gimmees 🙂

Golf is not easy, but it’s worth every frustrating minute when you can play wonderful courses with good old friends and new ones you might never otherwise meet.  My 2 best friends in Vancouver are women I met on a golf course.

So if you know a woman who loves golf or is thinking of taking it up, but doesn’t know where to start, give her a special gift this new year – give the gift of membership at GFG. She’ll thank you for a lifetime. Because that’s what golf really is – a game for life!

Aloha!

Golfgal