This Saturday is the start of the third-annual Women’s Golf Week (June 2nd-9th), and will potential involve more than 50,000 women at more than 1,200 golf facilities across the country. Designed exclusively for women, the week will include a series of exciting golf and golf-related activities including free golf lessons and clinics, networking receptions, golf rules and etiquette seminars, on-course golf instruction, golf luncheons and more. Women’s Golf Week was developed in response to input from golf industry leaders at the 2004 Golf 20/20 Conference and is part of the Play Golf American campaign, the golf industry’s search engine for accessing information on player development programs for adults, women and families nationwide. Now, the management responsibilities for Women’s Golf Week fall to the LPGA, the Executive Women’s Golf Association, EWGA, the PGA of American and the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), with ongoing support from other leading organizations.
Our Woman of the week this week is pro-golfer Suzy Whaley, whom you may remember as one of the first woman to win a PGA individual professional tournament (Connecticut Section Championship) since 1994, when the PGA established the opportunity for women to compete against men. She’s an extraordinary talent and a member of the EWGA’s Board of Directors for their Foundation and although now lives in Farmington Connecticut, was born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. This year, Suzy, along with Laura Diaz, is the National Spokesperson for American Express Women’s Golf Week and can be seen at LPGA events for ESPN.
WOTW: Suzy, when and how did you get started with golf?
Suzy: My mother, an avid golfer got me started playing at the age of 9 in Syracuse, New York. My real love, however, was ski racing and I was on the Olympic Developmental Team by the age of 12. My goal was to pursue my dream of competing in the Olympics, but I was hurt in a downhill in 1983. That’s when my focus shifted solely to golf.
WOTW: What would you say is the best thing about your position?
Suzy: Having a job that lets me interact with people, be outside, and go to work everyday to enjoy a sport I’m passionate about.
WOTW: What is the hardest thing for you to accomplish?
Suzy: Balance in my life to include more time with my family.
WOTW: When you’re off your game, how do you get back on track?
Suzy: PRACTICE…PRACTICE…then practice some more.
WOTW: What tips can you provide for playing better?
Suzy: Focus on strategy and scoring, the less on mechanics. Spend more time on the putting green.
WOTW: Of what are you most proud?
Suzy: My family, playing on the PGA Tour, and my role in helping more women enjoy golf across the country.
WOTW: Describe your overall philosophy and how you utilize it with your work responsibilities.
Suzy: My philosophy is to provide a learning environment that is friendly, knowledgeable, non-threatening, and that offers anyone the chance to exceed.
WOTW: If you could change one thing in our world, what would it be?
Suzy: That women all over the world would have the same rights as men. That women could hold the same job positions, earn the same wage, and that they would be treated with respect, as all human beings deserve.
WOTW: What is your guilty pleasure?
Suzy: Dark chocolate and People magazine.
WOTW: What CD or book would you want to have with you the ‘proverbial’ desert island?
Suzy: CD would be Rascal Flatts, Book: Mists of Avalon and David Ledbetter’s Faults and Fixes.
WOTW: Lastly, what advice would you share with someone starting out in your field?
Suzy: Watch as many good instructors as possible, read everything about golf instruction with an open mind, continue to always improve your own abilities and never stop learning.
Women who participate in Women’s Golf Week this week and who register on-site will receive a complimentary one-year subscription to Golf for Women Magazine. Register at
» READ MORE: www.playgolfamerica.com
. There are several courses in our area who will offer free or discounted golf clinics for women throughout the week of June 2nd, including Blue Bell County Club, Four Season’s Golf Center in Fountainville, PA, McCall Golf & Country Club in Upper Darby, Woody’s in Norristown, Sand Barrens Golf Course in Cape May, Links in Marlton, Little Mill Country Club, also in Marlton and Ed Oliver Golf Club in Wilmington, Delaware.
If you’d like to nominate a Woman of the Week, please email me –
» READ MORE: mrussell@phillynews.com