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INSIDE

2 A favorite golf resort of California women's golf associations

4 The 411 on the Women’s Golf Alliance’s 20 member associations

6 A favorite golf resort of South Carolina's women's golf association

6 Who is the Women’s Golf Alliance and what is it up to?

President’s Message:

Mark your calendar for May in Arizona

by Mary Pomroy

In Arizona, winter is the real season for golf. Our population swells, and the part-time residents that come here for the beautiful winter weather and the fabulous golf bring with them a festive attitude that energizes those of us who live here year-round.

For those of us who also remain here for the brutal summer months, May is the best time to “Get Out and Golf” in Arizona. We play golf all summer; we call ourselves the summer warriors because

sometimes battling the heat gets the best of us. But ask a full-time Arizona resident what the very best month is for golf, and we'll tell you it's May.

The weather is still pretty great (especially this year) and the golf courses are typically still pristine. This is the time of year when we summer warriors really take advantage of our opportunities to play the very best resort courses our state has to offer, and there are many.

The AWGA has a program called the GEM (Golf Endorsed by Members) program, through which our members name the courses (public, private, and resort) that do the best job of serving their female clientele. This year's selection included five resort courses: Los Caballeros, which is connected to Rancho de Los Caballeros, a dude ranch in Wickenburg; Gold Canyon Golf Resort, in Gold Canyon; Omni Tucson Golf Resort; Ventana Canyon, where you can stay at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon; and We-Ko-Pa, with its full-scale casino. Visit www.awga.org/detail.asp?id=219&pid=4 to check them all out, along with the other 24 2015 GEM courses.

So wherever you are, get out and golf! Summer is a great time for golf, whether your best weather is just starting or just ending. Don't waste a moment of it!.

WGA–1Courtesy of Ojai Valley Inn & Spa

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The California Women’s Championship (CWC), now in its 20th year, will be played July 13-15 at a resort so woman-friendly that it has become

the permanent home of the event that traditionally draws some of the finest women golfers in the state. The CWC committee selected the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa in Ojai as its venue in 2013, and received such positive feedback that it hasn’t moved since–and doesn’t plan to. The golf staff are wonderful to work with, making tournament administration an easier task for the committee. The players enjoyed the challenges that the course presented and the beautiful surroundings. And the location—just inland from Santa Barbara on the California Coast–has appeal for players from the state’s two biggest population centers, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. Ojai Valley Inn & Spa is a five-diamond resort and exemplifies casual elegance at its finest. Surrounded by the Los Padres National Forest and majestic Topa Topa Mountains, Ojai’s unique microclimate offers the ideal setting for many outdoor activities, including tennis, hiking, biking, swimming and, happily for the CWC, golf on its historic George Thomas-designed championship course.

All four sets of tees have been rated for women at this 18-hole course, which plays 6,292 yards from the blues, 5,901 from the whites, 5,649 from the Thomas tees and 5,211 from the reds. Cutting-edge programs and expansive instruction combine for an elevated playing experience on this historic and treasured course. Since the original design and construction of the course in 1923, the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa’s fairways have been a golfer’s paradise. Players marvel at its historic grandeur and architecture, and its reach has extended far beyond the greens, hitting a demographic that includes both men and women golfers. Commemorated with honorable mentions from Golf Digest and Golf Illustrated, the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa has also landed a place of recognition in Golf for Women, highlighting its top 100 women-friendly golf courses.

With the whimsicality of sweeping valley views, added elements of resort luxury and a destination course, the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa is a dream destination for golf enthusiasts around the world.

A favorite resort of golfing women in California: Ojai Valley Inn & Spa

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Lights on an oak tree illuminate the putting green in the evening at Ojai. (Keith Mitchum/Courtesy of Ojai Valley Inn and Spa)

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A favorite resort of golfing women in California: Ojai Valley Inn & Spa

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About the CWC The idea for the California Women's State Championship was born

in January of 1994 at the USGA Annual Meeting. It was felt that a state championship would provide a "true women's champion" from the state of California. In 1995, five of the women's golf associations in California joined forces to pursue the dream. The Pacific Women's Golf Association, San Diego County Women's Golf Association, Women's Golf Association of Northern California, Women's Public Links Golf Association and the Women's Southern California Golf Association began orchestrating the championship. Money to sponsor the tournament was and continues to be provided by three of these associations (PWGA, WGANC and WSCGA) with two representatives from each forming the CWC Committee. The dream became a reality in July of l996, when the first championship commenced at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego. Diane Irvin of Los

Angeles Country Club won the first; the defending champion is Sara Banke of Poplar Creek in San Mateo. The format has remained consistent since that first tournament, 54 holes of individual stroke play. The competition is scheduled in July each year so players of high school and college age can participate. Eligibility requirements are that a player be a female of any age, a California resident for at least 6 months of the year and have a USGA handicap index of no greater than 10.4.

The results of the California Women's State Championship also determine which players will represent the state at the USGA Women's State Team Championship, an event held every two years. For more information regarding the selection of players, please visit http://www.cwcgolf.org/2015.html.

—Caroline O’Brien, Executive Director of the Pacific Women’s Golf Association

Mustard greens dot the golf course landscape at Ojai. (Photo courtesy of Ojai Valley Inn and Spa)

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The Women's Golf Alliance encompasses 20 state and regional associations across the U.S., from California on the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Coast and South Carolina, home of the Kiawah Island Golf Resort shown here.

MEET THE MEMBERSOF THE WOMEN’S GOLF ALLIANCE

PHOTO BY KIAWAH—COUGAR POINT

The Desert WGA was formed in 2000 as a regional association for Southern California desert clubs and their approximately 700 members. It issues course and slope ratings as well as handicap indexes to its members. DWGA also sponsors golf tournaments, team play competition and other events for members.

The Colorado Women’s Golf Association (CWGA) is a nonprofit amateur golf organization established in 1916. We promote women's golf in the state and preserve the integrity of the game. We represent 17,000 individuals and 250 clubs and we serve as a regional operating partner of the United States Golf Association.

The Kansas Women’s Golf Association promotes the game among women and girls by maintaining strong relationships with member clubs and individual members; conducting annual championships and other events; and offering a range of programs that develop and enhance the golfing experience for all.

The Missouri Women's Golf Association promotes women's golf by holding annual competitions for female juniors, amateurs, mid -amateurs and seniors. Scholarships are awarded each year to graduating high school golfers through the MWGA.

Founded in 1952, the Delaware Women’s Golf Association shares a mission to promote interest in golf for women and junior girls in the State of Delaware and surrounding areas. The DWGA reaches golfers of all abilities through tournaments, travel, social events and education.

The Maryland State Golf Association-Women’s Division was formed in 1995 to promote amateur golf for women of all ages and abilities. The MSGA-WD is dedicated to providing a full range of services for more than 9,000 members including competitions, handicapping, course rating and rules seminars.

The Montana State Women’s Golf Association is devoted to promoting educational, social and recreational advantages for women and girls in golf. They do this by encouraging sportsmanship, amateurism, skill and respect embodied by the honorable traditions in the game of golf.

The Michigan Women’s Golf Association was established in 1986 to help promote the game and provide competitive play and education for female amateur players of all ages and skill levels. An on-going MWGA goal is to give back to the community through our successful LPGA-USGA supported junior program.

The Nebraska Women’s Amateur Golf Association is an organization of golf clubs and individuals governed by amateur women golfers and formed in 1973 for the purpose of promoting and conserving the best interests and true spirit of the game of golf for all women in Nebraska.

The Arizona WGA (AWGA) is the voice of women’s golf in Arizona. We offer programs for members and the golf community that encourage and provide opportunities for women to learn, play, compete and administer the game for themselves and their clubs. Programs include information and outreach, player programs, USGA programs, and volunteer development.

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The Women's Southern California Golf Association, established in 1922, is the largest regional women’s golf association in the U.S. Its goal is to promote and foster interest in women's amateur golf through friendly organized competition.

The TRANS Amateur Championship began in 1927 and in 1992, the TRANS Senior Four-Ball Championship for women was added. Among past TRANS Amateur champions and/or competitors are Brittany Lang, Paige MacKenzie, Nancy Lopez, Lorena Ochoa, Grace Park, Judy Bell, Carol Semple Thompson, Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Patty Berg.

The New Hampshire Women’s Golf Association (NHWGA), founded in 1923, is a nonprofit organization governed by a volunteer 15-member board. We offer our 750 members more than 40 golf events: weekly tournaments, mixed events, specialties, juniors and championships. We conduct rules clinics and annually award college scholarships.

The WGA of Northern California promotes and serves the interest of women's amateur golf in Northern California. We provide services for more than 100 member clubs' women's organizations from Tulare County north to the Oregon border, with a membership of more than 11,000.

The Women’s South Carolina Golf Association was founded in 1949. The WSCGA membership consists of women’s golf associations throughout the state: 140 member associations with more than 12,000 women golfers receiving USGA handicaps. The WSCGA is licensed by the USGA to provide handicapping and course rating services.

Pacific WGA was founded in 1947 to promote the best interest of amateur golf for women. PWGA supports women golfers playing at public and semi-private courses in Northern California. In addition to funding several benevolent projects, we provide educational, competitive and social opportunities for our members.

Founded in 1899, the Women’s Metropolitan Golf Association is the second oldest women’s golf association in the U.S. and has a membership of 201 clubs and more than 2,300 individuals In Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. The WMGA annually conducts spring team matches and more than 30 competitions, including a USGA Championship qualifier.

Founded in 1934, San Diego County WGA is a nonprofit organization, chartered to promote, supervise and conduct competitive golf for SDCWGA members in accordance with the Rules of Golf of the USGA as modified by Local Rules determined by the Board of Directors.

The Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association began in 1915 at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club with the goal of crowning a Women’s Oklahoma State Amateur. Its mission is to support, promote and grow the game of golf for women and junior girls in Oklahoma.

Founded in 1916, the Women’s Texas Golf Association encourages and promotes women's golf in Texas. We also raise funds for college scholarships and educate others about USGA rules.

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Why just visit when you can join? Seabrook Island, S.C.

Seabrook Island, South Carolina, is such an ideal spot for golf enthusiasts, women who play here on vacation just may want to join. And that would be fine with the Seabrook Island Ladies Golf Association (SILGA), which welcomes new members.

The SILGA has a mission of promoting women’s golf by providing players with opportunities to meet other women golfers and to play in a variety of golfing events. The community itself is a private, welcoming, oceanfront paradise with every amenity and activity you could imagine, including two championship golf courses.

Seabrook Island Club is a private club in a gated sea island community, but renting a property from a club member gives guests access to golf, tennis, equestrian and fitness facilities, as well as restaurants and renowned Beach Club complex with two oceanfront pools, arcade, gift shop and beachfront restaurant.

The dining and shopping is fabulous. Seabrook Island is conveniently located just five minutes from Kiawah Island and close to charming, historic downtown Charleston. Visit www.discoverseabrook.com to learn more and search for rental properties. —Jennifer O’Brien, Executive Director of the South Carolina Women’s Golf Association

In case you were wondering...What is the Women’s Golf Alliance?

Formed in 2009, the Women’s Golf Alliance represents 20 state and regional women’s golf associations comprised of 120,000 women golfers. Its goals are: to increase the voice and visibility of women golfers; to enhance the benefits and services provided by member associations; and to offer marketing, management and governance resources and tools for member associations, staff and boards.Who can join the Alliance?

The Alliance has various levels of membership. Please contact your local women’s golf association if you are interested in joining the Alliance.How can I get more information about the Alliance?

Go to www.womensgolfalliance.orgWhy am I receiving this magazine?

Because you are a member of a state or regional women’s golf association that belongs to the Alliance, you are entitled to receive a free subscription to GottaGoGolf Magazine.