Page 12 - GBC ENG fall 2021

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Golf Business Canada
The day continued with excitement as the Golden Bear Jack Nicklaus and his wife Barbara kicked off the 2-hour event. Highlights of the program included a World Golf Hall of Fame Museum Tour, a riveting interview with LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam and a roundtable event with industry leaders. Viewers were able to chat live and there were many prizes and giveaways.
A week later, on June 1, 2021, WGD launched its 6th annual event. There were over 1,000 officially registered locations in over 80 countries. The hashtag, #WomensGolfDay, reached 72.4 million unique users, generating 87 million impressions across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Canada has been a strong supporter of WGD since inception. I have been extremely proud to be the Canadian Lead Ambassador for WGD in Canada. I volunteer my time for this incredible initiative because I truly feel it is helping grow the game by bringing more women and juniors to the golf course.
This WGD there were just shy of 100 locations across Canada in the midst of a pandemic. Events were held coast to coast at courses from Eaglequest Golf Center in
Women Leaders in the
Canadian Golf Industry
Profiles
Golf Business Canada interviewed a selection of key influential women leaders in various roles and regions throughout the Canadian golf industry to get their thoughts, comments, and insight. The following is an excerpt of their responses. For the complete Q&A, including details on how these leaders continue to break down barriers, innovate, and advocate for inclusivity within our industry, please visit www.ngcoa.ca.
Lisa ‘Longball’ Vlooswyk
World Long Drive Championships Competitive Athlete Callaway Golf and Golf Town Brand Ambassador Women’s Golf School Owner, CAN & USA
Golf Journalist
Lead Ambassador for Canada for Women’s Golf Day
When I started competing at a World Class level in Long Drive, I had the opportunity to compete on a Tour in the United States. Through my travels across North America, I fell in love with the sport of golf, the people in the industry and started to have a burning desire to want to help others enjoy the game as much as I did.
I think the greatest challenge facing women in the golf industry is that it has not been a popular career path for many. I have often been the only female golf journalist at a press conference, a small percentage of women are keynote speakers at conferences and conventions and only a fraction of PGA of Canada professionals are female, and an even smaller number are golf course superintendents. Our industry needs to create programs for young women and girls to see women who are experts in their field achieving success in every aspect of the golf industry.
I was honoured to be the Keynote Speaker for the first annual Women’s Summit at the Golf Business Canada Conference & Trade Show in Calgary in 2018. There is something really magical about women helping women. The energy in the room was palpable. My main takeaway was to ask for help. There are so many talented women in our industry that we need to reach out to connect, learn, share and grow.