Girls Golf Fair Set for September 7th
Article by Joe Morelli, New Haven Register Suzy Whaley played for a brief time on the LPGA Tour, but the current teaching pro is best known for having become the second woman ever to qualify for a PGA Tour event, the 2003 Greater Hartford Open.
Whaley’s two daughters have gone on to successful junior careers. Kelly won the Connecticut Women’s Amateur for the second time this August, while Jenn will play her sophomore season at Quinnipiac University. Suzy Whaley would love to see many more young women have successful junior golf careers and eventually earn college golf scholarships. It’s her hope that girls from around Connecticut will show up at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell Saturday, September 7 for the second Cobra Puma Golf Girls Golf Fair, an event Whaley is hosting. “I am extremely passionate about golf and growing the sport, especially amongst girls,” said Whaley, the teaching pro at the TPC. “It is a healthy activity that is affordable and is ageless.” Whaley, who was recognized by Golf Digest as one of the 50 Best Teachers in America, wants to draw 500 golfers. As of this week , just 185 were scheduled to attend for only a $20 nominal fee, which i ncludes lunch, instruction, trick shot shows, goodie bags, and more. “It is already a success because people from all over the state are talking about girls playing golf,” Whaley said. “I will consider it a great success if we get more girls involved and signed up for programming so we see more females at our local courses.” There will be many teaching pros on hand offering short-game practice sessions, a hole-in-one contest, club giveaways and more. Whaley stressed that anyone who attends does not have to attend the entire sessions (9 a.m.-1 p.m. or 12:00 p.m..-4 p.m.) and there is no dress code. The idea is to have fun, learn about the game and enjoy it enough to play more often. “I want them leaving signed up for programming and wanting to play more golf,” Whaley said. “Golf offers numerous (women’s golf) scholarships throughout the country that go unused each year. Learning to play golf well and loving it can provide young women, regardless of background, the ability to go to college for free.”
Photo By Newman