In recent years, I have worked more closely with industry organizations. I have a close relationship with the LPGA Tour and write regularly about the Tour events. I have written several articles based on my personal interviews with LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. I also follow the Ladies European Tour (LET) Tour and have attended and reported on Solheim Cups in Colorado US, Germany, the recent Solheim in Des Moines, Iowa US and I hope to attend and report on the 2019 Solheim Cup in Gleneagles, Scotland. Also on my list is the UL International Crown LPGA Tournament in Incheon, Korea in October 2018. And.. the Olympics in Tokyo in summer 2020.
As a member of the World Golf Foundation Women’s Committee I have another channel available to encourage more women golfers. The new www.LPGAWomensNetwork.com has a great future. I am excited to be a part of helping to build a stronger LPGA women's golf community on a global scale.
See my complete biography tab on left: ABOUT NANCY_Bio]
About my golf. I am an active golfer at Frenchman’s Creek Beach and Country Club, in Palm Beach Gardens Florida and serve on the Greens Committee and Marketing Committee. I play both social and competitive golf and sometimes team matches against other clubs. On average, I play golf at least once a week. My current Handicap Index on the USGA GHIN system is 18.3 -- which puts me in the 25th percentile of women golfers who maintain handicaps. I describe my golf as that of a "Good bogey golfer with permanent potential.” I never give up trying to play better. Golf is a healthy and social sport. That's why my consistent message is: “Be Happy, Be Healthy, Live Longer, Play Golf.”
I share my News & Views about women’s golf on this website www.nancyberkley.com and www.womensgolfnews.com.
Many of my articles that were published on www.womensgolf.com are included in the NEWS&VIEWS tab. One of the most read and favorite article is advice for women golfers about leadership and how to encourage and assist their golf facility to be more women-friendly. I have also published on https://www.gottagogolf.com/ -- which has some light-hearted articles about women's golf. For ten years,ending in 2017, I published over 100 artcies for cybergolf.com, a company that introduced website-marketing to golf facilities. The cybergolf.com articles are available by special arrangement.
HAVE A QUESTION? I offer a “Complimentary Help Line” on this website, where I answer questions from golfers, facility managers and students studying sports marketing. If I can answer the question in fifteen minutes or less, there is never a charge. One of my favorite questions was about how to organize a women's guest day. [see Free Help Line tab on left]
SOCIAL MEDIA: I am active on Facebook and Twitter (see links at top of page).
x
TABLE OF CONTENTS: (see tabs on left)
LPGA 20018 TOUR SCHEDULES, COURSE INFORMATION Here's what you will find:
The 2018 schedule of the LPGA Tour including the location and special, unique features of the course and how it will challenge the golfers.
Explanation of formats used in special tournament events on the LPGA Tour, such as the 2018 UL International Crown Tournament (in Incheon Korea) and the 2019 Solheim Cup in Gleneagles, Scotland.
BREAKING NEWS (News you don't want to miss)
WWW.LPGAWOMENS NETWORK.COM-- January 25, 2017: The LPGA announces a new alliance that will bring LPGA fans and all women golfers closer to the LPGA and women's golf. Here's the background: In 1991, Nancy Glidden Oliver pioneered the first organization for new or "never-ever" golfers who wanted to learn the game and be able to use it in their business activities. She established the EWGA Executive Women's Golf Association in 1991. It was the first women's organization of it's kind and made my History of Women's Golf Timeline (see tab on left) The EWGA developed local organizations across the U.S. (and some foreign countries), and under the subsequent leadership of Pam Swensen, it continued to grow. But it still needed more resources and a bigger platform to attract millions of women golfers (not just thousands).
Enter the World Golf Foundation's Women's Committee (proud to be a member) tasked with a broader mission and with Nancy Henderson of the LPGA Foundation and Chief Teaching Officer on board, the stars were aligned.
I don't think it will be too long before I will have a tag on my golf bag that says "LPGA PROUD SUPPORTER" ... or something like that. (and "LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Proud Supporter" on the back!)
GIRLS GOLF -- the fastest growing segment in the golf industry -- with a special focus on LPGA/USGA Girls Golf.
ROLEX RANKINGS -- What are they? Why they are important? And the current top-ranked golfers in the world.
LPGA 2018 UL INTERNATIONAL CUP [SPECIAL PAGE]
NEWS, ADVICE & OPINIONS -- Here's where my articles are posted that generally offer news, advice and my opinions & views. Many were written for and published on other websites and if so, a notation to the previous publication is referenced. There are many more websites for women golfers now than ever before. Two good newsletters are published by www.lpgawomensnetwork.com and www.womensgolf.com.
ROLEX RANKING -- EXPLANATION AND CURRENT STATISTICS
GOLF FASHION TRENDS
"THE NUMBERS" How many women golfers are there in the U,S, How many junior girls. About Handicaps
HISTORY OF WOMEN'S GOLF TIMELINE (beginning with Mary Queen of Scots to the present}
"WOMEN-FRIENDLY-COURSE" TEST
BEST PRACTICES TO ATTRACT WOMEN GOLFERS
GOLF FORMATS --BOTH FUN & CHALLENGING
THE USGA GOLF RULES -- proposed changes for 2019
SOLHEIM CUPS [SPECIAL PAGE]
ABOUT NANCY (full resume)
ARCHIVES: ARTICLES BY NANCY
FREE HELP LINE
GOLF TRAVEL
PHOTO GALLERY
NANCY'S SPEAKING & CONSULTING SERVICES
WHERE DOES THE LPGA TOUR PLAY NEXT ? ... new feature of my site -- Always check for TV coverage:
August 24-27 -- The LPGA Tour is in Canada!! The Canadian Pacific Women's Open in Ottowa, Canada.
August 18-20 -- SOLHEIM CUP IN DES MOINES, IOWA at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club
August 3-6 -- the fourth major of the LPGA Tour and the tournament that will finalize the Solheim Cup Teams (Team USA vs Team Europe) based on top finishers in Solheim Cup Points and Rolex Rankings and the Captain's Picks. For articles about the Solheim Cup (I have written many) go to www.womensgolf.com and use the search feature for "Solheim Cup". The Solheim Cup is "Match Play" -- each hole is won, lost or tied. A match could be over after 10 holes if one player or one team wins the first ten holes.... but that very, very seldom happens!
July 27-30 -- The LPGA Tour moves to Scotland for the Aberdeen Asset Management -- for the Ladies Scottish Open.
July 20-23 -- The LPGA then moves to Ohio for the Marathon Classic presented by Owens Corning and O-1.
July 13-16 -- The LPGA and women golfers from other countries and Tours who have qualified for the U.S. Women's Open Championship conducted by the USGA are playing at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. This is the third major of the LPGA season and important for collectng Solheim Cup Points for Team USA.
The LPGA Tour moves north from Chicago and the KPMG to Wisconsin and the home of the Green Bay Packers for the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic -- and innaugural stop on the 2017 scheduled. Here is what the course looks like -- the lakes are the result of the receding glaciers which covered the uppermidwest. As the glaciers receded, they left a healthy base of top soil that's perfect for golf courses.
The LPGA Tour ended the month of June with:
Belmont Michigan at the Blythefield Country Club for the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give - June 15-18. After that the next stop im
Arkansas for the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G -- June 23-25 AND THEN...TO THE...
KPMG Women's PGA Championship (the second "Major" on the LPGA Tour) at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olmpia Fields, Illinois June 29-July
The LPGA Tour moved to Canada! The Manulife LPGA Golf Classic at the Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, Ontario June 8-11. What an exciting playoff with Ariya Jutanugarn sinking a very long putt to win the tournament.
The LPGA Tour moved back east to to Atlantic City on the Atlantic Ocean at the Seaview Country Club for the ShopRite Classic presented by Acer. ShopRite is a very large grocery-store chain in New Jersey and has a long tradition of sponsoring this tournament. (I lived in New Jersey for many years and shopped there often!)
The LPGA Tour moved west to Ann Arbor Michigan for the May 25-28 LPGA Volvik Championship at the Travis Pointe Country Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan. You won't see any mountains in Michigan but lots of green trees and lots of bunkers. And Ann Arbor is the home of the University of Michigan -- so hope to see some young crowds in the gallery.) Those of us who have played golf for a while will remember when the Volvik golf ball was introduced... and only women used it... but with a good marketing campaign, Volvik is now also used by professional male golfers. Follow the tournament and "News" by checking in at www.lpga.com
Lexi Thompson had a great win at the Kingsmill Championship in Williamsburg, Virginia (photo below) presented by JTBC May 18-21. She looked in better form than ever to me. (Must be that Puma white skort!) Lexi is in a great position to make the 2017 Solheim Cup! The LPGA's next stop is in Michigan (see Travis Pointe photo above.) To see the LPGA Schedule go to www.lpga.com and click on "tournament schedule" on top bar.
The LPGA Tour is in Mexico City May 4-7 at the Lorena Ochoa Match Play championship. This is the first match play on the LPGA Tour in 4 years.
Unfortunately this tournament was not televised because of not enough sponsors for expensive TV coverage. But great articles and coverage on www.lpga.com and on my Facebook (click facebook link above) This tournament would have been a good experiment for live streaming of golf events.) To learn more about Match Play check out my article https://www.womensgolf.laycom/match-play-or-stroke-play/on www.womensgolf.com To follow this match play event go to my facebook page (click facebook link at top of page). But the best way to view the matches is to go to www.lpga.com -- then click "leaderboard tab" on top bar. That will take you to the bracket page. just click the bracket page and then you can enlarge any part of it to see who is playing in what matches and in what bracket.
The LPGA moves to the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout presented by JTBC - April 27-30. This is the only LPGA tournament in Texas at the Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas. The Volunteers of a America (www.volunteersofamerica.org) is a faith-based volunteer organization that serves people in need with chapters in the U.S. There are only a few sponsors of LPGA Tour events that have primary "charitable" missions. (In addition to the wonderful The Founders Cup, the Swinging Skirts in Taiwan is another example whose mission is to support and grow women's and girls golf in Taiwan.) Friends and I have started a "volunteer match" program at our club Frenchman's Creek Beach & Country Club www.frenchmanscreek.com in Palm Beach Gardens, Flordia, and now beginning our 4th year. Perhaps more LPGA sponsors will emerge who ask golfers to "give of themselves" as well as buying the sponsors' products. Many of the LPGA sponsors have major charitable efforts -- just check them out on the web. Here is a photo of the Las Colinas Country Club:
The LPGA was in Oahu, Hawaii April 12-15 for the Lotte Championship presented by Hershey. the Ko Olina Golf Club has hosted many championships and is one of the few public courses on the professional golf tours. The purse is $2 million but the players are starting to focus on gettiing their Rolex Rankings up to qualify for the Solheim Cup matches in August. The winner was Christi Kerr of the USA. See http://www.lpga.com/news/2017-lotte-championship-presented-by-hershey-top-storylines.
Below is the famous Dinah Shore Course at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California (Palm Springs area). March 30 -April 2, 2017 This course and ANA Inspiration 2017 will be remembered as the the tournament that changed the USGA Rules. I predict that after a TV viewer called in a rule violation on Lexi Thompson that [he] was watching the match a day later on recorded TV, and that very close-up image (a close-up that probably no other player's ball received) -- showed that Lexi did not put her ball back exactly where she had marked it (we are talking about 1/4 inch at most) and Lexi received a 4 stroke penatly (2 strokes for not putting ball back and 2 strokes for turning in an incorrect card -- that the rules will change. Imagine if a day after a basketball game, a close up video showed a player's shoe just a wee-bit over the foul line... or a hockey player ... or a football player.... you get the picture. The Rules of Golf have to be fixed. I expect that at some point, Mike Whan, the LPGA Commissioner will make a statement about this.
It is the site of the first LPGA Major of the season: The ANA Inspration. March 30 to April 2. (Unless you are at least 50, you don't know who Dinah Shore was. I remember her well! She was the first female TV personality that publicized women's golf. She had a short evening news show where she promoted: the refrain "Drive a Chevrolet in the USA." The photo below is on the 18th green -- that's Dinah on the left waving the players on, there's Poppie's Pond that the winner will jump into and just over the pond is the 18th green. I made a special trip out to Mission Hills to play this course. It is designed for galleries and what a powerful symbol of great women's golf it has become. "Thanks, Dinah, for all you've done for women's golf!"
iMMEDIATELY BELOW: Photo of the course the LPGA Tour played March 23-26.
Kia Classic at the Aviara Golf Club at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, California just north of San Diego, California. This is the only course in the San Diego area designed by Arnold Palmer. It is near a nature preserve and is quite beautiful with rolling hills, beautiful flowers, native trees and an occasional view of the beautiful Pacific Ocean estuary. Check www.lpga.com and local stations for TV coverage and
ABOVE -- previous stop on LPGA Tour: March 16-19 -- You are at the Wildfire Golf Club at the JW Marriot Desert Ridge resort in Pheonix Arizona for theBANK OF HOPE FOUNDERS CUP. This tournament is a real favorite. It honors the 13 women who "founded" -- established the LPGA in 1950. It was the first professional women's sports association in the world. Only three of the 13 Founders are still living and will be at the Tournament. The accomplishment of the Founders was extrordinary. At the Founders Cup tournament, as the current LPGA players come off the course, they stop by to honor the founders. CHECK YOUR TV FOR COVERAGE OF THE TOURNAMENT. One of the Founders, Marilyn Smith, wrote a great book a few years ago: "Have Clubs, Will Travel." A wonderful portrayal of how the Founders did what they did. (Click on the Facebook link at top of page to see more about the Founders Cup.) To see how the LPGA fits in to the history of women's golf, click HISTORY TIME LINE on the left tab.
ABOVE -- previous stop of LPGA Tour: Singapore (island/country in Southeast Asia near Malaysia) at the Sentosa Golf Club's Tanjong Course -- March 2-5. The LPGA Tour will compete there March 2-6. (check for your local TV coverage.) The LPGA Tour is midway on its first "Asian Swing" of the season. Singapore was an important commercial port of the British Empire and is still an important commercial center (see the buildings in the skyline). (Doesn't it remind you a little of the Liberty Golf Course with New York Skyline in the background?) Singapore has fine hotels and casinos and good golf! Follow the tournaments on TV (check schedule) and the standings on www.lpga.com. Now also on www.womensgolf.com -- use the top tabs LPGA Tour/results and the Rolex Rankings.
