Welcoming Women
LIZ COOPER’S INNOVATIVE STYLE OF ENGAGING WOMEN
IN GOLF HAS GONE NATIONAL
by LISA D. MICKEY
Liz Cooper
receives the PGA
of America’s
National Player
Development
Award from PGA of
America president
Suzy Whaley.
PGA OF AMERICA
Liz Cooper wasn’t looking to leave
Springfield Golf & Country Club
when her telephone rang earlier this
year, informing her of a management
opportunity at LPGA headquarters in Daytona
Beach, Fla.
Cooper was Springfield’s head golf professional
and something of a Pied Piper in women’s golf at
the Virginia club where she had rallied her female
membership with a variety of programs designed
to attract and retain women in the game.
But the caller thought it might interest Cooper—who
is both a Class-A LPGA member and
PGA of America member—that the LPGA was
looking for a senior director of membership and
events for its LPGA Amateur Golf Association.
That position would cast a wider net to attract
women golfers from throughout North America.
“It wasn’t something I was looking
for, but when I was presented with
the opportunity to lead a group
of 13,000 amateur members
in 118 chapters, I saw how
maybe I could make a difference
in the sport,” she said.
“It’s always been my goal to
leave golf better than how I
found it.”
NEW FRONTIER
Cooper accepted the job in
March but worked remotely from
Virginia for more than two months
until she was able to join the LPGA staff in
Florida following coronavirus office restrictions.
But Cooper knew that leap to lead the LPGA
Amateur Golf Association, formerly operating
as the Executive Women’s Golf Association
(EWGA), came only after effectively learning
how to engage female golfers from across
northern Virginia.
Starting with the 60 girls signed up to compete
in the PGA Junior League program during the
summer months to the 50 women who showed
up four times each year for Cooper’s popular
“Wine, Women & Wedges” program at Springfield,
the numbers of females playing golf at clubs
where Cooper served has steadily climbed.
“It’s about breaking down barriers and welcoming
people into the game,” said Cooper, a Massachusetts
native who started her athletic career as
a college swimmer at Duquesne University.
“But it’s also a nod to good management, and
Josh Tremblay at Springfield is a leader in recognizing
what growth in the game is,” she added.
“We know that without women and juniors,
golf is going to be in a tough spot pretty soon
because we’re not going to have a market who
wants to play golf.”
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
While Virginia golfers were familiar with Cooper’s
creative programming and active membership
engagement, she landed on the national
radar in 2019 when she was honored last November
as the PGA of America’s National Player
Development Award winner.
The honor recognizes a PGA
member who has “displayed
extraordinary and exemplary
contributions and achievements
in the area of player
development.” She was honored
alongside other PGA
national award winners at
the PGA Annual Meeting
in Florida.
“Liz connects with people
and she creates programs
and events that entice women
to play golf,” said Marvol Barnard,
LPGA Professionals National President.
“She doesn’t just have great ideas. She gets
things done.”
Barnard and Cooper met years ago when both
professionals were going through the PGA of
America’s professional training program and they
have stayed in touch over the years. As head of the
LPGA’s teaching and club professionals, Barnard
has often bounced national-level ideas off Cooper.
And as Cooper launched her golf career as
assistant golf professional and membership
marketing director at Mount Vernon Country
Club (from 2004-2014), she often sought advice
from Barnard about how to bring more women
and juniors into the game.
vsga.org J ULY/A UGUST 2020 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 19