P G A O F A M E R I C A

Suzy Whaley is the secretary of the PGA of America, the first woman elected an officer in the association.

In that role, she is helping oversee next week’s first KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She answers five questions from Ryan Herrington.

Why did the PGA get involved with the championship?

We’re proud of the championships we hold: the Ryder Cup, the PGA Championship, the Grand Slam, the Senior PGA.

But there was a glaring hole for women’s golf.

We have a long-term
strategic plan committed
to diversity and inclu-
sion that makes sure we
really reach out to all
people in the game.

What better way to do that then to showcase the best female athletes in the world.

You’re also
hosting, with
KPMG, a women’s lead-
ership summit. What’s
the goal?

We have executives
coming as well as young
women just out of col-
lege. Condoleezza Rice is
the keynote. The theme
is “inspiring greatness,”
whether it be in your
family life, in business or
on the golf course. LPGA
players inspire all of us to
play better golf. And we
want to also inspire
businesswomen to see
how they can successful-
ly fit golf in their lives.

What’s the big
thing the PGA
can do right now to
make golf more attrac-
tive to women?

Invite them to our properties and share with them that we will offer the value and experience they’re looking for.

To attract women to facilities, it needs to be an experience. Our job is to make sure we’re sharing that.

What can
the industry
do overall?

I’d like to see a more realistic scorecard for new players that doesn’t have expectations of making 3s, 4s and 5s right away. Let’s personalize scorecards [to skill level]. Instead of a par 4, make it an 8. You make a