The 2019 Arizona Women’s Golf Expo at The Westin Kierland Golf Club on February 24, 2019 was a true celebration of women and golf for our valley. The event was recognized by Scottsdale’s Mayor, Jim Lane, with an “official” City of Scottsdale proclamation that declared this day “Scottsdale Women’s Golf Day”. The engaging energy and elevated opportunities were verified by the feedback received from the 200 attendees. The mission of the event is to connect Arizona women through golf while providing a platform to raise awareness and funding for the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf of Phoenix.

This year’s success was a testament to the hard work from a local committee of LPGA professionals – Sandy LaBauve, Tina Tombs, Jill Strite, Peggy Gustafson, Cori Matheson and Anj Brown (Arizona Golf Association). The 3rd Annual Arizona Women’s Golf Expo raised over $27,000 that directly benefits the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf of Phoenix program that continues to empower girls to dream big through golf. “This is the biggest fundraiser event we have had in our 30 years. This type of support enriches our programs with the chance to thrive and grow with opportunity, expansion, and impact. Through the AZWGE, Girls Golf of Phoenix can focus on empowering the girls in our Phoenix communities; we are so grateful,” says Cori Matheson, Director of the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf of Phoenix.

In three years, the AZ Women’s Golf Expo has engaged over 600 golfers, connecting ladies by experiencing golf development opportunities with numerous members of the LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals Central Section. In addition to these local LPGA instructors, more participating teaching partners included VISION54, Yoga for Golfers, Tina Tombs Golf, Born-2-Golf, LaBauve Golf and a crew of nationally recognized instructors. When attendees were not part of an instructional opportunity, they were able to demo new PING equipment, meet with specialists from Titleist for a golf ball fitting and visit with a dozen retail vendors that included the Arizona Golf Association, The LPGA Founders Cup, Taylor Jordan Apparel, Glove-it, Fav Inc, The Westin Kierland Agave Spa and more. The day was elevated with a strong branding presence from: NIKE Golf!  An event DJ, unique interactive shopping experience and hype team shared their golf passion and raised the energy level of all participants. A featured highlight to the Expo was local celebrity and LPGA professional golfer, Cheyenne Woods (NIKE Ambassador and member of Team Troon).  As Cheyenne visited with attendees, she looked sharp in her new NIKE Golf gear and later engaged with the audience in an exhibition supported by her long-time golf coach, Mike LaBauve (Director of LaBauve Golf at Westin Kierland Golf Club and Roaring Fork Golf Club). Cheyenne shared on Instagram that it was, “great to see so many women excited about the game at yesterday’s women’s golf expo.” 

This event was made possible by the host facility, The Westin Kierland Golf Club, and strong support from Troon. These hosts were critical in the success of this fundraiser and able to offer nationally recognized branding partnerships. To stay connected on future event opportunities and the 2020 AZWGE plans visit www.azwge.com or engage on Instagram at www.instagram.com/womensgolfexpo.