EWGA Championship a boon for women’s golf and Black Butte Ranch

Golf can be an intimidating game, especially for women. No wonder, really. More than 75 percent of golfers are male, and the game can confound even its greatest players.

With this in mind, the Executive Women’s Golf Association was formed. The EWGA creates an environment in which women can play more, play better, have more fun, and make friends. It is what golf is all about. It’s right there in the organization’s mission statement.

Take Tam Mills, an area resident who recently joined the EWGA’s Central Oregon Chapter.

“I am a new golfer and decided to compete as a learning experience,” said Mills on her motivation to join the EWGA.

It is in this spirit that that Black Butte Ranch became a proud supporter of the EWGA, which held its Central Oregon Chapter Championship over the weekend at Glaze Meadow.

The weather for the event was unseasonably cool, which in Central Oregon this time of year means uncommonly comfortable.

The winners were Wink Jackson (First Flight), Vicky Thompson (Third Flight), and the scramble team of Halley Kramer, Debbie Bensching, Kimberly Renfrow, and Linda Kelly. Just as important as winning, though, was the camaraderie shown.

“That is what makes hosting an EWGA championship so inviting,” said Ryan Dunning, Black Butte Ranch’s golf sales manager. “The amount of enjoyment coming from the players in the EWGA made this a very special event.”

The EWGA has made it a mission to grow the game with women with fun weekly nine-hole events, a mentoring program for new golfers, and other educational and networking resources.

Black Butte Ranch has some advantages in supporting a group such as that, too. Black Butte Ranch pro Emily Anderson Stewart is herself an added resource that the Ranch can offer women who want to venture out to the course.

Among the few female PGA professionals in Central Oregon, Anderson worked with the EWGA members in the morning with a chipping clinic before they teed off in the Championship. Mills said the lessons were invaluable.

“I have taken a few chipping clinics in the past, and this was by far the best I have had,” Mills said. “Emily is a great instructor. She made sure we understood the basics instead of over teaching advanced skills that only the best players can use. I would love to take another clinic from her.”

One of the things Black Butte Ranch does really well, we believe, is hosting large groups and golf tournaments. Led by Dunning and Black Butte Ranch’s staff of golf professionals, the Ranch really tries hard to make sure that every event goes off without a hitch.

But don’t take it from us.

“Glaze Meadow was the ideal course for our EWGA Chapter Championship this year; it happens to be one of my favorite courses in Central Oregon and it did not disappoint,” said Linda Kelly, a member of the winning scramble team. “The staff was extremely helpful and ensured we had a great event, wonderful food afterwards and overall provided a welcoming and memorable experience for us. I definitely believe that more EWGA events will be held at this course.”

Well, when a group like the EWGA comes along, it is always a pleasure.

For more information on the EWGA’s Central Oregon Chapter, visit www.ewgaco.com. To create the perfect golf vacation or tournament at Black Butte Ranch call Ryan at 541-595-1292 or email him at rdunning@blackbutteranch.com.