PGA of America and WNBA Partner for Second Consecutive Year of
“Game Day Experiences” at Eight Sites Nationwide
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – For the second consecutive year, The PGA of America and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) have partnered to present Game Day Experiences featuring free golf instruction from local PGA and LPGA Professionals at selected WNBA games. There are eight Game Day Experiences scheduled so far this season with the first being held Friday (Aug. 7) in Minneapolis, Minn., when the Minnesota Lynx host the Connecticut Sun.
PGA and LPGA Professionals will use inflatable nets to provide free lessons for spectators and organize on-court contests at halftime. The eight sites conducting Game Day Experiences are Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Washington D.C. and Sacramento.
“We look forward to another successful year of reaching new audiences and inspiring those who have never played the game to just try it by taking a free lesson from the experts in golf instruction – the PGA and LPGA Professionals,” said PGA of America CEO Joe Steranka. “We continuously look for unique ways to bring interactive golf experiences to non-traditional venues to help grow the game, and partnering with the WNBA is great fit.”
WNBA President Donna Orender agreed that the Game Day Experiences are a win-win proposition for everyone.
“Golf and basketball share so many common traits – incredible competition, a need for intense training and preparations, and unmatched focus on the court – that it is natural that our fans’ passion for one would transfer to the other,” Orender noted. “Thanks to the enthusiasm of the WNBA fans and the PGA and LPGA Professionals, the program’s overwhelming success continues.”
Both Steranka and Orender will address the media Sept. 3 (Thursday) in Washington D.C., prior to the Washington Mystics/Seattle Storm game to discuss the partnership and share success stories.
Last year, PGA and LPGA Professionals gave 2,700 free golf lessons at 11 WNBA games, including the first regular-season outdoor game in professional basketball history (July 19, 2008) at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. More than 19,000 fans attended that event and Metropolitan PGA Section female PGA Professionals gave free lessons for two hours.
In 2008, there were 5.8 million women golfers in the United States, a seven percent increase since 2000, including 600,000 junior girls (ages 6-17) (source: National Golf Foundation). The WNBA Game Day Experiences are just one of many women’s golf initiatives announced by The PGA of America to help grow this influential segment of golfers and bring more women to the game.
2009 Game Day Experience Dates and Hosting PGA Section:
Date Host PGA Section WNBA Game
Aug. 7 Minnesota Connecticut at Minnesota
Aug. 15 Indiana Detroit at Indiana
Aug. 20 Georgia San Antonio at Atlanta
Aug. 23 Michigan San Antonio at Detroit
Aug. 27 Southern California Phoenix at Los Angeles
Aug. 29 Southwest Connecticut at Phoenix
Sept. 3 Middle Atlantic Seattle at Washington D.C.
Sept. 10 Northern California San Antonio at Sacramento
In Play! Maagzine
