The PGA Magazine Women Leaders Platform held its annual networking event on Wednesday at the Orange County Convention Center, celebrating the growth of women’s golf and how many women have ascended to leadership positions in the PGA of America in recent years.
More than 160 women attended the standing-room-only event – which included a panel discussion with five PGA of America Section Presidents – compared to less than one-third that number of attendees when the organization started in 2016.
“I’ve been coming to these meetings since the beginning, and to see the size of this group is inspiring,” said Krista Dunton (pictured), PGA of America Director of Instruction at Berkeley Hall in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and the 2022 Teacher of the Year for the Carolinas Section. “To see more women leading in the PGA – breaking through the blue jackets, as we used to say – is really amazing. There are so many young women here; hopefully, they don’t have the same challenges we did when we first started.”
PGA of America President John Lindert also celebrated the growth of women in the game and in leadership positions, saying, “We’re proud of what this room looks like – a room that would not have even been here 10 years ago. It shows what we’re doing is working.”
The Women Leaders Platform was created in 2016 to bring women PGA of America Golf Professionals together to help grow the game beginning at the local level. What started with a few dedicated supporters has grown to around 1,500 members and continues to expand with each new event. In addition, more than 60 women PGA Professionals won section awards last year, and 30 PGA sections now have women’s championships, up from six when the platform started.