The plan was conceived about five years ago, when Pam Dunnam and some friends recognized that the lesbian community was—and still is—a very large part of the golf community, especially the Ladies Professional Golf Association ( LPGA ) Tour.
'We wanted to create a scenario where women of all types, lesbian and non-lesbian, can play—and everyone can be open and safe, particularly the lesbians,' she said.
And so was born the foreUS Women's Golf Tour, a national organization established to promote the acceptance and to increase the influence of lesbian golfers.
The golf tour, which kicks off in March, is modeled after the success of gay softball tournaments, naturally. Dunnam has served as the commissioner ( since 2001 ) and an assistant commissioner ( from 1998-2001 ) for the Women's Division of the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance ( NAGAAA ) , which runs the annual Gay Softball World Series.
The foreUS Women's Golf Tour, an amateur association, welcomes players of all levels, 'from the scratch golfer down to the duffers, those who just like going out on Saturdays and Sundays for fun,' Dunnam said.
The inaugural tournament will be held March 25-26 at the Doral Desert Princess Golf Resort in Palm Springs, Calif. Two other confirmed tournaments will be held April 26-29 in St. Croix Virgin Islands, and Aug. 11-12 in San Francisco.
About 72 golfers are expected to participate in their first event, Dunnam said, 'and we expect that number to increase at every event we have. We think we will be able to sustain a very nice membership-base.'
The 2007 tour will culminate Oct. 20-21 in Las Vegas, with the tour's inaugural national championship.
'We are not restricted to the lesbian golfers, but we want to be considered the championship for the lesbian golf community,' Dunnam said. 'We want to establish a relationship with the LPGA, so we can increase the influence ( on a larger scale ) of the lesbian golf community.'
Julie Colwell, who competed in the 1992 Gay Games in golf and is now the head golf coach at Evanston High School, said the tour 'is a wonderful idea.' She is the foreUS Vice President of Tournaments and a member of its Board of Directors.
Colwell ran the women's golf league at Waveland Golf Course for three years. She also is a veteran sports official for softball, volleyball and basketball. Plus, Colwell is a NAGAAA Hall of Famer for her softball accomplishments.
'I saw how great the golf was ( in 2006 ) at the Chicago Gay Games, so I think this is a great opportunity. When I was first approached, I said I was on board immediately, absolutely,' she said.
Despite only having three tournaments in 2007, the plans calls for six in 2008 and eight in 2009. Colwell confirmed that Chicago is slated for a tour stop in 2008.
'I have so many friends who are golfers living here, and they golf all over Chicago and the suburbs, so I think it'd be great and I think we'd get a good turn-out,' Colwell said. 'Hopefully, we can expect Chicago will be a stop on the tour every year ( after 2008 ) .'
Added Dunnam, 'I definitely think there's a need and there's huge potential.'
