What's Exciting About Women's Golf with Fore the Ladies Founder, Abby Leibenthal
Tori, host of the T-Time with Tori podcast, sat down with fellow female golf podcaster Abby Liebenthal, founder of Fore the Ladies, to chat about all things exciting in women's golf right now.
They covered a wide range of topics from women's golf apparel brands at the 2024 PGA Show to changes in the World Handicap System to the start of the 2024 LPGA season. Abby shared insights from her perspective working in marketing at the USGA and as founder of a community building women's golf experiences across the country.
Fore the Ladies Origins
Tori asked Abby to share about her organization, Fore the Ladies:
- Founded in 2019
- Focused on providing golf clinics, playing events, etc. for women
- Abby noticed lots of male buddy's golf trips happening and wanted to create something similar for women to meet, bond, and enjoy golf together
- Hosted first trip in 2021 at Pinehurst
"I started Fore the Ladies in 2019 and we were really focused on golf clinics, playing events, et cetera. And I'm sure you, like, you saw all these guys' buddy's trips. And you're like, why doesn't something like this exist for me and my friends and people I wanna meet?"
Preparing for Tournaments
Tori asked a common question she gets on her podcast - "what do I even wear to a golf tournament?"
Abby suggested:
- An athletic dress with built-in shorts/spandex underneath
- Sneakers or flats
- Layers in case the weather changes
Ultimately, wear something:
- Comfortable enough to sit on the grass
- Mobile enough to be walking around all day
"If you gonna wear the shoes to Disney World, then you can wear it to the golf tournament."
Key Takeaway: Pack for comfort and mobility when attending golf tournaments. Treat it like a theme park in terms of footwear and movement!
Crazy Footwear at the Phoenix Open
Abby shared her experience attending the Phoenix Open for work. She noticed:
- Party pockets and atmosphere, more than other tournaments
- Appeals to people less familiar with golf
- Features big spectator events like the 16th hole
Tori added the Phoenix Open specifically features:
- Women in crazy high heels that get stuck in mud when it rains
- Expanding stadium seating to holes 16, 17, and 18
- People watching when the weather gets bad
They hoped people would have fun this year regardless of the forecast!
Pinehurst Prepares for the 2024 U.S. Open
- Pinehurst Resort is Abby's current home course
- They discussed course improvements and logistics planning underway there for the 2023 U.S. Women's Open
- Abby highlighted a new traffic roundabout to ease congestion
- Tori emphasized how the Pinehurst setup enables convenient access between the course and village without needing transportation
Pinehurst Course Expansions
Recent and upcoming course projects at Pinehurst include:
- 9 - New course that just opened
- 10 - Currently under construction
- Designed by Tom Doak
- Lead assistant architect is Angela Moser
- 8 - Recently renovated
- Abby enjoys it much more now, with opened views and faster greens
Abby highly recommended Tori interview Angela Moser, the lead architect for the new No. 10 course, on her podcast. Tori was unaware of Moser and very impressed that a woman got to spearhead designing an entire new course at such a prestigious venue like Pinehurst.
The Annual Pinehurst Ladies Golf Trip
Abby shared details about her annual women's golf trip at Pinehurst, called The Lily:
- Sold out for 2024, capped registration in December 2023
- This May will be 4th year of hosting trip
- Play different courses at Pinehurst each time
- Includes welcome reception, dinner, gifts - a full experience!
- This year playing No. 8 and No. 5
- People often book extra rounds, extend stays
Abby encouraged interested listeners to join the waitlist for spots potentially opening up. Tori also recommended anyone inspired could start a similar women's golf trip concept in their own area.
Nationwide Women's Golf Clinics
While Pinehurst hosts Abby's largest annual event, Fore the Ladies offers women's golf clinics and meetups across the country:
- 2023 focus on 6 key hub cities for more consistency and community buildingBoston
- Goal to host 10+ events in each hub city this year
"And I feel like there's a lot of women, men, anyone, there's a lot of community groups that have done that in their own city. And a lot like the allied golf associations, like to partner with them, which is amazing."
Key Takeaway: If you want to start your own local women's golf community, go for it! Consistency, welcoming environments, and camaraderie grow the game.
Standout Women's Golf Apparel Brands
"I was really impressed by the increase of women's golf apparel brands that were there."
Tori noticed an explosion of creative booths for women’s golf apparel brands at the 2024 PGA Show. Abby shared her perspective on the importance for these brands to have a presence at industry shows, even if they are direct-to-consumer online, because the golf consumer is still often at a golf course or golf club.
She highlighted a few brands that caught her eye:
- Birdie Golf - their first year having a booth to get their brand in front of more pro shops
- Allie Putnam - beautiful clothes with nice material
- Jaybird - local brand with capsule collection model that was showing some new pieces
- Foray Golf - owner Megan showed Abby some exciting new pretty pieces coming out
Abby admitted she doesn’t know if brands truly need the pro shop channel given the rise of e-commerce, but it will be interesting to see how presenting at these shows affects their growth and partnerships.
Changes to the World Handicap System
Abby shared an "nerdy but exciting" update - changes to the World Handicap System coming in 2024!
- Big one - 9 hole scores will now factor into handicap index calculations
- Huge for women playing quick 9-hole rounds after work
- Better reflects abilities even if not playing full 18 holes
- Encouraged listeners to ask their club handicap experts for more specifics
Key Takeaway: The updates account for how many women actually play and allow handicaps to reflect a broader range of rounds. This helps women feel included as regular golfers!
Women's Golf Group Explosion
When asked what has her most excited about women's golf right now, Abby highlighted the rapid growth of women's golf groups and communities popping up everywhere. She explained:
- Can be as small as you and a few friends
- But it grows into something more
- Builds camaraderie and keeps women engaged in playing golf
Paired with big name winners to start the 2023 season like Lydia Ko and Nelly Korda, there is a lot of momentum around women interested and involved in golf!
Advice for Attending an LPGA Event
Abby believes the LPGA needs to focus on getting more fans, especially younger ones, actually out to tournaments. She explained:
- LPGA players are extremely generous with fans in person
- The play is incredible to watch live
- Need to showcase that more digitally as well as drive local event attendance
Key Takeaway: Watching the talent of LPGA players in person wins over fans. Marketing needs to capture that on digital platforms and promote more onsite tournament experiences.
Navigating Work, Family, and Golf
Tori and Abby discussed the incredibly tough balancing act female professional golfers have managing careers and family decisions. Recent examples included:
- Brittany Lincicome
- Stacy Lewis
- Paula Creamer
An interesting contrast from male athletes with less biological time pressures. Abby highlighted LPGA players still remain extremely generous with their time even during demanding personal life stages.
Key Takeaway: Female athletes like LPGA players face immense pressure planning careers around future families. They continue giving to fans despite these challenges.
Golf Course and Equipment Advances
Discussing innovations around golf courses and equipment, Abby shared about:
Getting Fit for Clubs
- She was nervous hitting poorly or having big miss-hits
- But the process ended up being fun and conversational
- Asked lots of questions about optimal yardages, gaps, club composition
- Led to removing extra wood for additional wedge
- Tailored clubs perfectly for her game
- Doesn't need to purchase clubs same-day
- Can reflect and get second opinions if unsure
Key Takeaway: Getting fit for clubs is about optimizing equipment for YOUR game through collaboration and conversation. There's no need to feel intimidated!
Training Aids
While Abby doesn't currently use any training aids, two Tori recommended include:
- Putting Mirror
- Corrects backswing path and face contact
- Immediate putting improvements after practicing with it
- Stack Golf System
- Uses algorithms to create personalized speed training programs
- Provides feedback on progress and goals
- Keeps you engaged across 15-20 minute workout style sessions
Key Takeaway: Find training aids providing feedback and measurable results tailored to you for ongoing motivation.
Final Key Takeaways
To wrap up their wide-ranging conversation on women's golf, Abby left listeners with two final thoughts:
- Respect the hustle and innovation happening across the golf industry, even if results aren't perfect yet
- Appreciate the hospitality of LPGA players to go above and beyond for fans despite hectic travel schedules and personal demands
Tori closed by expressing immense gratitude for women like Abby growing the game through instructional events and golf community building. Even small regular women's golf groups have tremendous impact keeping participants engaged week after week.
The future continues looking brighter and brighter for women in golf thanks to rising stars on tour, more equipment designed specifically for female golfers, and leaders like Abby from Fore the Ladies opening welcoming pathways into this lifelong sport!
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