Lady Golfer feature: Women in golf
Describe your job?
I work in the golf division at IMG; a global sports, fashion and media company. I specifically manage several of our golfing clients, and also have a management role.
Which players, past and present, do you work with?
Laura Davies, Helen Alfredsson, Annika Sorenstam, Catriona Matthew, Mel Reid, Charley Hull, Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam.
Describe a typical day?
The thing I love about my job is that every day is different. Every day I’ll be trying to make a sales call or two, to find a potential new sponsor, but sometimes this gets derailed by a client in need. Whether they’ve lost their passport, their bank card has stopped working or the shaft has broken on their driver, not many days go by without some kind of distress call!
In between times we are always trying to maintain as high a profile as possible for our clients, their sponsors and the sport generally.
What has been your most memorable career experience?
In terms of events, Helen Alfredsson asked me to be a non-playing vice captain of her Solheim Cup team in 2007, which was an amazing experience. It was also great fun managing Sam Torrance through his Ryder Cup captaincy in 2001-2.
I’ll always remember going into the Butler’s Cabin at Augusta with Justin Rose for his NBC interview when he was leading the Masters after round one in 2007. It’s a sacrosanct area and it was made clear to us (Justin’s mother, girlfriend and I) that no-one was normally let in there with the players! We were made to feel very special and the moment has always stuck with me.
What advice would you give to women who wanted a career in golf?
Don’t hold back. There’s no reason there shouldn’t be more women working in golf, or indeed sport. We need more diversity in the industry so I would encourage anyone that’s interested to go for it.
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