“Women On Course is the single, best ice-breaking technique for me!” That’s how Shelley Nadel starts a conversation and has rapidly grown her customer base. Instead of introducing herself in networking events as a financial advisor, she’ll often lead with an invitation to play golf, or an invitation to learn to play golf. “Come one time to a WOC event with me, and play one hole, and you’ll be hooked!” says Shelley.  “I encourage women to try it and meet other business-minded women. And like many of the WOC events, we have play days where new golfers can take a clinic to help them feel more comfortable.”

Meet Shelley and you understand why WOC in Houston is as hot as the weather.  With people like Shelley leading the way, this city might just become the #1 city for Women on Course! I certainly admire her drive. And I like that she’s very protective of the ladies she brings to Women On Course. She wants them to have a good time – without stress. WOC allows them to succeed at the game of golf without performance anxiety. And that’s just fine with Shelley. No matter the level of golf know-how, Shelley Nadel wants the women of Houston to feel like they belong at these events – even if they just play “at” golf.

As Houston’s WOC calendar starts to heat up, the city begins the new year with over 200 members. Shelley is a perfect example of the type of woman who is attracted to the organization. She had never even picked up a golf club until 5 years ago when she heard about this organization for professional women. It seemed like the perfect place for her so she volunteered to represent her company in the group – even though she’d never played golf! The idea of being outdoors, getting together with other professional women, learning a new skill and being involved in the community just made sense to Shelley.

And as Shelley says, “Golf is a sport that teases you. It lures you into the game because you start to see potential. You hit this magnificent drive that sends the ball in the direction you wanted and farther than you have in a while. . .and you’re hooked! But while the game draws you in, it’s also humbling,” says Shelley. “Golf seems to attract a special kind of woman – someone with drive, education and spirit.”

“That’s why I got involved in WOC – because of the networking opportunity and the women in the organization. Since joining WOC, I’ve made business contacts, recruited other women and became friends with many of the members.” Shelley believes the organization attracts women who are interested in business and who understand the value of networking with other like-minded women.

“My goal for WOC is to connect with other women and help them connect with each other” says Shelley. “I get to be outside in the fresh air meeting other interesting people and introducing other women to the game of golf and to our network of members. The activities often lead to new business development opportunities. And I often find synergies between organizations. We have one networking group in Houston that sponsors a golf tournament every year. The problem is that year after year, the same women attend the tournament – they aren’t attracting new players. WOC Houston is going to partner with this organization, which will offer their members the chance to hone their skills through WOC play days and golf clinics and build excitement for their tournament in the fall.  Plus our members will have the exciting chance to play in a tournament.  It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”

Shelley also likes mentoring new WOC members. “It’s very satisfying to bring new members to the organization. It’s nice to introduce them to the game of golf. It’s great to share contacts. And I believe women have a responsibility to show the next generation of women just how powerful we are as friends, business contacts and playing partners!”

The challenge is on! Houston is the 2^nd biggest market for Women On Course, can they make it to #1?

Meet Shelley and more Houston members at the next Signature Event on April 2. http://www.womenoncourse.com/events/Golf-Event-Houston-20130402.php

Building a Business Community

A new job in a new city meant getting to know new people. As the Regional Bank Manager for the business banking division of M&T Bank in Philadelphia, Laurie Osborne relied on networking to jumpstart that process. Shortly after arriving in her new city, Laurie made contact with someone who was with Women On Course. She invited Laurie to an event. This was the first Laurie heard of the organization – but it seemed a good fit. After going to multiple events, Laurie joined up. She needed to grow business and she certainly wanted to meet other women who golf, so joining WOC was an easy decision.

Laurie considers herself an intermediate golfer. She started golf about 10 – 12 years ago when it seemed to her that her male business colleagues were having all the fun. If they could take clients for a round of golf, it might be a good thing if she learned. Eventually, she participated in tournaments sponsored by the bank. At these events she could be one-on-one with a client and really develop a relationship. Eventually, after her kids got older, she found she liked playing golf so much that she wanted to get better at the game. Laurie’s strategy was to join a women’s league, so she started calling around to various golf courses to find out which ones had leagues that she might be able to join. Eventually she found the right fit.

Laurie uses golf to grow her business. She can get women together and participate in a Nine and Wine. While she finds that some women will not make the time to get out on the golf course, the Nine & Wine concept makes it pretty easy. You don’t miss the whole day of work and Women On Course makes it easy to golf if you are a beginner. At every event there are other new or beginning golfers so you can golf without being intimidated.

As a banker, Laurie finds that more and more of her clients and prospects are women. So Laurie uses golf as a business development tool. By forming a women’s business group, relationships are more easily developed. And by organizing a golf outing, business women can network in a stress-free environment. Though Laurie emphasizes that she may do business before a round of golf, over lunch, or after golf, she never discusses business on the course. It’s time then to have fun and improve your game!

I find that people relax and get to know each other better if the pressure is off,” says Laurie. “And natural relationships develop. People most often deal with other people they like and trust. It’s just human nature. And a round of golf allows you to really get to know someone personally. I think this is especially true of small businesses. Business owners and managers work hard and they are not going to trust their business to anyone. They want to know more about the person they are going to work with. And golf makes that relationship develop naturally.”

Laurie gave me one more tip. She told her daughter to learn golf. She emphasized how if you know how to golf, you can always meet new people. It’s easy to join others at the tee box. And conversation around golf comes easy. It’s a great way to overcome networking fears and it’s also a great way to travel. You can always golf, wherever your travels take you.

Think about it. New business opportunities. . .new friends. . .new places to travel. Golf is a great game.

Networking at its Best!

Georgina loves to get together with other women and build lasting relationships.  She loves networking. And she is interested in getting to know dynamic business women. Georgina lives in Los Angeles. In fact, she started her experience with Women On Course in a little pocket of L.A. called Palos Verdes and has helped grow it into a vibrant community of women whose skills are demonstrated nearly every time they get together. They are a vibrant and inviting community dedicated to helping each other grow and contributing to each other’s success.

Georgina is currently awaiting the birth of her second child. And while she does not work out of the house, don’t think for one minute that she’s not working on her next career move! As an avid gym member, Georgina meets new people nearly every day. If she meets someone new, chances are she’s inviting you to the gym to get to know others. And she’ll also extend an invitation to the next WOC event.

So how did Georgina get involved in golf in the first place? While nearly always a recreational golfer, it was Georgina’s dad as well as her husband who were instrumental in getting her to play more often prior to WOC. “My dad plays weekly and was the inspiration to get into the game and lifestyle of golf.”  Meeting her husband 4 years ago added to this – “My husband had played 120 rounds that year. It has been wonderful to have my husband and dad to play with outside of WOC and wherever we travel.”

Georgina likes that the game of golf is all about being competitive with herself. She plays to improve her own game and hopes one day, when her children are in school and she has more time that she can work on improving even more to lower her index. She loves that Women On Course gives her the opportunity to meet other women who like to golf or want to learn how to play – a great environment for camaraderie.

Georgina moved to Palos Verdes with her family in 2011. She felt that if she was around dynamic business women she would stay current and maybe even find her next career move, along with being with women who love the game of golf. She got invited to a Signature WOC event by her realtor who is a WOC member and was immediately sold on the concept behind Women On Course. She thought it was important that no matter what your skill level you could join Women On Course and feel comfortable without competition.

Women on Course did not have many events in her area, but that has quickly changed.   Georgina volunteered to help grow her area and became the first WOC ‘clubhouse leader’ shaping the role for other cities to follow.  She began by requesting Play Days in her local area and adding extra touches to boost attendance. If it’s a Nine and Wine she may include a reminder to bring snacks and stay afterwards for Happy Hour. She often reserves a space/ room so that after the round the golfers can meet, say a few words about their business and get to know one another. Beginners and even non-golfers come for clinic and networking formats. Often non-members decide to join that day! She asks members to bring guests – who often turn into members before the end of the event. In fact, Georgina constantly promotes WOC and the upcoming events to whomever she meets – clerks in the stores where she shops, waitresses at restaurants and people she meets at the gym. It’s amazing how many people she finds that want to play golf with other women and network.

Georgina makes it sound easy. In truth, it takes a lot of dedication and organization. But for Georgina it’s well worth it. “I love being around dynamic women. And I’ve found that I have many ties with these women. It might be the love of golf, an interesting business opportunity or a similar interest. Mostly I find that the relationships we’ve developed will turn into lifelong friendships.”

Overall, WOC has been a great experience for Georgina and she looks forward to all the future events in this great organization.  Attend a Play Day or Signature Event in Los Angeles and you are bound to meet her!

Typical of many Women On Course members, Susan Haning is independent and has always set her own course – not only as she was growing up but also throughout her career. Though Susan grew up around a golf course, she really was not thrilled with the game. Always athletic, she loved competition and being part of the action. As a participant in various athletic teams while in school, tennis and volleyball held more interest to her than golf.

But her career brought her back to golf. Susan has been part of the Hospitality industry for many years. Early on, when planning or attending events, she noticed that the guys would meet and play golf and somehow the ladies organized the meetings. Determined to change that profile, Susan decided that getting back into golf would not only be more enjoyable, but she would extend her business network much more efficiently.

Today, Susan Haning works in Fairfax for NAILBA – a non-profit trade association representing Life Brokerage Agencies. She is the Director of Business Development there and with her team, is responsible for the sales and logistics of the annual meeting, as well as various advertising outlets. NAILBA has 370 member agencies including companies such as ING and American General Life Companies. The annual meeting is attended by about 1300 members.

Susan’s department is also responsible for organizing the association’s annual golf tournament. And at one time, Susan assisted a hospitality industry golf organization with their national tournaments. She has often traveled to different areas of the country and has played at courses most of us only hear about. It seems that Susan has found her niche. She likes to be where the action is – so playing in the tournaments that she helps to organize is natural for Susan. Not only is it part of her job but she meets many people and often gets invited to other tournaments.

Susan mentioned that she has been lucky to have bosses who either play golf or understand the benefits of golf. She has made so many business contacts and friends through the game that it has always been an important part of her life. I asked Susan if playing golf as part of her career had dulled her enjoyment of the game. “Not so,” she said, “I really enjoy the social aspect of golf and having time to talk to my playing partners is very rewarding. One of the reasons why I joined WOC was so that I could play with women more often. It’s so much fun to play with friends away from work and just spend time together.”

Susan has been a member of WOC for about 4 years. She loves the atmosphere around WOC – especially the camaraderie and the support provided by the women she’s met. And she emphasized that she’s found many like-minded women in the organization.

Since Susan has been playing golf for a good part of her life, I was curious to learn about her choice of golf clubs. How many sets of clubs has she had? Surprisingly, Susan told me that she has basically played with only two sets of clubs. She’s partial to the irons she plays with because they were given to her by her Dad – who decided at one time that his old irons were better than a newer set. She will replace a driver now and then and maybe add a hybrid or two somewhere down the road. And by the way, Susan told me that on a recent outing, she won longest drive with a drive of 221 yards! So if you meet Susan at a golf tournament, you might want to get on her team!

Anyone who talks to Nubia about golf is quickly reminded about the pleasure the game brings to each of us. Nubia is an artist residing outside of Houston in the town of Katy, TX. Her works of art evolve as she paints. You can see that she is inspired. And that each painting is a journey of sorts. Being outdoors, seeing the play of light and shadow on the course helps to shape Nubia’s paintings. She relishes how the course changes during 18 holes of play. She sees sun, sand and shadows. When she hits the ball just right, she becomes even more enthused. And she loves how golf forces her to be in the moment. Whatever happens on one hole, you have to let it go and move to the next hole.

Nubia was born and raised in Colombia and lived for a time in Indonesia where the courses are more natural to the landscape. It was here that she primarily painted landscapes and florals and was inspired by the natural landscapes of the golf courses. The game of golf taught Nubia how to live her life. “I found solitude and meditation in the sport. Golf has always been a game that brings me to the point of quietness. And if you are truly in the moment, you enjoy the sounds too. There is conversation and laughter that goes along with the game. It’s not just about the score but about getting together and making real connections.”

Our connections today can be very superficial. We are so involved with email, texting and posting that real conversation is fleeting. It’s hard to get time for oneself. It’s difficult to spend quality time with a friend, family member or colleague. Playing 18 holes of golf together is a luxury. “I find it very refreshing,” says Nubia. “Going out and hitting balls sometimes changes my whole perspective of what is going on in my life at the moment.”

Nubia also combines her work with pleasure. You might find her out on the golf course early, breathing in the images, sounds and smells of the course.  She takes the impressions with her back to the studio and onto the canvas. Afterwards she’ll play a round of golf. And while playing, she observes how the golf course changes through the day. The inspiration she gets from golf and the courses help inspire her abstract paintings. In fact, Nubia says she’s begun to change colors now. While her recent work is filled with splashes of color and lots of reds, she’s is creating an abstract series that depicts the spirit of golf through a range of colors – from the natural colors of the landscape to the splashes of color worn by golfers on the course. This series will be on display in her studio-gallery in Katy.

Nubia has tried other sports. It’s seems to be part of her personality that she’s going to try things that are different and challenging. She wants to experience what others do. Besides motocross, scuba diving and other extreme sports, at one point in time she even got into triathlons. She liked the impossible challenge a triathlon seemed to present to her. What she didn’t like is that triathlons focus on age brackets. It didn’t seem natural to her that she couldn’t be with people older and younger than she was.

It’s one of the things she likes best about Women On Course. Women from all industries, from all backgrounds, all ages and with varying skill levels play together. It’s safe. It’s a non-judgmental environment. Her favorite events are the one-day events with clinics. She loves the group instruction and then the immediate chance to practice what she’s learned with the group. “I’ve taken lessons before and what usually happens is that I get to the range, hit some balls, take my lesson and then go home. But with the one day clinics offered by WOC, I not only get lessons from various professionals, but then I get the chance to immediately practice what I’ve learned. I find it incredibly revitalizing. And it’s even better that at the end of the day, we can all meet together for a glass of wine.”

Nubia’s words are a great reminder of why we play golf. I know the next time I play, I’ll look at the scenery a little more closely and observe what’s going on all around me.

You can view Nubia’s work on YouTube at: artbynubia or on her website at www.NubiaGala.com. You can also follow her on Facebook – Nubia Gala artist.  If you are interested in visiting the studio or discussing a commissioned piece of art, just give her a call.  Otherwise, you can catch her on the course!

I was introduced to Jeri Somers at WOC’s Signature Event this spring in Chantilly, VA. Jeri is a judge for the Federal Government who joined Women On Course that day. Her career path might not be typical, but as many of us have learned, playing golf has its advantages in the business world. Jeri took up golf about 15-20 years ago and even on her first outing, she was hooked. Though not particularly athletic, a couple of phenomenal shots her first day out were all it took for Jeri to decide that this was one sport she was willing to work at to see how she could improve.

Now, years later, through a law career that has taken her from private practice, to serving as a reservist in the Air Force and now as a Judge for the Federal Government, Jeri realizes that golf has played an important role in her career too. Though she only worked for a private law firm for a few years, it became apparent to her that golf was a great networking tool. As Jeri says, “There’s only so much of your personality that you can hide during 4 -5 hours of golf!”

As a judge for the Federal Government, Jeri hears cases that result from complaints brought to the government through the Contract Disputes Act. These cases vary and can include construction dispute cases or arguments concerning a service that is being provided by a contractor.  In the 8 years Jeri has been a judge, she’s connected with colleagues during golf outings – colleagues who later become a resource for her, both locally and nationally.

As a trial attorney, Jeri mentions that it is very helpful to have a mentor or sponsor who can provide assistance and help guide your career path. For a woman, it’s sometimes harder to find that sponsor. It can be a difficult field for a woman to fit in. But when you are a woman who knows how to golf, there’s a certain camaraderie that helps form relationships. Jeri admits that you don’t have to be a great golfer – you just have to understand the game and be able to keep up with the pace of play. If you know the terminology, that’s even better. Besides being challenging and relaxing at the same time, golf is also a networking tool that can help your career. As you golf, you spend time with colleagues and get to know them outside the business environment. And they get to know you. Being a female judge who golfs definitely sets Jeri apart. “When I attend conferences that include golf, it’s also fun when the guys want me to be part of their foursome,” says Jeri. “Teeing off from the red tees can be a huge advantage when you’re playing a tournament!”

Jeri joined Women On Course with the idea that she would like to play at different courses and meet different people. Until recently she belonged to the Army-Navy Club and played there on a regular basis. Now, her daughter is active is several sports which require travel and Jeri can’t play as much golf as she has in previous years. So she decided to spend some time getting to know more courses in our area – and meeting other women who like to golf. “I’ve been receiving the emails from WOC for some time now and always had it in the back of my mind that I should join the organization. I’m so glad I did. I look forward to improving my game by playing throughout our area.” Great idea Jeri. Welcome to WOC. And when it comes time, check out one of those 3-day Signature Events that WomenOnCourse is so famous for! You’ll love it.