Today we’d like to introduce you to Azucena Maldonado.
Azucena, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I never could have imagined that one day, I would not only be a part of the golf industry but that my mission in life would be to transform women’s lives through golf. You see, golf was nowhere in my life experience growing up as the child of a Mexican immigrant working-class family. I could not have conjured up this life for myself.
I am privileged to introduce Latinas to golf so they can leverage golf as a business tool to advance their careers and make their way to the C-Suites. I help women break the glass ceiling with a golf ball through the Latina Golfers Association (LGA) which I founded in 2008. I was introduced to golf 15 years ago by my then-boyfriend who was, and is, an avid golfer. I fell in love with golf immediately and spent the following years perfecting my game and spending as much time as possible on the golf course as a recreational golfer. Three years in, a colleague invited me to participate in a charity golf tournament. A novice to business golf, I was timid about accepting the invitation and I am so glad I did because it shifted the trajectory of my life. I was introduced to a world I knew nothing about – the world of business golf. I was able to see, first hand, how bonds are established and relationships are nurtured on the golf course. I learned that business golf outings provide access to corporate leaders, elected officials, influencers, and VIPs.
Subsequently, I learned that golfers consider themselves to be a part of a family made up of an international community of individuals who love the game. This became evident to me when weeks after playing in my first tournament, I ran into my new golf buddies at a business networking event. They all recognized me and welcomed me into their circle. These were leaders and pillars of the community and it would have taken me months if not years to establish a relationship with them. Golf connected us in one day. But while I was enjoying the benefits of business golf, I realized that very few women were partaking in it. Typically In a field of 100 golfers, only four to six of them are women! It was disturbing to me so I set out to find out why, and more importantly, to do something about it. That was the genesis of the Latina Golfers Association. In 2008, I hosted a gathering of my network to test the waters and was overjoyed when 94 women showed up! We’re now over 2,000 members strong in Los Angeles County.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My journey has been a labor of love, for sure. Nothing like the LGA existed before me and doesn’t exist to this day so I was creating something from nothing, so to speak. What I knew then and continues to be my driving force is that women and Latinas, in particular, belong on the golf course and I want them to enjoy the benefits of business golf like men do…and the LGA must be a vehicle that provides them with the tools they need to succeed in this arena. Because I had no roadmap to follow, I had to map out a strategy that drew from my own personal experience. I knew the obstacles faced by women and Latinas to engage in a sport that is dominated by white men so I designed our programs to be culturally and gender-sensitive. I had the advantage of being a golf “outsider”.
In fact, when I founded the LGA in 2008, I did not know a single person from the golf industry! That was actually a good thing as it allowed me to put a plan of action into place that I knew would resonate with my Latinx community. Unlike the golf industry that waits for customers to come to them, I attended every Latina conference and networking event I could to spread the gospel of golf. Initially, I was met with resistance but I persisted. I was determined to shift their perception of the stereotypical world of golf. Once the women realized how golf could benefit their professional careers and that the LGA would provide a welcoming entree to this unfamiliar landscape, they were in and today, we boast over 2,000 members in Los Angeles County and we’re growing exponentially. I also faced challenges within the golf industry. I knocked on a lot of golf course doors and at first, they were not interested in deviating from their traditional approach to golf instruction. I had to convince them that our golf instruction had to be experiential and that it especially had to be FUN!
It’s so rewarding to see that after twelve years of utilizing our unique style of introducing women to golf, the industry has finally caught up to us and is adapting our approach to golf initiation. The good thing is that the world of golf is transforming and the LGA is changing the face of golf, one Latina golfer at a time. Covid-19 is our biggest obstacle to date. We have had to adjust drastically and are currently hosting Zoom gatherings with our members. While golf play is allowed, we are not yet able to gather as a group in person. We have modified our lessons and our popular Leadership Through Golf series to incorporate virtual instruction and smaller in-person lessons to accommodate the new golf protocols set in place by the L.A. County Health Order. These are trying times and they have forced us to broaden our scope of services to include virtual golf instruction and videos. This is actually a great thing given these plans were on the back-burner for some time and have forced me to move them front and center. Yes, it’s a scary time but I’m excited about the possibilities this challenge is presenting.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Latina Golfers Association – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
The Latina Golfers Association (LGA) empowers women by teaching them how to leverage golf as a business tool to enhance their careers and break the glass ceiling with a golf ball. The LGA has found success, in part, because it has been able to bridge the cultural and gender divide between the stereotypical “boys golf” network and Latina professionals. The Latina Golfers Association provides golf instruction for women in a non-intimidating, welcoming environment that promotes camaraderie and team building. The LGA’s golf clinics, golf lessons, golf outings and golf leadership development curriculum are designed to equip women with the etiquette, skill-set and golf knowledge that make it possible to confidently participate in business/corporate golf outings traditionally dominated by men. In addition, the LGA hosts brunches, golf fashion shows, zoom gatherings and organized golf destination travel retreats. Latina professionals in careers ranging from banking & finance to attorneys, engineers, educators, entrepreneurs, healthcare workers, elected officials, non-profit and corporate executives to the entertainment industry make-up the LGA’s members. The LGA has also hosted golf events in Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, Austin, Dallas, South Texas and throughout Southern California. Everyone is welcome to participate in our events.
Not a single week goes by that I am not reminded by one of our #LatinaGolfers members of why I am inspired to do what I do. I am so grateful, humbled, and fulfilled when our members contact me to let me know how learning to play golf with the LGA has elevated their careers, had them be noticed by their CEOs and led to business opportunities. I am proud of the impact the LGA has had on women’s lives. I am also proud of the inroads we have made in the golf industry. The Latina Golfers Association is recognized nationally by the leading golf association for the work we’ve done to grow the game of golf. I have addressed the members of the PGA of America at their annual conference which is the most prestigious gathering of over 40,000 golfers in the world. I have been interviewed by national golf publications like Golf Digest, Golf Business, Kingdom Magazine, Morning Read, among others and appeared on the cover of Southland Golf Magazine. I’ve spoken at regional and national golf conferences including the National Golf Course Owners Association and the Women’s Golf Summit. I am thankful for this acknowledgment but I am most touched when the recognition comes from my peers. 2019 brought the LGA many recognitions including the Brillante Award from PROSPANICA (A national organization of Latino MBAs) at their national conference in Orlando. We received the 2019 Woman of the Year award from the National Hispanic Business Women’s Association (NHBWA) and the Latina Style Magazine Leadership Award in Los Angeles in 2019.
An important component of the Latina Golfers Association and one of the ways we Pay It Forward is through our free golf lesson series for girls from economically challenged communities. We are able to connect girls with our professional Latinas that serve as role-models to them. We take them on golf outings that give us the opportunity to bond with them and encourage the girls to seek higher education.
What sets us apart from others in the golf industry is our unique approach to introducing novices and women to the game of golf. We’ve been able to extol the virtues of business golf in a manner that resonates with our participants in a real and practical way. We help them grasp how golf can make a difference in their lives and how golf can benefit them both professionally and personally.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
It’s my vision to have a stronger presence on a regional and national level. We’re already in Texas and would like to offer our services everywhere Latinas live! LGA can do that now that the world has gone virtual. I’m so excited to announce that our Leadership Through Golf program is going online with modified in-person structured golf lessons offered throughout the country. COVID has driven us to move beyond our comfort zone, to redefine our new normal, and reimagine what #LatinaGolfers can be. What I know for sure is that business and recreational golf are quite relevant during this pandemic as it is one of the very few sports that is safe to play given that golfers naturally physical and social distance during their round of golf. It’s easy when golfers play eighteen, 100 – 450 yard golf holes with only four golfers. Business golf is alive and well and we want to continue to get women Business Golf Ready with our expanded virtual and in-person learning series that incorporate the new safety golf protocols. The Latina Golfers Association will stay true to our core values of introducing women to golf in a welcoming environment but now, with our expanded services, we can develop leadership skills with women from around the country. This new opportunity gives us a lot of hope looking towards the future.
Pricing:
- Get Business Golf Ready Lessons – Virtual and In-Person Lessons – Starting at $160
- Leadership Through Golf Business Series – Virtual and In-Person Lessons – Starting at $160
- Golf Lessons – In Person – Starting at $160
Contact Info:
- Website: latinagolfers.com
- Phone: 213 804-8091
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latinagolfers/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedivagolfer
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LatinaGolfers
Image Credit:
Lidia Pires
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