GSJGA taps new executive director

RIVER CLUB — Wendi Golden spent much of her childhood playing in a boys’ world.

Following in the footsteps of her family members, the River Club resident started playing golf when she was 5 years old. Three years later, Golden began playing Atlanta Junior Golf Association tournaments. At the time, Golden was the only girl playing on the tour, forcing her to compete in the boys division until she was at least 11 years old.

The experience proved beneficial for the aspiring junior golfer, who learned the value of stiff competition.

“It made me a tougher competitor, because I wasn’t intimidated by boys or girls,” Golden said. “It’s kind of (different) being a female in a guys’ world. I had to learn to adjust. It gave me an appreciation for the level in which I got to compete.”

Now years later, Golden is hoping to instill some of knowledge she gained from her time playing with the AJGA to local junior golfers as the Greater Sarasota Junior Golf Association’s new executive director.

Golden, who replaces 16-year veteran executive director Judy Christman, assumed her new position at the end of February.

“I have such fond memories growing up that I feel like this is kind of an opportunity to pour back into the lives of junior golfers like people did for me,” Golden said. “I think it’s a good opportunity in that sense. I’ve covered so many different angles in golf, and it’s a new challenge.”

Golden first learned about the open position from a friend in early December, but she was not interested at the time. Her friend approached her a second time. Golden considered it more, and by the time her friend approached her for the third time, Golden was ready for the challenge.

“The more I looked into the opportunity, the more it just seemed perfect,” Golden said. “I applied and I thought, ‘If it’s meant to be, it’ll be, and if not, we’ll work with what we’ve got.’ I feel very fortunate and blessed that I was selected as the recipient of the position.”

As the new executive director, Golden, who spent six seasons coaching junior and high school golf, will be responsible for conducting the GSJGA tournaments. The association is now finishing its winter tournament schedule, which includes one tournament per month.

“I enjoy seeing the improvement and how excited they get when their hard work pays off,” Golden said. “When you encounter a beginner who keeps working and getting better, and then to see that joy that only kids can really exhibit when they grasp a concept, is probably what I like the most.”

In addition to running tournaments, Golden also is looking forward to watching the GSJGA grow through social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter.

“Our biggest goal for 2012 is growth,” Golden said. “There’s a lot of competition out there for junior golfers as far as tours are concerned. We realize we’ve got competition, and we have to step up our game a little bit if we want to keep local kids in our area playing tournaments. We have to make our tour the best we can to make kids want to stay home and play their local tour.”

For more information on the Greater Sarasota Junior Golf Association visit www.sarasotajuniorgolf.com.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].