There are those who come to golf naturally, like fish to water. There are those whose love was developed through family, and Sunday afternoons on the course with a beloved parents. And then there are those like Tiffany Fitzgerald.
Tiffany will admit that she wasn’t initially drawn to golf. Though a natural athlete, Tiffany wasn’t drawn to this particular sport, and wasn’t exposed to it as a kid growing up in Oakland, California. What finally drew her to give it a shot was her ambition—but not for sport. For career advancement.
While working in public relations and government affairs, Tiffany noticed her colleagues and even the summer interns were being placed on highly-visible projects through relationships with executives that were cultivated on the golf course. Intrigued, Tiffany purchased a discount set of clubs for less than $100 and headed for the tees. She got more than she bargained for. Tiffany quickly learned the benefits of golf go far beyond networking. The game not only provides a special connection between the people who play it. The game forces you to develop a deeper relationship with yourself as well.
Tiffany fell in love with golf. But she noticed women were under
represented on most courses, so she decided to do something about that. She formed Black Girls Golf, an organization dedicated to making the sport a more welcoming environment for women. What she’s learned from her years playing the game is the increase in her confidence, especially in playing against men. Golf has been, after all, a sport associated with an old boy’s network.
Tiffany’s goal is to change all that. Like many golf organizations, Black Girls Golf provides clinics for women to improve their technical game, but it also educates women about the positive affect golf can have on their lives beyond sports skills. Developing the skill, the focus and attention required, Black Girls Golf is Tiffany’s passion and full-time job. She is one of the lucky few who have taken their true love and is making a living out of it.
“Men have a tendency when they see women on the golf course to assume that they don’t play very well or don’t know the game very well,” she says in a recent interview with Black Enterprise Magazine. “It’s really important for women to be assertive in a way that doesn’t demean or come off as being aggressive. You’ve got to be assertive in a way that makes it known that you know your way around the course and you know what you’re doing. But do it in a way where you’re still personable and still able to create a connection.”
In addition to running Black Girls Golf with her partner, TasJuaii Moss, Tiffany’s a member of the United States Golf Association, and volunteers with the Women in Golf Foundation. She also golfs with her three children and her fiancé, who is very supportive.
Most entrepreneurs work more than the standard forty hours a week, however, and Tiffany is no exception. She doesn’t have as much free time as she’d like, but she realizes this is temporary and par for the course with a startup business. Still, knowing she is making a difference to other women makes it worth it.
