By Renee Allain
Triangle Women in Golf (TWIG) celebrated its 20th Anniversary with a fun-filled series of events planned over the weekend of October 28-29th, 2017. The organization was originally founded August 10, 1997 as Ladies in Golf to promote golf among African American women and youth in the Triangle area including Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Our name was subsequently changed to Triangle Women in Golf (TWIG) in October 1997 and the year ended with the restructuring of the organization under the leadership of our first president, Jackie Lewis.
Our 20th Anniversary Celebration Weekend started by revamping our Member-Member Tournament into a Member-Guest Tournament hosted at the Heritage Golf Club in Wake Forest on Saturday, October 28th. One of our former TWIG presidents, Linda Taylor, was instrumental in securing this venue for us. We invited former TWIG members and our advanced TWIG Kidz to play in the tournament. With a four-person, best ball format, the two foursomes which included the two TWIG Kidzof course placed first and second!
First Place Wining team (L-R) Irie Jenkins, Tyler Spriggs, Betty Powell, Joselyn Williams.
Our Membership Chairperson, Carmella Hart, coordinated purchasing engraved trophies for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winning teams along with certificates and engraved medallions commemorating the tournament for all participants. The winners of the longest drive contest, Tyler Spriggs (a member of TWIG Kidz) and closest to the pin contest, Linda Taylor, also received golf-related prizes.
A PICTURE PERFECT DAY
The weather was perfect for the tournament with temperatures in the low 70s and partly cloudy skies prior to the rain showers that started the next morning. However, nothing could put a damper on the excitement building for our Sunday Brunch celebration on Sunday, October 29th held at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, North Carolina.
For our Sunday Brunch, we invited our TWIG charter members and former TWIG presidents as our guests and many of them accepted our invitation to attend including charter members Ursula DeLaine, Loretta Hicks, Jackie Lewis, Carolyn Stroud and Winnona Swayze. Former TWIG presidents who attended the Sunday Brunch included Jackie Lewis, Linda Taylor, Carolyn Stroud, Tina Berryman, Myra Smith, Cathleen Pete-Peay, Winnona Swayze, Tammy Scott along with our current president, Shirley Cook.
Charter members and former presidents (L-R front row) Carolyn Stroud, Ursula DeLaine, Loretta Hicks, Jackie Lewis (L-R back row) Shirley Cook, Cathleen Pete-Peay, Tina Berryman, Myra Smith, Linda Taylor, Tammy Scott.
A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE
20th Anniversary Logo golf bag tag.
Ladies enjoyed sipping mimosas while mingling prior to a welcome by our vice president, Renee Allain-Stockton, a blessing by the former president, Myra Smith, and group photos taken on the veranda by TWIG Kidz parent, Perditta Spriggs. We then enjoyed a delicious brunch while rekindling friendships with old and new TWIG members. Our program opened with the Motown inspired story of “Little Red” by one of our new TWIG members, Linda Gorham, who brought down the house!
It continued with a walk down memory lane as we recognized each of our charter members and former presidents with TWIG logo caps and asked them to share their fondest memories of TWIG with us. Our current president, Shirley Cook, closed the program with remarks around our theme of “Still Soaring after Twenty Years.”
TWIG Officers (L-R front row) Carolyn Stroud, charter member and former president, Janine Rouson, Treasurer, Shirley Cook, President, Renee Allain-Stockton, Vice President.
Many thanks to the members of the 20th Anniversary Celebration Planning Committee which included Renee Allain-Stockton, Erica Colleton, Shirley Cook, Carolyn Daye, Carmella Hart, Loretta Hicks, LavettaMcClorin, Julia Ray, Tammy Scott and Joselyn Williams (who coordinated the design and purchase of the 20th Anniversary Logo golf bag tags that were given as gifts to all the attendees at the Sunday Brunch).
