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Wednesday
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Wednesday began with two more workshops which were both more geared towards benefiting attendees rather than the game of golf as a whole. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera to the workshops, thus no pictures of the panels. The first was entitled "Golf's Show Business", and covered such topics as how to maximize your presence at a golf show, and how to identify which shows are right for your product. The panel consisted of: Brian Roggenburk, Senior Vice President, IMG, Gail Billingsley, Marketing Director, PGA Worldwide Golf Exhibitions, and moderated by Stina Sternberg, Senior Editor, Golf for Women Magazine.
"The golf industry
is the only industry that doesn't have a major consumer show in the
big cities."
Brian Roggenburk, IMG
The second workshop was for freelance writers and photographers. The current state of freelancing was discussed by both the freelancers and editors. It was noted that the area of freelancing has declined somewhat, with major magazines using in-house staff to complete projects, but if you're good at your craft, there is always an open door somewhere. Get to know the editors on a personal level first, then start submitting work. (Another good reason for freelancers to join the ING!)
The
afternoon was spent at the Rick Smith Signature course. Our scramble
team 
consisted of Cliff Armstrong, Natural Golf Corporation, Jeff Falconio,
WITI-TV Fox 6, Milwaukee, Steven Asman, Gustbuster, and myself. We started
off with a bang, with birdies on 5 of the first 8 holes, then began
our descent into oblivion with 2 bogies in a row. The majority of us
decided to concentrate our efforts on the beer cart rather than the
golf, and we ended with a three under 69.
The
awards banquet filled our final evening. It began with a cash bar, and
plenty of chances to mingle. One of my personal highlights occurred
during the schmooze session. Judy Walsh of Swing Jacket (one of my Monday
scramble partners) introduced me to her husband, Bill. 
He
made the statement that it was the first time that Judy really felt
that she contributed during a scramble. It was the highlight of the
conference for me. Everyone at the workshops preached about trying to
make women (and juniors) welcome and comfortable on the sometimes snobby
male-dominated golf course, and I had succeeded! It was worth the price
of the conference for that accolade alone.
The
food was better than expected. It started with a cup of soup, then salad,
then the main dish of a tasty fillet professionally covered with two
sauces, a twice-baked potato, asparagus, and two stuffed lobster tails,
served with either red or white wine. The staff at Treetops went above
and beyond their call of duty, and undoubtedly "raised the bar"
for future conferences. Of course, a wonderful dessert and coffee were
served afterwards.
The awards were handed out, and surprisingly, some Michigan writers had taken more awards than expected. Cheers to the home team! After the formal ceremony, prizes were given out based on how golfers finished in the singles events and the scrambles. I was the lucky winner of a Louisville Golf wooden-headed putter with "ING 2001" engraved on the bottom. The putter is almost too pretty to use on a course!
The
evening ended with many pictures taken, and many long good-byes. I am
so glad that 
I
was able to attend. Not only did I learn a lot about the current and
future state of the game, but I met a ton of great people and future
contacts. Not once did I feel like an outsider, or that I didn't belong.
ING made me instantly feel like a member, and I can't wait to attend
next years event in Pinehurst.
If you have any specific questions concerning the ING conferences, please feel free to contact Linda Jamison at ingmom@aol.com.
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