Carol Mann was one of the most influential women on the LPGA Tour and in the game of golf. I was honored to be an invited guest when Carol Mann was given an award by the Western Womens Golf Association for her years of excellence and support of womens golf.
Carol Mann has come full circle.
Carol spoke with determination and passion about her trials and tribulations during the difficult times early in her competitive career as a junior golfer in Chicago to her days on the LPGA tour, becoming president of the LPGA and her fight to boost both sponsorship and promotional support for women and the game she loved. All in all, Carol ended up winning 38 events, won a US Open and was eventually one of the LPGAs finest leaders, presidents (1973-1976) and promoters of the womens game. Carol was also inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1977. The following includes two separate excerpts taken from her profile in the World Golf Hall of Fame Annual (2009 Edition, edited and published by Martin Davis of The American Golfer). I hope you will read the profile in its entirety on the Hall of Fame website.
she was self-conscious about her height, but Carol Mann always seemed quite natural in her surroundings, whether it was taking on Kathy Whitworth and Mickey Wright, or selling the ladies’ tour to corporate America. There was a time when she was the LPGA’s Mann for all seasons. Mann didn’t develop a golf swing until she was 13 years old, after the family moved to Chicago and took a membership at Olympia Fields C.C. Commuting to tournaments on trains, Mann won the Western Junior and the Chicago Junior in 1958, and the Chicago Women’s Amateur in 1960. ‘I was awkward, shy, without any poise, and I giggled,’ Mann said.
Sitting at the award ceremony I was struck by her ability to persevere and achieve through all her personal and professional doubts and the tough times she encountered over the years. During this time she continued to work tirelessly for the good of the game and for the future of the women who played it. As she spoke, it was evident there was a even a time when she was unsure if her efforts would be effective or even appreciated by other women involved in the game of golf.
Her profile goes on to stateMann was appreciated; she received the Babe Zaharias Award in 1976 and was looked upon as one of the ‘100 Heroes of American Golf.’ She was inducted into the LPGA’s Hall of Fame in 1977. ‘I’ve walked on the moon,’ she has said. ‘I enjoy being a person, and getting old and dying are fine. I never think how people will remember Carol Mann. The mark I made is an intimate satisfaction.’
Talk about the strength of mind, attitude and persistence! Carol Mann has come full circle as the real satisfaction she now experiences takes root in an inner knowing that shes taken on the challenges and didnt shrink from any of it. Her mark is one that stands the test of time.
To Your Best Golf!
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Copyright 2008. David Breslow is a National Speaker, Author and Performance Consultant. His book, Wired To Win is available at 888.280.7715. His clients include professional athletes (PGA, LPGA, other sports) as well as Business Organizations. He brings a fresh, direct, no-nonsense revolutionary approach to Human Performance, helping people make quicker and more powerful shifts in attitude, behavior and action. His articles are read by over 400,000 people per month on The Golf Channel website. For more info on the NEW video training course, Workshops, Consulting and Presentations; please visit: www.theflowzone.net, email: david@theflowzone.net or call: 847.681.0247
