Interview with WPGA President Rae Hast

Rae Hast tells sa woman golfer about her new role as president of the WPGA and the goals for 2011 and beyond

Dec10/Jan/Feb2011 

Congratulations on your new appointment as President of the WPGA. What are your goals in leading the organisation into the future?

My goal is to have an efficient, well-organised Association that serves its members needs and interests. With this in mind, we are in the process of becoming an allied association of the PGA of South Africa, compelling new members... to undergo a 3 year PGA apprenticeship. Besides this, our Secretary and Accountant are employed by the PGA and work from their offices. On the “playing front”, we are busy putting together tournaments in March where our stars and future stars can hone their skills. We are in close communication with the Ladies European Tour and have been given dates that are suitable for LET players to compete.

What is the structure of the organisation? Who sits on the board? The WPGA Board is composed of the Association’s President (myself) and four Members. The four Members are PGA qualified Professionals who establish and elevate the standards of the golf profession through their daily work.

We are in discussions about adding a representative from outside the golfing community to further round out our expertise. Detailed info on our board members can be found on our new site www.wpga.co.za.

Women’s golf has been on the back foot for the past two years. Why has the WPGA not been seen to be leading the resurgence to date?

The WPGA Tournaments were previously run as a private business; our players participated and we benefited from sanction fees. The Ladies African Tour and the Women’s World Cup were not run or owned by the WPGA, a common misconception. However, when those tournaments folded and the economy turned we lost momentum. We have taken back control of our own Tour and the WPGA is now leading the resurgence. We are in negotiations with sponsors who have been previously associated with us and they still see value in our product and have confidence in our new governance structures.  

We have a comprehensive media and marketing plan in place to support this resurgence. WPGA.co.za will shortly re-launch as the home of the women’s professional game and golfing lifestyle. With hybrid of comprehensive professional golf, health, fitness, culture, entertainment, lifestyle and travel info, WPGA.co.za will be a big draw to fans of an ever widespread community.

Fans will be able to follow standings, results, tour calendars, as well as check out player info, tips, photo galleries, radio and TV clips, blogs, polls, a WPGA sanctioned coaching directory, history of women’s golf in South Africa, pro-am info and galleries. We’ll soon have links to Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo and RSS feeds as well.

Lee-Anne Pace’s recent success has increased the interest in women’s golf in SA. What are the WPGA doing to harness this sudden interest?

As Grant Winter remarked, it [definitely] is time to celebrate the women’s game in SA and this is certainly in large part due to Lee-Anne Pace’s tremendous success. With the eyes of the country, and the world focussed on us we are at a tipping point. With increased exposure, we are confident the public will embrace women’s golf here. It is the WPGA’s duty to bring the public up close and personal, to build support and passion for our wealth of fantastic players. We are focussed on creating opportunities that will secure new generations of SA talent, and locking in new partnerships to ensure this continued growth and development.

There have been no professional events in SA for the past two years. Is the competitive platform in SA set to change in the near future?

There was an SA Open in 2009 which Tandi Cuningham won with good scores. Currently we have 6 players on the Ladies European Tour with Lee-Anne currently in the no 1 position on The Henderson Money List, Ashleigh Simon in 14th position, Tandi Cunningham 54th and Stacey Bregman 57th.

Backing them up are 6 talented players who have entered the Tour School to play the LET next year. So the competitive platform is higher than ever. There is a knock on effect from Lee-Anne’s success. Others who have competed well against her will suddenly realise that they can also do it. Tandi was in a playoff recently in India which Laura Davies won.

Do you have sponsors back on board? Are you still looking for further sponsors?

Yes, and yes. We have our sponsors back on board and also welcome new long-term partnerships that will allow us to further develop women’s golf in SA. More than ever with today’s economic climate, relationship building in business is key. The WPGA creates an ideal environment for brands to establish these relationships and create new business opportunities. Golf has always been known as a conduit in business communication – moreover, women’s pro golf is competitive, prestigious, clean and family friendly. Most significantly for a sponsor, WPGA events are memorable; the girls are sociable, interactive, encouraging and willing to spend time with amateur partners in Pro-Ams. This engagement is rare in pro sports; they hit a fine balance between fierce competition and friendly rivalry. At the end of the day, it’s all about the quality of this showcase for a sponsor, to get a healthy return on investment.

Is it true that the WPGA was approached by Tania Fourie with some guaranteed sponsors, which you turned down?

The WPGA, in consultation with the PGA and The Sunshine Tour (that have achieved great things with the men’s tour), made the decision to maintain direct control over our own tour and not use any promoter. We feel it is imperative that we manage these sponsor relationships ourselves in order to deliver a return on their investment. It is essential for us to protect women’s golf and its sponsors going forward and the only way we can ensure this, is if we deal with them direct.

We have not turned down any sponsors, we simply want to deal with them direct and not through a promoter. We welcome the support of valued organisations and partners who share mutual interest in growing, nurturing and furthering women’s golf and the professional tour environment in South Africa.

Would you say the WPGA is going through a “re-launch” under your leadership?

It is time for a re-launch. It is time to align ourselves on the teaching side with the PGA, and on the playing field, the public wants to see Lee-Anne, Ashleigh, Tandi and our stars of the future. The girls need to compete in their home country. I feel that we, as the Board, are responsible for making this happen.

How can people be kept up to date on developments and get in contact with the WPGA?

Our website is the source for info on the playing side, our teaching side, as well as developments that we, the WPGA are involved with. We also invite you to chat to and engage with us on our website. Contact information for sponsorship opportunities, to reach our secretary, and to reach me can all be found on www.wpga.co.za.

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