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Marilynn Smith’s World Golf Hall of Fame membership reflects her life not just as a golfer, but also as a global ambassador for women’s golf and the Ladies Professional Golf Association. Marilynn and twelve other co-founders built the LPGA tour from scratch. She was a 21-year old athlete, but soon became the spark plug that drove the LPGA’s public relations machine. Case in point: Marilynn sold fans of other sports, companies, communities and the media on her sport despite the social belief that women belonged at home raising a family, not playing professional golf. She didn’t arrive in a town just to play golf. She hit the city limits itching to create a buzz about the upcoming tournament. She spoke at Rotary and Kiwanis meetings, hit golf shots before baseball games, filled reporters notepads. She was a gallery favorite because she walked the fairways chatting with the paying customers (now and then walking past her ball). When she wasn’t busy winning 21 LPGA tournaments, including two majors, she traveled the world––all 50 states and 37 countries––conducting more than 4,000 golf clinics and exhibitions for over 250,000 people. Marilynn’s energy has no off-switch. She served as LPGA president for three years, co-founded the LPGA Teaching Division, was the first female TV commentator at a PGA Tour golf tournament, organized the first senior women’s professional golf tournament and is a member of eight Halls of Fame. Bob Cayne wrote Nothing Major, a collection of entertaining essays and golf stories. He is no stranger to the LPGA and women’s golf having been general chairman of the World Championship of Women’s Golf for four years. He also played a key role in staging the 1980 Women’s Western Amateur Championship. Both events were played at Shaker Heights Country Club in Cleveland, Ohio.
Marilynn Smith’s World Golf Hall of Fame membership reflects her life not just as a golfer, but also as a global ambassador for women’s golf and the Ladies Professional Golf Association. Marilynn and twelve other co-founders built the LPGA tour from scratch. She was a 21-year old athlete, but soon became the spark plug that drove the LPGA’s public relations machine. Case in point: Marilynn sold fans of other sports, companies, communities and the media on her sport despite the social belief that women belonged at home raising a family, not playing professional golf. She didn’t arrive in a town just to play golf. She hit the city limits itching to create a buzz about the upcoming tournament. She spoke at Rotary and Kiwanis meetings, hit golf shots before baseball games, filled reporters notepads. She was a gallery favorite because she walked the fairways chatting with the paying customers (now and then walking past her ball). When she wasn’t busy winning 21 LPGA tournaments, including two majors, she traveled the world––all 50 states and 37 countries––conducting more than 4,000 golf clinics and exhibitions for over 250,000 people. Marilynn’s energy has no off-switch. She served as LPGA president for three years, co-founded the LPGA Teaching Division, was the first female TV commentator at a PGA Tour golf tournament, organized the first senior women’s professional golf tournament and is a member of eight Halls of Fame. Bob Cayne wrote Nothing Major, a collection of entertaining essays and golf stories. He is no stranger to the LPGA and women’s golf having been general chairman of the World Championship of Women’s Golf for four years. He also played a key role in staging the 1980 Women’s Western Amateur Championship. Both events were played at Shaker Heights Country Club in Cleveland, Ohio.