September 24, 2004

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Publication Date: Friday, September 24, 2004

Above par

When Dana Dormann's dad wanted to hit balls at the local driving range, he took his 9-year-old daughter along for the ride.

Eight years later, she was ranked the No. 2 junior golfer in the world. Six years after that, Dormann won her first LPGA Tour event and began a successful 10-year career playing golf all over the world.

"Golf offered me the opportunity to travel and meet incredible people, and it opened doors that no other career would have," Dormann, now 37, said from her Pleasanton home. "Now I want to make sure other girls have the same opportunity."

That opportunity involves a lot more than just a club and a bucket of balls. Last year, Dormann founded a LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Site at the Pleasanton Golf Academy where she is employed as a golf professional. Open to girls ages 7 through 17, the Girls Golf program is run as a partnership between the Ladies Professional Golf Association and the United States Golf Association. The organization aims to make golf accessible to girls at a young age, when they are more likely to develop a passion for the sport.

"There are five different divisions in our program," explained Dormann. "This lets every girl feel comfortable playing with others who have the same skill level. And as they develop their abilities, they continue to be challenged."

The Pleasanton Fairways nine-hole golf course, where the events are held, is the perfect venue for developing a young player's talents, she said. The girls are sent out in foursomes and depending upon ability, play between three and nine holes. A parent volunteer accompanies each of the groups as they play, offering plenty of encouragement and a little advice to the players.

"We try to make sure that the parents don't follow their own daughters on the course," said Dormann with a laugh. "That helps keep the pressure off everyone."

Over on the driving range, instructional clinics are offered to prepare beginners who have never been on a golf course.

"In the clinics we teach the fundamentals - the stance, the grip, the swing." Dormann explained. "We also instruct the girls on course etiquette because it is such an integral part of the game. When they feel comfortable, they graduate to the golf course."

Dormann stresses the program's strong emphasis on making friends and experiencing competition in a non-threatening environment.

"Building confidence is key to encouraging the girls to participate in anything long term," she said. "If we can start that process here, they will benefit for a lifetime."

Identification with a program such as Girls Golf can also raise self-esteem. "Just being able to say 'I am a golfer' gives a young girl a sense of identity, a feeling of belonging. That is a valuable gift. That is why I wanted to do this."

As a site director for LPGA-USGA golf, it is Dormann's responsibility to attract members to the association.

"My original goal was to have 40 members sign up," she recalled. "I was excited to realize, at the end of last season, we had 73 members."

Those involved are not surprised by the positive response Dormann has received. Pleasanton moms Kalli Crawford and Terri Maxoutopolis say their daughters look forward to the events each month.

"The program is so well constructed, it has really encouraged Jessica to want to get better," enthused Crawford. "Now she asks me to take her to the driving range to practice."

Maxoutopolis also likes that the program operates year-round.

"Most golf events are held in the summer," she pointed out. "This schedule keeps them involved in the game when they might otherwise lose all the progress they have made."

Crawford cited Dormann's talent and dedication as the foundation for the program's success, pointing out that a site director with Dormann's abilities is a tremendous benefit.

"Our girls are being exposed to this incredible woman who has accomplished every goal she set for herself," she said. "Imagine getting your first golf lessons from one of the top talents in the world of golf. Dana is using her skills to benefit others. She is an awesome role model."

Dormann has used her tour connections to bring other LPGA Tour alumni into the program. Kay Cockerill, Sara Sanders and Jean Zedlitz, all former tour players, have participated with the girls and spoken to them about the importance of setting goals and dedicating yourself to achievement.

"Last season, our point winners got to play at the Olympic Club with Kay (Cockerill), a two-time US Amateur Champion," said Dormann. "That was a really special experience."

To ensure these opportunities are available to as many girls as possible, the cost of the program is kept low. Entry fees for events are $10. Membership in the LPGA-USGA is optional, but the $35 fee provides a variety of benefits, including reduced rates at the Pleasanton Fairways Golf Course and Pleasanton Driving Range. There is no dress code and golf clubs are provided when needed.

Contact the Pleasanton Golf Academy at 462-7201, or by e-mail at ptownputter@comcast.net. There are no deadlines to join, but Dormann does ask that players sign up for events in advance.

She summed up why she feels so strongly about the importance of the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program: "This program is designed to expose the girls to the world of golf and all it has to offer. It's not about ending up on tour, it's about taking the life skills golf gives you and using them wherever you go."
Making it into the Hall of Fame

Dana Dormann will be inducted into San Jose State University's Hall of Fame on Oct. 1. As a Spartan, Dormann was a three time All-American with a 76.46 stroke average for 141 rounds of college golf. In 1987, she was named the Pacific Coast Athletic Association "Player of the Year," and her team became San Jose State's first women's golf team to win the NCAA Championship. A two-time LPGA tour winner, Dormann is ranked in the top 90 of the all-time LPGA winning money list. Dormann says she is honored to be a part of the Hall of Fame, whose members include such distinguished golfers as Ken Venturi, Juli Inkster, Patty Sheehan and Roger Maltbie.

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