TAMPA
When Clemmie Perry was laid off from a Fortune 500 company five years ago, she didn't waste any time agonizing over her loss.
Instead, she signed up for golf lessons.
Learning how to play the game had long stood as a goal for Perry, but she could never find the time. Now, she had ample time but there was just one problem: the African American woman encountered few who looked like her on the course.
Someone else may have been dismayed, but Perry was motivated.
Using her extensive background as a corporate trainer and the money from her severance package, Perry created a five-week beginner's course centered on minority women. That meant designing a course where women could learn the game in groups in a welcoming environment and at a comfortable pace.
"A woman is not going to walk up to a course a say 'Hi, I'm here'," she said. "I had to design a curriculum that would engage women to want to be involved in the game."
The course is now the full-fledged nonprofit Women of Color Golf. It has grown beyond clinics to include events such as social meetups, a membership base, and partnerships with several organizations including Executive Women Golf Association and the Tampa Sports Authority.
There's been a few high-profile recognitions, like Perry's being named as a 2016 White House Champion for Change and selected as a recipient of the Community Hero Award by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Perry estimates she and her team have taught about 400 women how to play golf.
Building up a nonprofit from the ground up is a daunting task, but for Perry it's been a labor of love.
Additionally, the pros - exposing more women and girls of color to the game and expanding options for recreational golf in the Tampa Bay area- far outweigh the struggles, she said.
"There's a very intrinsic value to it, like access to people and opportunities you'd never see and inclusion in the game," Perry said. "You can't lose."
Evan Williams said she came to Women of Color Golf to help her learn "what the hype was all about" regarding the game of golf.
Williams said she has a better command of the sport thanks to Perry's thorough instruction, which includes the sport's history.
"Clemmie sets a very high expectation for us as members," she said. "Are we going to have fun? Yes. But she's very clear about us being students of the game."
For those who may be slightly skittish about picking up a club, Perry likes to tout other benefits to the game: players earn more and have a life expectancy that is five years longer than non-players.
The former is especially significant, with many businesses and business deals birthed over 18-hole rounds, Perry said.
"Golf is going to be the largest networking opportunity you can engage in period," she said. "That's why we have to get people playing."
Women are flocking to Perry's classes and events and according to a trend report released earlier this year by the National Golf Association, women's fascination with the greens are not expected to change any time soon.
About 5.8 million women played golf on a course in 2017. Women account for 24 percent of the on-course golfer base and 41 percent of off-course only play, according to the report.
Count Debra Palmer among the enthusiasts.
"I had never touched a golf club before," she said. "And now they're telling me I have natural talent."
Growing up, the insurance agent had been an active athlete playing field hockey, basketball, and softball. But golf was unchartered territory that Gibbs hadn't considered navigating - until she came across Women of Color Golf.
Gibbs, who recently moved to Tampa from Delaware, said she was initially attracted to the "sisterhood."
"I did not expect to mesh so quickly with the ladies," she said. "It's like nothing I've experienced."
But the networking has proved invaluable as well.
"I was able to meet a managing partner in commercial property and we're doing business together," she said. "We've become really good friends."
When she created Women of Color Golf, Perry wasn't sure of the response. She just had a gut feeling "it was a necessity."
It's a gamble that's paid off, she said.
"I lost my job but I found a set of golf clubs," she said. "That changed the trajectory of my life."
Contact Kenya Woodard at hillsnews@tampabay.com.
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