Whether you are a seasoned veteran or looking to hit the links for the first time, Crumpin-Fox Club in Bernardston will have something for women of all skill levels on Tuesday.
Crumpin-Fox is participating in Women’s Golf Day, a global golf initiative that was launched in 2016 in order to introduce women of all ages to the game of golf, as well as celebrate existing female golfers. The one-day event has spanned 46 countries and over 700 locations. It coincides well with CFC’s “Grow the Game” Campaign, which the course launched in 2016, as it works to be more inviting to golfers of all ages and skill levels.
“I think Women’s Golf Day ties into the whole mentality that we’ve introduced in the past few years to be more inviting,” CFC Director of Development John Jackson said. “Golf can be a little intimidating for beginners and we really want to instill the mentality of being as inviting as possible, which includes making the course less challenging. We want women and beginners to come out and play Crumpin-Fox and enjoy our course.”
This marks the first year that CFC has officially participated in Women’s Golf Day. On Tuesday, women can play the 18-hole course for the cart fee of $25, while head golf professional James Ballard will be offering two sessions of Beginner Golf Lessons that day. There will also be a luncheon and early-evening reception at Zeke’s Grill.
Jackson said the timing for Women’s Golf Day could not be more perfect because the club will also be highlighting the addition of seven new forward tee boxes, as well as renovations to an eighth as the club works to make the experience more enjoyable to golfers of all skill levels. The course offers four tee boxes at each hole — black tees (the hardest), blue tees (a bit easier), yellow (easier) and red (easiest) — but before this season many of the holes features tee boxes shared by the yellow and red tees. While there will still be a few shared boxes, many of the holes will now have separate tee boxes for yellow and red. Jackson also said they are working to get away from labeling the tee boxes as “women’s tees, seniors tees, etc.”
“We want people to play whatever set is appropriate for them,” Jackson said.
The golf course invested $100K this spring to add the new boxes on some of the most challenging holes on the course. CFC also removed trees and made renovations to its clubhouse and driving range.
“There are a lot of exciting things happening at Crumpin-Fox,” Jackson added. “All the investments and upgrades are designed to attract people to the game of golf and specifically here to Crump. Women are a demographic where there is a huge opportunity for growth in our industry.”
With that in mind Ballard will be leading the Women’s Golf 101 instruction clinics on Tuesday. The first session runs from 9 until 11 a.m., while the second is from 4 until 6 p.m. Both clinics will be followed by a social reception at Zeke’s Grill. The clinic costs $25 and includes the two hours of instruction as well as the reception. Space is limited and anyone interested in participating should call the golf shop at 648-9101 or visit golfthefox.com.
Any women taking part in Women’s Golf Day will also receive a gift bag courtesy of Kringle Candle, which CFC has partnered with. In addition, the club also invited the Baystate Health Foundation’s Rays of Hope to be on site during the event. Ten percent of all golf shop sales that day will be donated to the Rays of Hope walk and run, which funds breast cancer research and will celebrate its 25th anniversary this fall.