The VSWGA, founded in 1930, is heading into its 95th season. Can you believe it? Even more surprising is that the organization is allowing me—a relative newcomer to Vermont—to steer it during the upcoming season. While I’m honored, luckily, we have a strong board and an engaged membership to keep the ship on course, moving steadily forward.
The 2024 season was fantastic, in no small part due to the weather. As a brave little State we endured catastrophic floods, although through the golf season we managed to pull off 52 State Day events with only one rain-out. Our three major championships—Amateur at Champlain Country Club, Mid-Am at Haystack Golf Course, and Senior at Country Club of Barre—went off without a hitch, thanks to the remarkable management and planning skills of Jen Steck and the help of the weather gods (oh, wait, they did toy with us at the Seniors, didn’t they?). And let’s not forget: Vermont’s Tri-State team hosted the 71st Tri-State Championship at Brattleboro Country Club. Under the leadership of new team captain Mary Jane Shomo, the Vermont team was victorious!
We closed out the season at the Fall Awards Classic at Country Club of Barre, with 100 golfers enjoying the comradery of a shotgun start along with lunch and awards announcements. The Club Reps—the boots-on-the-ground that are the foundation of our organization—met at Lake Morey in October. As always, the meeting was well attended and packed with information and discussion. We recognized Dana Cassidy for her long tenure as State Day Chair and were able to honor Linda Jane Parson as she stepped down after four years of strong and attentive leadership as President. (You will not find a more kind-hearted person than Linda Jane!)
This handbook captures so much of what we hope for in our 95th season. The delivery to your mailbox signifies the hope that one day soon, mud season will be over and golf will begin anew. While the past designs have served us well, the handbook was ready for an update. Thanks to the design chops of Pam Boyd, you’ve got something new in your hands (or in your inbox, if you’ve gone paperless).
This year will bring an updated look and functionality to our website as well, making it easier to stay up-to-date on all that is happening at the VSWGA. We’ll continue to use Golf Genius for registration and take advantage of more of its features like live-scoring and real-time leaderboards. So much of this process improvement has been made possible by the amazing Jen Farrington, whose operational wizardry behind the scenes makes so many things run smoothly.
Overall, you’ll notice a theme here: improved technology and organization to support your golf experience and strengthen the VSWGA. Our goal is to make the process of participating in VSWGA events easier so we can focus on what really matters: playing golf, enjoying the great outdoors, and building connections within this amazing community of kick-ass women golfers.
Here’s to a fantastic 2025 season!
Amy Butcher, President