For more than 20 years on the LPGA Tour, Rosie Jones left an indelible mark on and off the course. Equally tenacious as gregarious, she earned 13 career wins while leaving smiles on the faces whose paths she crossed.
In doing so, she always entertained one thought from the back of her head: post-playing career, as a steward of the game, how can she leave the game better for those coming into it?
Last year, Jones took a major step in that direction by helping support the first Women's South Carolina Golf Association (WSCGA) Vicki Hillen Junior Golf Foundation High School Girls Invitational and Mentoring Weekend. The field consisted of 72 players and included 15 teams and 12 individual golfers who competed over 36 holes in two days.
In conjunction with the tournament, Jones' "Play With Purpose" campaign was integrated into the event. An exhibition and mentoring dinner included the likes of Clarissa Childs, Jackie Gallagher-Smith, Cathy Johnston-Forbes, Leta Lindley, Michelle McGann and Hollis Stacy, all of whom interacted with players and parents.
What's more, the Rosie Jones Mentoring Fund was established with a $10,000 donation to the Women’s South Carolina Golf Association Junior Golf Foundation. The initial funds were raised at last fall’s invitational.
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Following in the footsteps of last year's success, the WSCA Vicki Hillen Junior Golf Foundation High School Girls Invitational and Mentoring Weekend will happen again for high school girls age 14 to 18, this time on Sept. 28-29 at Moss Creek Golf Club in Hilton Head, South Carolina. New Rosie Jones Mentoring Funds will support lessons, tournament travel and additional mentoring for South Carolina’s top junior girl golfers. Jones emphasized that sponsorships are a critical component of being able to put the tournament on.
Serving as a piped piper, Jones confirmed that fellow professionals Gallagher-Smith, Johnston-Forbes, Lindley and McGann will again take part. The hope, Jones says, is the mentorship aspect will become an annual part of the tournament.
To understand why Jones got involved, one wouldn't have to look far into her past or present. The seed had always been planted in her head but finally took root when she voluntarily started working with young players following her retirement from the LPGA. After moving to Hilton Head, she advised a local phenom and slowly realized more people were coming to her for advice, instructions or questions.
Cognizant it was turning into a full-time job, she focused on the macro view. How could she make a bigger impact on more female players in South Carolina? She called a friend at the WSCGA and asked if she could adopt one of its junior tournaments and bring a mentoring aspect to it. The WSCGA was all in.
"The side of giving back," McGann says. "Rosie's heart is as big as gold. She goes above and beyond. I watched her with some girls who were local to her area and I know she went to tremendous lengths to help them be successful. You saw her passion and how proud she was of some of these girls. And listen, there's nothing more rewarding than knowing that you can make a difference."
When Jones picked up the game at 7 years old, there wasn't much mentoring happening for players, let alone girls. She eventually worked with the likes of coaches and instructors Tom Nielsen, Elmer Prieskorn, Mike Adams and Jeff Peltz, as well as sports performance psychologist Rick Jensen as she carved out AIAW All-American status at Ohio State University, which eventually led to a successful LPGA Tour career.
"The LPGA didn't probably feel or was equipped to or had the money to even think that their professional players needed some help in different areas," Jones says. "And it was really up to the players at that time to seek out other players and coaches to talk about different elements of the game. When I got on tour, I was not afraid to go up to a lot of the elder players like Joanne Carner and even friends and ask them, 'What was that shot you hit back there?' I had to let myself be tutored."
To wit, female junior players through the professional ranks were left to their own devices when it came to managing the psychological aspects and issues. It dawned on Jones that golf is about battling such highs and lows that don't normally get addressed. She adds that too many up-and-coming players may be uber-talented but don't necessarily possess the tools to deal with ancillary factors that often creep in, such as scoring fundamentals related to course management, shot and club selection, emotional and impulse control, as well as issues that touch on resilience, integrity, discipline and commitment.
"Some of them get lucky enough to get on a college team where they got further instruction and better teachers, and then more in-depth teachers," adds Jones, who played on seven U.S. Solheim Cup teams and served as captain in 2011. "But I am a big component of sports psychologists because they would help you relax, learn how to deal with nerves and stuff like that. There are so many little things players do, even though they don't recognize them, that will lead to questions. Some players have to work on those things a lot harder than others and may not know how to."
So, the overall premise of adding the mentorship element to the tournament became more of an act of love that fostered informality and comfort. It's about feeling empowered to ask questions or seek advice. In addition, the age group of players falls into a rather impressionable area and that helped Jones' colleagues move the needle, according to McGann. As they soaked up anecdotes and stories at the players’ dinner, one in particular caught their attention.
"We told them everyone is different, and that it's a good thing," McGann says. "Leta Lindley was telling them she was the smallest one growing up and was told she never was going to make it. But you know what, she was like this little legend that said 'I can make it!' and all eyes were just glued on her. Or with me, living with diabetes, it's about sharing that we all have different paths and we can succeed."
That's exactly what Jones envisioned. By bringing in such LPGA dignitaries, she carefully hand-picked those with the right pedigree.
Asked if the young field knew who they were, Jones laughed and said, "You know, I was worried about the same thing because to a lot of little kids, we just might be these old ladies who play golf, right? And I was a little bit worried about that, but the pros that I thought would be relatable also have children the same age as these girls."
Similar to last year's setup, the professional mentors will take a hands-on approach. During the tournament, there's always something to do. Whether serving as starter on the first and 10th holes, or helping out in the scorer's tent, the main thread revolves around their calming presence.
Last year Jones and McGann witnessed solid and not-so-solid rounds that ran the full emotional gamut, from tears to giddiness.
"But it was fun to watch some of our players, the legendary players, talk to the girls, take them under their wing and console them and remind them that this is just one round, or one bad hole, and you still have tomorrow," Jones says. "This isn't the end of the world. It's a learning experience, and I think that message sunk in for a lot of them."
McGann, who enjoyed a fruitful career on the LPGA Tour, echoed Jones in saying there wasn't much mentoring going on when she was a junior. In fact, as a testament to how much golf has evolved, she chuckled sharing a story about how sometimes it was difficult to even get more than five girls to show up when she was a junior.
Inspired by her own challenges, McGann started a nonprofit foundation to raise diabetes awareness. Giving back has never been an issue for her. When Jones asked her to be involved, she thought about it a nano-second before committing.
"In the end, we all want the same result, where we all want our paths to be good," she says. "We all want it to be successful. And now we're able to all give back and make a difference in somebody else's playing path, and path of life? You can't put a price tag on that."
