Daily Inspiration: Meet Debbie Waitkus

Today we’d like to introduce you to Debbie Waitkus. 

Hi Debbie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In 2000 I left my position as president of a firm in the corporate financial world (leaving the nylons behind!) to create Golf for Cause®, a company that focuses on helping organizations and individuals use golf as a tool to raise money, forward relationships, and promote personal growth. Thousands of golfers, many of them women and a large percentage of them new golfers, have participated in various Golf for Cause workshops, conferences, clinics, tournaments, leagues, and just-for-fun events to learn how to turn golf into gold®. 

Charitable fundraising is gold, yes. And so much more than that. There is the gold that is a richness of friendships, of personal and business relationships, of bonding and teambuilding. The gold that is quality time spent with people you care about. The gold that fills your vault of treasured memories. The gold that is a connection with nature that yields a continuing harvest of invaluable insight and self-discovery. 

Regardless how well you play, how often you play, where you play, or whether you play at all, golf is a gold-laden game that can take you places you never thought you’d see and introduce you to people and experiences you never imagined possible. 

Along the way, I was fortunate to have the unique experience to work closely for ten years with LPGA co-founder and World Golf Hall of Fame member, Marilynn Smith. Marilynn was denied financial aid as a girl to compete in intercollegiate golf tournaments, which was the catalyst for creating the Marilynn Smith Scholarship Fund in 1999. 

Since Marilynn’s passing, 4 days shy of her 90th birthday in April of 2019, Debbie, along with members of Marilynn Smith’s family, LPGA Co-Founder Shirley Spork, LPGA Professionals, and like-minded colleagues and supporters, co-founded the Marilynn Smith & Founders’ Legacy Foundation (MSFLF). The MSFLF serves to forwards the spirit and legacy of all the LPGA Founders and Pioneers, including the Marilynn Smith Scholarship Fund, which, since 1999, has awarded over $1 million to 204 young women to pursue their academic dreams and further their golf careers. 

Moving forward through Covid, my focus has been on the MSFLF as well as welcoming those new to golf with a copy of the second edition of Get Your Golf On! 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In golf we like to say there’s the rub of the green. The ball might not end up where you intended to send it. Yet, you play on. For me, recognizing the need to move on, accepting, and doing it are all part of the process. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I believe that I find and execute innovative ideas and strategies for success – especially those incorporating golf. I’m also a connector, bringing others together who might not have otherwise met. 

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Mentors are EVERYWHERE! My speech coach, Joel Weldon, says that you have 10,000 mentors. You meet, see, interact with people every day and learn from them… what they do well and you aspire to do, what they do well and you can appreciate and know that you wouldn’t do the same thing, what they do and you say, I would NEVER do THAT! You learn from everyone. Being open-minded is key. 

Pricing:

• Get Your Golf On Book – $20

Contact Info:

• Email: dwaitkus@golfforcause.com
• Website: www.golfforcause.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getyourgolfon/
• Other: https://www.aplos.com/aws/give/MarilynnSmithFoundersLegacyFoundation/MSFLF13Campaign