Brittany Lincicome slipped on a $1000 robe after clinching the 2015 ANA Inspiration and making the traditional leap into Poppie’s Pond. It was quite an upgrade from the first robe slipped on the shoulders of 1995 Champion Nanci Bowen. The tradition began in 1988 with Amy Alcott making the first jump into the water hazard along the 18th hole at Mission Hills Country Club, but Bowen was the first to don a robe following the jump. It’s been years since she has returned to the site of her first victory but made the trip this year.
“It was fun to be out there and see it in person,” Bowen said by phone Thursday, reflecting on how talented and far the players hit the ball compared to her days on Tour. Her 14 year career wrapped in 2005 when she shifted her focus to instruction, including not only the swing but also the mental game. Through her career Bowen worked with sports psychologist Dr. Deborah Graham, who has trained her in the same beneficial practices.
“It puts your mind in the right place,” Bowen said, adding that it’s really between the ears where people can excel. Bowen meets with students at Furman University Golf Club in Greenville, South Carolina where she works with juniors and adults particularly on the course where she says it’s a lot more fun to go out and learn through different situations.
Now, Bowen is shifting her instruction from the course to the Internet, hosting All Things Golf, a podcast on Web Talk Radio. She says her focus is on being able to “inspire and inform people about the stories they don’t know much about,” through interviews like the one she conducted with her first guest, Nancy Lopez. The Georgia University graduate with a Public Relations degree is excited to be putting her journalism background to good use.
Her home state is recognizing her for her accomplishments in the game, naming her to the 2016 class to be inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.
“It wasn’t on my radar,” she said. “I’m pretty thrilled.” Bowen is one of five being inducted in January at Atlanta Athletic Club.
One of those accomplishments includes her charitable efforts of nearly 20 years. The annual Nanci Bowen Charity Event raises money for Hospice of Tift Area and the Anita Stewart Oncology Center at Tift Regional Medical Center, helping individuals undergoing chemotherapy or radiation to pay their expenses. This year’s event is May 11, 2015 at Spring Hill Country Club in Tifton, Georgia.
Listen to her latest podcast - http://webtalkradio.net/internet-talk-radio/all-things-golf/
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