A deserving coach is recognized for her contributions to empowering girls through golf

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., January 21, 2024 – LPGA*USGA Girls Golf announced today that Susie Redman-Kirk, Site Director for Girls Golf The Woodlands and former LPGA Tour player, has been selected among a list of 34 nominees as the recipient of the 2024 Sandy LaBauve Spirit Award, the most prestigious honor bestowed by LPGA*USGA Girls Golf.

Redman-Kirk, a lifetime LPGA Tour member and LPGA Class A Professional for more than a decade, will be presented with her award on Thursday, January 23, during the LPGA Professional Rolex Awards ceremony at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando.

“I am truly honored and humbled to receive the Sandy LaBauve Spirit Award,” Redman-Kirk said. “Sandy has paved the way for all girls and women to be part of a movement that is bigger than ourselves, serving a greater purpose for all. Thank you, Sandy, for your vision and for creating Girls Golf.”

Named after the founder of LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, the Sandy LaBauve Spirit Award honors an individual who has gone above and beyond to inspire the lives of juniors through their passion and dedication to empowering girls through golf. LaBauve was an LPGA Teaching Professional in Phoenix, Arizona, and a mother of two daughters when she founded Girls Golf in 1989.

“I remember when Susie was just getting started in teaching and looking for a niche. Well, she found it with Girls Golf,” LaBauve explained. “We both come from families that are entrenched in golf. She shares the mission to give others what we were blessed with. She is a wonderful role model and leader. I am just so proud of her and want to thank her for the lives she has touched.”

Redman-Kirk currently teaches at The Woodlands Country Club in The Woodlands, Texas. She has been at The Woodlands Country Club for 17 years since retiring from the LPGA Tour in 2006. After qualifying for the LPGA Tour at age 18, Redman-Kirk constructed an impressive professional career, amassing 18 top-10 finishes while competing in 46 majors, 434 LPGA events and another 88 worldwide tournaments in 29 different countries during her 20 years. Redman-Kirk continues to play at a high level on the Legends of the LPGA.

Despite all of her professional success, Redman-Kirk has left her biggest mark on the youth game. As an LPGA Professional and Girls Golf Site Director, Redman-Kirk has personally introduced hundreds of girls to the game, and she is not stopping there.

“Here at The Woodlands Country Club I started noticing that teenage girls were dropping out of golf, and really, all sports,” Redman-Kirk explained. “The magic age was 13 years old, so I reached out to the local high school golf teams trying to understand what was driving this phenomenon. Three reasons were cited: a lack of access to golf facilities, the high costs of private golf lessons and a need for better skills to play the game. Due to these barriers, girls simply chose to pursue other things. This was a heartbreaking realization, and it inspired me to make a difference.

“So, I got involved and came up with this idea to run a free program supported by The Chevron Championship where girls would gain access to lessons and local courses to practice. Through the Girls Golf program and our local community, I was able to reach out to girls that didn’t have access and invite them to this unique program.”

Redman-Kirk certainly poured her heart into this effort, taking a simple concept and turning it into a 10-week program where she dedicated four hours a week to empowering these girls through the game of golf. As Redman-Kirk quickly discovered, this program became much more than just learning golf. It provided a place where these local girls could bond and make new lifelong friends.

“Coach Susie has worked tirelessly to create safe spaces for girls to learn and grow, always providing a smile and words of encouragement,” explained Ellie Hill, one of the dozens of girls who have taken advantage of this program. “Through her clinics, Coach Susie has given us the opportunity to build lifelong friendships and reach our full potential in golf. Her unwavering drive to improve the environment for girls in the sport makes her the embodiment of perseverance.”

As these girls have come to learn, Redman-Kirk ’s teaching philosophy goes far beyond the basics of the golf swing. In fact, she has immersed herself in research regarding childhood development, physical literacy, social-emotional learning and trauma-informed coaching. This commitment to enriching the lives of girls on and off the course is just one of the many reasons Redman-Kirk is the 2024 Sandy LaBauve Spirit Award recipient.

Susie Redman-Kirk Receives 2024 Sandy LaBauve Spirit Award

Related Articles