THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 21, 1994 TAG: 9408190284
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALLISON T. WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
A set of women's golf clubs wasn't on John Kendale's shopping list the day he ran into a fellow Suffolkian, Dr. Maxine Allen, at Nevada Bob's Pro Shop in Virginia Beach.
But that's exactly what Kendale hauled home that afternoon.
By the time he ran into Allen that day, Kendale, a retired educator and avid golfer, had been trying for a quite a while to convince his wife, Victoria, to learn the sport.
``He asked me if I was buying something for my husband,'' said Allen, 51, associate vice president for academic affairs at Norfolk State University.
``When I told him I was shopping for myself, he asked me to give his wife a call that night,'' she said. ``He bought her a set of clubs right then!''
Allen began taking golf lessons with five friends in 1989. Saying they didn't expect to do more than tease the tee, they laughing dubbed themselves the Tee Teasers.
Although the name stuck, members' expectations have grown during the past five years. The Tee Teasers gradually increased their membership, and late last year the association asked The Hamptons Golf Course in Hampton to serve as its home course.
Today, 23 women - retirees, educators, small business owners and other professionals from throughout Hampton Roads - belong to the Tee Teasers, said Allen, the association's founder and a resident of Bennetts Creek.
Once a month members from Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Hampton and Newport News meet for a day on the greens at The Hamptons.
Groups of members often get together at other area courses for rounds of golf between the monthly games.
Although most Hampton Roads golf courses have ladies associations today, few, if any, have as strong a minority representation as the Tee Teasers, Allen said.
``The most unique thing about the Tee Teasers is that when we first started all our members were black,'' said Allen. ``Our objective is to get more females, black and white, on the golf course.''
The Tee Teasers' affiliation with The Hamptons makes recruiting new members easier, said Allen.
The association displays its brochures at the course's clubhouse.
And anyone calling the course asking about a women's association is referred to Allen for information on the Tee Teasers.
Women wanting to become association members must first play with members of the Tee Teasers on two occasions. They are then nominated for membership by a member of the association.
Tee Teasers members must pay a $10 joining fee and $25 annual dues.
Association members play at The Hamptons on the third Saturday of each month and plan to participate in several tournaments throughout the year.
The Tee Teasers also hold quarterly business meetings, where guest golfers conduct workshops to help members improve their game.
Belonging to a ladies golf association has numerous intangible benefits, such as networking with other women and increased self-esteem, Allen said.
``To me, the best thing about belonging to an association is knowing you can always find someone to play golf with,'' she said. ``Some women aren't as aggressive as men, and belonging to this association gives them the support system they need.''
Both Allen and Victoria Kendale believe golf's stereotype as a ``rich man's sport'' masks the truth that women and men are equally capable on the course.
Allen took up golf at the urging of her husband, George, a civilian working in the Navy's aviation depot in Norfolk. He began playing seven years ago.
Nowadays, the couple plan their vacations so that they are near golf courses and often spend weekends playing together.
Every Christmas they decorate their tree with golf ornaments. And Maxine Allen sometimes wears tiny gold golf club earrings.
``Playing golf lets us spend a lot of time together,'' she said. ``It has become something we both love dearly.'' MEMO: For more information on joining the Tee Teasers, call Allen at 484-5373,
or The Hamptons Golf Course at 766-9148.
by CNB