DATE: Wednesday, August 27, 1997            TAG: 9708270816

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C8   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: Fore! 

SOURCE: BY ROB AMEN, STAFF WRITER

                                            LENGTH:   40 lines

WOMEN GOING STRONG

Bambi Freeman tees up her ball and, with club in hand, walks behind it and stares straight ahead for a few moments. She picks out her target, then fires away.

``If I don't pick out a target,'' Freeman says, ``I tend to hit it all over the world.''

Freeman, a Portsmouth resident and 5-handicapper, tees off with nearly 100 of her closest friends once a month as part of the Tidewater Women's Golf Association. The organization began in 1924 with six-charter member clubs. Today, it has grown to 15 - ranging from Williamsburg to Elizabeth City, N.C.

The organization, which requires a $50 membership fee each year, is reserved for women who belong to a member golf club, such as Elizabeth Manor, as in Freeman's case, and have a 20 handicap or lower. Clubs are always free to apply for membership, but there is a waiting list.

``It's a rather prestigious club for this area,'' Freeman says, adding that the organization has grown in popularity so much that it has started imposing a limit (around 100) on the number of members. ``There'll probably be others to spin off from this. It gets too unwieldy. We have to keep a limit for that reason.''

Each member club takes a turn hosting a tournament from March to December, with five clubs receiving a bye each year. The clubs let the association's members play for free, with the only requirement being the women must pay cart fees and for lunch afterward. Prizes, such as gift certificates to be redeemed at that club, also are awarded at the end of the day.

``It's like a big party,'' Freeman says.

The association holds a championship during three days in October on three different courses. Like the monthly tournaments, it also is flighted.

Members must play in at least five of the year's 10 tournaments. That can be a difficult chore since many members work. If you don't meet that criteria, you could lose your membership, a risk most do not take since there has been a waiting list to get in as far back as anyone can remember.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu