When LaJean Gould worked in communications not long after finishing up graduate school, it seemed like clockwork every Friday afternoon her office cleared out for the day – except for her.
She would always see the men in her office dressed in loafer shoes, khaki pants, a suit jacket, a dress shirt and no tie. They were shuffling off somewhere to spend Friday afternoons, but Gould didn’t know where.
All she knew was that the men who were disappearing were suddenly being promoted or in consistent good standing with the bosses. It wasn’t long before Gould realized the reason for the disappearing act was that the men in her office were spending the afternoon hours on the golf course, where deals were made and promotions were given out. Gould was on the outside of those deals until she became wise to the game.
“It took me a while to figure out why am I the only one still here,” Gould recalled in a recent conversation with the Defender. “I don’t have vacation to take and I don’t think they are on vacation. But you figure out through conversations that they’ve been playing golf.
“Long story short, I set out as part of my professional development was to learn to play golf.”
“We’ve sent a lot of kids to school, we’ve got a lot of people working in the industry and we’ve graduated kids that did not go to college on golf scholarships but they still used golf in their professions as a business tool.”
LaJean Gould
And learn, Gould did.
Not only did Gould pick up the game of golf, but she quickly understood that women – particularly Black women in business – needed to have golf in their repertoire if they hoped to advance in business and be on the ground floor of major deals and business opportunities. It wasn’t long before the idea of forming an organization hit her. She founded what is now known as Women In Golf Foundation, Inc. which has become instrumental in introducing Black women to golf at an early age and then growing their games to the point where many can compete for college scholarships and others can use the game as a tool in business.
Today, Women in Golf Foundation Inc. has three components—youth, collegiate and executive women—all of which aim to grow the sport among Black women.
“The more I learned about the game, the more I Iearned about the benefits of the game, the more I realized that this a really important sport,” said Gould, whose organization has garnered the attention of the PGA of America, LPGA and USGA. “We’ve been kept from this sport for so many years for a reason.”
Women in Golf Foundation Inc. has been about developing golfers and exposure during its now 30 years of existence and its signature event is the National Women’s Collegiate Golf Championship which is headed back to The Golf Club of Cinco Ranch in Katy for the second straight year from March 30-April 2. The tournament which is expected to host 11 mostly HBCU women’s programs, including Texas Southern and Prairie View, is a three-day, 54-hole event that will encompass far more than golf.
There is also a networking component with former players who played in the tournament, professionals, and executives from the presenting sponsors, Arcis and HEB.
TSU assistant coach Sylvia Masango played in the National Women’s Golf Championship when she was a student-athlete at Alabama State University. She made connections and friendships that have endured more than a decade later. She says the whole experience is invaluable to all of the young ladies who will participate.
“I actually appreciated the program and still do because it shapes our young women for who they will be and not just where they are in the moment which is being collegiate student-athlete,” Masango said. “The reality is not everybody is going to go off and turn pro.”
Prairie View coach Mesha Levister, who has the rare distinction of being a woman who oversees both the men’s and women’s programs, had her first experience with the National Women’s Golf Championship last year and thoroughly enjoyed the experience and its meaning.
“I feel like LaJean has done a wonderful job of really empowering these young ladies and helping them make connections and just helping HBCU golf for the women to feel inclusive and have a tournament like this,” Levister said. “This foundation is pretty amazing.”
Gould, who is based in Atlanta, has been at the forefront and grown the tournament from what she likes to say was 9-holes and some lessons to 54 holes and a national championship. She is proud of what the tournament has been able to do for Black women in golf and looks forward to even more.
The tournament expanded last year from 36 holes to 54 holes to help the participating teams with NCAA rankings.
“It’s a lot more work on everybody, including the kids who play,” Gould said. “But it basically signals to everybody that is involved that what we do is real and what we do matters and what we do ranks with the best of them out there.”
What: 2025 Women in Golf Foundation Inc’s National Women’s Collegiate Golf Championship
Where: The Golf Club at Katy Ranch
When: March 30-April 2
Participants: There will be 11 HBCU programs, including Prairie View, Texas Southern and Howard in the four-day tournament.
Last year’s champions: Howard Univesity and Paine College tied for first place.
