Palm Desert's Shirley Spork, a founding member of the LPGA, paved the way for the ladies of today.

When Shirley Spork first picked up a putter at the age of eleven, she started a love affair with the game of golf that has lasted over seventy years, and that love has not waned over time.

When Shirley first took up the game of golf, she was living in Detroit, Michigan with her family, and she took up a job as a caddy for Bonnie Green Golf Course. Back then, caddies were allowed to use the course on Mondays, and Shirley went to work on honing and improving her game.

In 1950, Shirley, along with 12 other women, decided that women needed their own professional golf tour, so they founded the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). It was a bold move in that the sport had always been dominated by men, so the fledgling tour went through its early struggles and growing pains.

In 1959, with the LPGA still struggling to gain popularity, and a regular circuit of weekly tournaments, Shirley and several of the founding members started the LPGA Teaching Division, now known as the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional membership.

The following year, 1960, Shirley was elected Chairperson of the LPGA Teaching Division, and she served in that capacity for 7 years. Shirley was also named LPGA's Teacher of the Year in 1959.

Shirley continued as a part-time player on the LPGA tour throughout the 50's, 60's and 70's, participating in many events, including the US Women's Open and LPGA Championship, while at the same time continuing in her role as a teacher, with a focus on "teaching others how to teach."

As a teacher, Spork focuses primarily on a simple, routine approach. Establishing the right golf grip, stance and alignment, and creating an even tempo. She always recommends that intermediate golfers take lessons in order to maintain their swing rather than waiting for it to fall apart.

Sixty years after starting on her journey with the LPGA, Shirley still teaches today, working as a part-time instructor for the Monterey Country Club in Palm Desert, California.

Just two months ago, on the day that Shirley turned 83 years of age, she shot an 83! Her commitment to the game of golf is as strong today as it was the day she first picked up a putter at the age of 11.

Although the LPGA tour has gone through some tough times over the past couple of years, with sponsors pulling out of tournaments due to the struggling economy, today's crop of LPGA touring women have Shirley Spork to thank for giving them the opportunity to shine on golf's world stage.

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