Sara Montgomery, the Colorado Golf Association's new Board President, brings a remarkable blend of leadership, expertise, and passion to the role. A Colorado native, Sara began playing golf in high school on the boys’ team in Fort Morgan before excelling as a Division I athlete and team captain at the University of Denver. A three-time Student Athlete of the Year and two-time NCAA Academic All-American, she even wrote her honors thesis on the connection between golf and business.
Professionally, Sara is a Partner at Plante Moran, where she leads the Family Legacy practice, specializing in succession planning and philanthropic strategy. Despite her busy career, she prioritizes family and community, coaching her daughter’s basketball team and volunteering for causes she values.
While golf has taken a backseat to her many commitments, Sara still enjoys early-morning rounds with the Sunrise League at Wellshire Golf Course. She shares her life in Denver’s Hilltop neighborhood with her husband Dan and their two children, Meredith and Luke.
Sara describes the CGA as “the best board I’ve ever served on” and looks forward to leveraging her skills to further the organization’s mission.
Interview:
KK: Who introduced you to the CGA Board and when?
SM: I was introduced to the CGA via Dana Murray who was on our board a few years ago. Dana’s daughter, Gretchen, and I worked together at Wells Fargo Private Bank. Gretchen introduced me to Dana in 2019 and then one thing led to another, and I joined the board in 2020. Joining the board during COVID was challenging so I’m particularly grateful to have everyone back together for our quarterly meetings.
KK: What do you do on the CGA Board?
SM: When I joined the board, I started on the Audit and Finance Committee. It was invaluable to understand the organization’s finances and the interplay with CommonGround, which is a significant part of the CGA. In recent years, we’ve updated our IPS, evaluated the purpose, goals, and investment strategy for near-term and long-term needs, and collaborated with the staff to budget for ongoing and one-time expenses. The group includes smart, experienced people from across the state, which I really enjoy.
A couple of years in, I was asked to join the Executive Committee, and I also sit in on the CCGO and CCRE board meetings, though I’m not formally on those boards. I’ve served on the Building Committee, though only in a minor capacity, and I’ve served on the Development Fundraising Committee for the Colorado Golf Foundation. I’ve also contributed to special CGA projects as they’ve come up.
KK: What is a CGA project that you have worked on that you take pride in?
SM: While I haven’t worked directly on it, I’m really proud of the caddie program and its impact on the kids. It’s rewarding to take caddies out and get to know them. I also serve on the ACE (Alliance for Choice in Education) advisory board, and many ACE scholars are Solich caddies, which aligns with causes I support. I enjoy helping showcase our work and encouraging participation.
A personal accomplishment I’m proud of is completing the 100 Hole Hike. It was great to spend an entire day on the golf course, something I haven’t had the chance to do in years. In college, I often played 36 holes, but now I’m lucky if I can get out once a week. It was wonderful to be back out there, with my husband caddying for part of it and my kids joining me for the last 9 holes.
It’s been exciting to be part of such an energized group, especially over the past five years. My focus now is on how I can contribute to maintaining that momentum and continue building on the positive direction the CGA is heading. It’s inspiring to be part of something that’s moving forward.
KK: You wrote your college thesis on golf and its interplay with business, how do you connect golf with your job?
SM: I’ve always argued that golf is the international language of business. When you play a round of golf with someone, you learn a lot about their character. Even if you don’t have a personal relationship with someone, you can gauge whether you'd want to do business with them based on their behavior. Did they get upset over a missed putt? Did they throw a club? Were they supportive of others? Did they cheat? Golf is about integrity, honor, and personal accountability, and those qualities are telling within the context of the business world.
Sometimes, even when golf is meant for business, you don’t talk about business at all. It’s just an opportunity to spend time together and get to know people. Golf is a great way to understand someone’s character and how they handle challenges. I’ve never seen anyone perform better after getting upset on the course.
KK: What is your favorite golf memory?
SM: I don't know if it's my favorite golf memory, but this was definitely a memorable and humbling moment in my golf “career”. When I was in college, we were playing in New Mexico, and it was a 36-hole day. My dad had been in Texas for work, and he said, 'I'll drive over and watch you play; it's on the way home.' It was 750 miles out of the way, but my parents always went above and beyond to support me. I was going through a swing change and I wasn’t playing great. On the 35th hole of the day, I made a hole-in-one, and I was so glad my dad was there to see it. He had made a lot of effort to watch me play some less than stellar golf so the hole-in-one helped!
Fast forward to the next day: on the same hole, I took a six. I was really grateful that my dad saw the hole-in-one and not the six. I think this experience perfectly captures the nature of golf. It’s amazing how much joy and suffering you can experience in such a condensed time, in the same place, doing the same thing. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, this game of golf humbles you, just like life!
KK: If you were talking to women, who probably wouldn’t otherwise get into the game, what would your advice to them be to get into golf?
SM: That’s interesting that you say that because I play in this 9-hole league out at Wellshire and there’s women of all ages and varied levels of golf knowledge and skill. I think for a lot of people, especially women, golf can feel very intimidating when you're not familiar with the rules. For instance, someone might unknowingly walk through another player’s line, and then they're told, 'You can't do that.' But how would they know unless someone explained it?
For those new to the game, it’s less about being excellent right away and more about learning the basics of etiquette and rules so you can navigate the golf course confidently. If you want to get into golf, I think it’s important to find someone kind who plays—not necessarily a great golfer, but someone patient and supportive. You also need to be open to feedback while you're learning.
That’s why it’s so helpful to play with someone who’s willing to guide you and teach you in a gracious way. Nobody starts out knowing everything about golf etiquette, so it’s important to have a supportive environment. For example, if someone reminds you not to talk while another player is hitting, it’s not meant to intimidate—it’s part of learning the game. At the end of the day, golf should be about having fun. Don’t feel intimidated. It’s a process, and everyone starts somewhere.
KK: If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
SM: Looking back, I probably could have achieved everything I did but had a lot more fun along the way. I would tell my younger self to enjoy the process more, to have a little more fun, and to not be so focused on the outcome, the grade, or the score.
Selfishly, I do hope my kids get some exposure to golf one day and can appreciate it in their own way. They don’t have to be competitive golfers—unless they want to be—but I hope they get to experience some of the amazing opportunities this game has given me.