Every Tuesday evening at Meadow Park Golf Course in Tacoma, Wash., women of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels gather on the course’s Williams Nine to learn the game, build confidence, and discover community. Some arrive having never held a golf club. Others come looking to improve their game.
Nearly all leave with something they didn't expect: a sense of belonging.
What began as a weekly gathering has grown into a collaborative movement powered by organizations that believe golf should be more welcoming and more accessible.
Jenefeness Franke started a group for women golfers – Soft Life Swing Society – following her own introduction to the game through Seattle’s Fir State Golf Club's free community clinics during the pandemic. Those early experiences sparked a passion for the game and inspired a vision to create a space where women could experience golf without intimidation.
The movement has continued to flourish through meaningful partnerships with AP National Golf Club and Meadow Park Golf Course.
AP National is committed to promoting golf through mentorship, fellowship, service, and community engagement. Its members actively volunteer to expand access to the game by creating welcoming opportunities for new golfers to learn, grow, and build lasting relationships.
The turning point came during the recent Women's Golf Day, an international series of events held around the world between May 26 and June 2, 2026. On June 2, a Women’s Golf Day event was held at Meadow Park, and members of AP National showed up to volunteer to teach, mentor, and caddie for women participating in the women’s weekly Tuesday Tee Time.
Durel Billy, founder of AP National in 2013 and who still serves on the club’s board as their membership director, put the word out to his members about the event, and the response was overwhelming.
“They responded in full force,” he said. “Everyone who had the time, showed up.”
Derek Liddell, the club’s current president who is also on the Washington Golf board of directors, told Billy, “If I can get there in time, I’ll be glad to help out.” He did indeed get there in time, and he did indeed help out.
Billy provided volunteer instructors, caddies, caddie bibs, range balls, golf clubs for the beginners, and covered the green fees for the women. AP National also provided the most precious item: time.
Women who arrived nervous left smiling. Many experienced the game for the first time with experienced golfers walking beside them, reading greens, explaining etiquette, recommending clubs, and celebrating every good shot.
When the evening ended, no one wanted it to be just a one-time event.
So, rather than ending with Women's Golf Day, AP National chose to continue investing in the women. Led by Billy, the club now joins Soft Life Swing Society on the course once a week, where volunteer members continue to provide instruction, mentorship, and on-course caddying as the women continue their golf journey.
Meadow Park has also continued to provide a welcoming home for these weekly gatherings, and together they’ve watched women who once came just to observe become regular golfers, purchase clubs, invite friends, and build genuine community.
Their continued investment has become an important part of this story, demonstrating what can happen when golf clubs, public facilities, and grassroots organizations work together to grow the game.
What began as a single evening has become an ongoing partnership rooted in service, encouragement, and a shared commitment.
"We wanted every woman to feel welcomed, supported, and encouraged," Billy says. "Golf can seem intimidating when you're first getting started, but it doesn't have to be. When someone walks alongside you, explains the game, and celebrates your progress, golf becomes something you can truly see yourself doing."
Billy believes exposure is one of the most powerful ways to grow the game.
"When people are welcomed into the game, they begin to see themselves as golfers,” he says. “That's how the game grows – not just by teaching the swing, but by creating experiences people want to come back to."
The collaboration extends beyond volunteers.
Meadow Park has become the home of Tuesday Tee Time, intentionally creating an environment where women can learn, practice, and play in a supportive setting. From reserving driving range bays and providing complimentary range balls to welcoming new golfers onto the Williams Nine each week, the course has become an essential partner in the movement.
"Watching these women return week after week with growing confidence is exactly what growing the game is about,” says Chris Goodman, course manager at Meadow Park. “We're proud that we can provide a place where beginners feel welcomed, supported, and excited to keep playing."
For many participants, the encouragement they've received has been just as memorable as the golf itself.
"Last night was so much fun!" said Louise Tieman after Women's Golf Day. "I felt very spoiled by my fabulous caddie, Darrold. He really helped my swing with several different clubs. Thank you for arranging that special experience."
Stories like Louise's unfold every Tuesday.
Women who initially came simply to watch are now purchasing clubs, signing up for rounds, inviting friends, and making golf a regular part of their lives. Confidence is growing one swing, one conversation, and one round at a time.
"Golf has always been the vehicle," Franke said. "The destination has always been confidence, wellness, friendship, and belonging. Every Tuesday, we watch women show up unsure of themselves and leave believing they can do this. That's transformational."
She credits the success of the movement not to one organization, but to partners who share a common vision.
“What we're experiencing today is the result of organizations choosing to work together,” she says. “AP National has shown what mentorship looks like. Meadow Park has shown what true hospitality looks like. Soft Life Swing Society brings the women together. Every partner contributes something unique, and together we're creating something none of us could build alone."
Every Tuesday, those relationships grow stronger. Experienced golfers volunteer their knowledge. A public golf course opens its doors with intention. Women encourage one another through missed putts and great drives alike. And a game that once felt intimidating becomes a place where more women feel they belong.
The partnership serves as a model for how golf can grow – not simply by attracting new players, but by creating communities where people are excited to return, bring friends, and invest in others.
Golf is no longer just something these women are learning. It is becoming part of who they are.
Several years ago, they coached a group of young players who weren’t just teammates, they were friends. Summers were spent in team jerseys, competing together, learning the game, and having fun. Like so many PGA Jr. League participants, they progressed through the program and eventually reached the PGA Jr. League All-Star level.
That alone is a testament to great coaching and a program done right. But the real story came later.
As they aged out of PGA Jr. League, they didn’t leave the game, they carried it with them. When they stepped onto their high school golf team, they weren’t beginners – they were confident, capable, and prepared.