“Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening — and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented.” — Arnold Palmer
“Golf is a game of coordination, rhythm and grace; women have these to a high degree.” — Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Golf is a game of low scores, but this week’s portrait, Elizabeth Granahan, has racked up quite a high number of accomplishments — including as president of the G2 Golf Group, director of instruction of “G2-The Granahan Golf Academy” and director of instruction in residence at Chester Valley Golf Club in Malvern. Granahan is the only woman in the 90-plus-year history of the Philadelphia Section of Professional Golfers’ Association to have been awarded “Teacher of the Year” honors, and is likely the most-decorated woman instructor in the history of the Philadelphia Section PGA. In 2010, she was a National PGA “Teacher of the Year” Award Nominee and in 2011 was on Golf Digest’s list of “100 Best Clubfitters” and served as one of eight elite instructors from around the country invited to coach at the Inaugural Junior Ryder Cup Academy. Her teaching awards number too many to print here. An industry trailblazer, she remains the only woman golf professional to have served on staff at the prestigious Merion Golf Club.
I met Granahan and her partner in business and life, Michele Gajderowicz, at an Independence Business Alliance function a little while ago, as they were pitching a new concept. Gajderowicz, also the recipient of numerous national and regional business awards, is an entrepreneur who has been a business strategist, golf industry executive and journalist for more than 25 years. She has been quoted in Crain’s New York Business, Golf Magazine, GolfWeek, The Philadelphia Business Journal and many other publications. Together, the two make a dynamic duo on and off the grass.
PGN: Do you remember the first time you picked up a golf club?
EG: Yes, actually. I was in college when I first started playing, which is pretty late by most standards. Before that, I played softball, basketball, tennis, all competitively. It was during my senior year at Rutgers University when I “walked on” the golf team.
PGN: What does “walked on” the team mean?
EG: It means I wasn’t recruited to play. Most college athletes are recruited out of high school to play specific sports but I’d never golfed before. I just tried out for the team and made it, a “walk on.” I went to Rutgers to study animal sciences and discovered a whole new career.
PGN: Do you come from a family of athletes?
EG: [Laughs] No, not at all. My mother was a homemaker and my dad, who passed last year, was a policeman.
PGN: So tell me a little about your company.
EG: My partner Michele Gajderowicz and I own G2-The Granahan Golf Academy. The company is now four years old. Michele handles the business side of things — the website, the marketing and advertising and general day-to-day functions — and I do all the golf instruction, etc. We do private lessons, corporate functions, golf clinics. We work with individuals and professionals to handle golf travel. I do lectures and seminars. We cover a wide range of things, all golf-related. In September we’re going to the Ryder Cup in Scotland, which is a bi-annual match originally between the United States, Great Britain and Ireland. The Ryder Cup, and its counterpart the Presidents Cup are special within the world of professional sports because the players receive no prize money, despite the contests being high-profile events. We also have the G2 Speaker series where we bring in people from the golf industry to speak on a variety of topics. They’re open to the public so anyone, not just our students, can take advantage of it.
PGN: Your website says, “G2 Takes a New Approach to the Game of Golf.” Explain.
EG: A lot of people think they just want a quick lesson and that’s it. That’s not us. Playing golf is like playing an instrument: It takes a long time to become accomplished. A lot of places market in such a way that gives you the impression that you can become a golfer with a few easy lessons, but that’s not how we operate. I’m interested in having long-term relationships with my students, taking them on a journey. I want them to fully enjoy and understand and appreciate the game. We come from a holistic approach; we talk about golf fitness and proper equipment and golf nutrition. I strive to be a source of information for my students.
PGN: For a lay person like me who thinks, OK, you hit a little ball with a cane-shaped stick, how much does that take?, school me in the athletics of the game.
EG: The golf swing is actually the most complicated sports motion there is. When you watch someone who’s really good at it, it doesn’t look like it. It’s like watching a thoroughbred run; if they’re really good, it looks smooth and graceful and effortless. But it takes a lot to get to that level. Part of the problem with golf is that most people are introduced to it by being taken to a golf course and told to play when they have absolutely no skill sets at all. If you want to be successful and learn to enjoy it, you really need to be introduced through some sort of instructional program so you can learn properly and build your game. If you’re just thrown out on a course with a set of clubs, it can be frustrating and demoralizing and aggravating. I hate to see people walk away from the game because they weren’t introduced properly.
PGN: It seems that, like most sports now, there’s a lot more that goes into making a professional — cross training and nutrition, etc.
EG: Sure, golf fitness has become a big part of the game. Players are much more specifically fit than you saw before. It’s raised the level of the game for everyone. And technology has changed the game too; it makes it a little easier and more enjoyable for people who are weekend warriors to play.
PGN: I read that you are the only female recipient of Teacher of the Year and the first and only female golf pro at Merion. Is there still a lot of sexism in golf?
EG: Uh, well, I’m a member of the PGA, the Professional Golfers Association. There are 27,000 members, OK, and of those 27,000, only 1,000 are women. When I play tournaments, I’m usually playing with all men, usually white guys. Sooo … It’s changing, but there’s still a way to go.
PGN: From what I understand, an important reason for women to get involved, aside from the health benefits and the joy of the game, is that, as a business person, a lot of the wheeling and dealing in big business happens on the course.
EG: For sure, and at G2 it’s one of the things we promote. Michele has done a lot of research on the topic. We have clinics and seminars for women in business because it really can help break through that glass ceiling a little bit. It is where a lot of the conversations happen and where deals are made. If you’re not there for the conversation, you’re losing out. There are so many women working their way up the chain in business who just can’t seem to get a seat at the table. We work on the specific skill sets women need to get out there where a lot of the relationships are being forged that can help you in advancing your career. We’ve found that women who have the knowledge and conversation and skills have an entrée that others don’t. Certainly in Michele’s career, it changed her route to the top. When the guys found out she played golf, all of a sudden she was being invited to go off to different junkets instead of being left behind at the office. It opened up conversations and developed new relationships. For us, there’s also an untapped resource that a lot of the golf industry is missing out on. There are a lot of women with disposable dollars who make a nice living who might enjoy the game of golf if given a chance. There’s golf equipment and club memberships, clothing and golf trips and other ancillary spending, but they’re just not being considered by the industry. It’s changing, but there’s still a lot of old boy mentality.
PGN: How did you and Michele meet?
EG: Through golf. She used to be the vice president and chief marketing officer with a big golf conglomerate and has been a business strategist and golf-industry executive for over 25 years. She was also an executive producer of a golf pilot, “The Red Zone Challenge.” If you’re two successful women in the professional golf world, you are likely going to cross paths eventually; it’s a pretty small group. We did and we’ve been together for seven years, married for four.
PGN: Was the wedding on a golf course?
EG: No! Nope. The wedding was in Vermont.
PGN: Do you think it was your similarities or your differences that attracted you to each other?
EG: I’d have to say both. I think that’s why our business is so successful. Our interests are similar but our skill sets are different and so well-matched. I know what she’s great at and she knows what I’m great at and we collaborate on everything. She has a fantastic business mind and I do my thing and it works really well. We’re together essentially 24/7 and we love it. We choose to do it that way as a couple because we wanted to work together.
PGN: I recall at the IBA event that you’re introducing a new DIY product.
EG: Oh yes, it’s the “Academy in a Can.” We built the entire G2 Academy from the ground up — as in, we actually did the hammer and nails part ourselves when the contractor we hired didn’t show up. We designed the academy from scratch because there was no one in the industry doing it like we wanted to. So we came up with the concept, designed it and then built it ourselves. It took about 16 weeks to build, and we learned a lot along the way. We decided to use our experience to help others start their own academies without having to go through what we did. The whole product is in an actual paint can; a complete set of architectural drawings, budget worksheets, all the vendors we used, all the permits needed, a list of “do’s and don’ts,” everything necessary to get started. It’s a cool little product.
PGN: As a golf professional, what were your best and worst moments?
EG: The biggest joy for me is sharing my knowledge and love for the game and watching my students develop as players, seeing their love and enjoyment of the game increase over the years. The majority of my clients have been with me for 10 years or more. They’ve started as students and become my friends. Everyone has different goals and some of them originally tried for goals they thought were so high they’d never meet them. To see them succeed is really gratifying. It’s the best.
PGN: I remember years ago seeing a movie about the golfer Babe Didrikson Zaharias. There was a scene where she spent hours trying to hit a ball stuck in a sand trap. I asked Michele if you’d had one of those moments and she said no, that you were the person to chip it out in one shot. Ever have one of those days?
EG: Ha, when you love the sport as much as I do, it’s hard to have a bad moment. I’m lucky enough to be in that small group of people who loves what I do every day. Regardless of what happens, it’s all part of the process.
PGN: Out of you and Michele, who’s the worst back-seat driver?
EG: I don’t know. We’re both so laid back, I don’t think either of us.
PGN: If you could do something dangerous just once with no risk (other than sky diving), what would you do?
EG: Ride in an F-16 fighter jet. I’d do that in a heartbeat.
PGN: Dave Barry joked, “Although golf was originally restricted to wealthy, overweight Protestants, today it’s open to anybody who owns hideous clothing.” What’s the ugliest or wackiest golf outfit you’ve seen?
EG: Oh my gosh. I’ve probably worn it! I don’t know, a lot of mainstream clothing is now accepted as golf attire. But there’s a really cool line of golf clothing called “Loud Mouth.” They have really bright colors and big, bold patterns. They specialize in flag patterns too, flag pants and flag shorts. Anything from them would probably qualify.
PGN: What habit would you like to break?
EG: I used to be a nail biter but I stopped it years ago.
PGN: What’s a conversation piece in your house?
EG: Probably our deck of conversation-starter cards!
PGN: What possession of your partner’s would you like to throw away?
EG: Hmmn, I can’t think of anything. She’s so intelligent and has so many interests. She’s outdoorsy but is always appropriately dressed for any occasion, whether it’s on a bike trail or in a boardroom. I’m usually borrowing something from her! She’s the coolest person I know.
PGN: Then it’s a good thing you married her!
EG: [Laughs] I know! I had to catch her before she got away.
PGN: What advice would you give the you of 10 years ago?
EG: I would say, “Keep going, you’re on the right track. Keep persevering, it’s going to turn out great!”
For more information, visit www.theg2golfgroup.com.
To suggest a community member for Family Portrait, email [email protected].