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By Amber Finley, City of Lawrence; Amina Thomas,Cohen & Malad LLP
The IndyBar Foundation Golf Committee has been working hard to make this year’s Golf Outing more inclusive and welcoming to all members of our legal community here in Indianapolis.
As one IndyBar Foundation Golf Committee member observed, “As a female minority, I didn’t grow up around golf and thus I had no experience playing golf. When I started working at a law firm, I was always jealous, during the warm, sunny months, when I would see male colleagues leaving the office around noon to go enjoy a day outside in the sunshine on the golf course (and bill it as networking or fundraising)! Yet, I always felt unqualified to sign up for golf outings because I didn’t know how to swing a club.”
It’s no secret that golf –like the legal profession– has traditionally been a sport dominated by white males. Consider, for instance, that the famed Augusta National Golf Club didn’t admit a Black member until 1990 and didn’t admit a woman member until 2012; it was only five years ago that the club finally hosted its first tournament for professional women golfers.
Women and minorities make up almost half the legal profession. The Annual Golf Outing is a cornerstone fundraising event for the Indianapolis Bar Foundation, and the Committee wants the event to be inclusive of everyone in the legal community who is interested in playing, not just those that have traditionally played golf.
The only problem? Knowing how to golf.
Insert: The Chip and Sip event. The IndyBar Foundation Golf Committee decided it was time we implemented a feature of the annual IndyBar Foundation Golf Outing that makes the Golf Outing more inclusive to legal professionals without golfing experience. The Chip and Sip seeks to do just that!
The Chip and Sip event starts at 4 p.m. on the putting green at the Country Club of Indianapolis. Attendees will have the opportunity to receive instruction from a golf pro while enjoying light refreshments. What could be better on a Thursday afternoon?!
After the Chip and Sip, attendees can join the rest of the golfers and teams for the closing reception in the clubhouse.
Our hope is that the Chip and Sip event will open the door for individuals, not only to participate in this year’s IndyBar Foundation Golf Outing, but to return next year as a Golfer, and to participate in future golf networking events when given the opportunity. We hope to see you out on the greens July 25!•
Amber Finley is Corporate Council for the City of Lawrence. Finley is the Immediate Past President of the Marion County Bar Association and is serves on the IndyBar Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Amina Thomas Young is a partner on the Class Action team at Cohen & Malad LLP. She focuses the majority of her practice on privacy actions involving data breaches and the unlawful collection or disclosure of personal information. She is an active member of the IndyBar Foundation’s Golf Committee.
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