LPGA season off to a rocky start — no locker room access, practice facilities restricted at TOC
ORLANDO, Florida – There’s no locker room for players here at the LPGA’s season-opener, an event designed to celebrate those who have hoisted trophies over the past two years. Don’t be surprised to see players at the Hilton Grand Vacation Tournament of Champions changing their shoes in the parking lot.
Lake Nona Golf and Country Club has a men’s locker room that would’ve been more than suitable for the 29 players in the field. LPGA players can use the bathrooms and showers in the women’s facility, but there’s no place for them to store anything while they’re on the course. It is also not private.
Matilda Castren can’t imagine something like this playing out on the PGA Tour. Grant Waite, a former winner on the PGA Tour, was on the range at Lake Nona on Tuesday working with his student, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, and confirmed that he never played in a PGA Tour event that didn’t have access to a locker room.
Castren was just as shocked at the locker room situation than she was about Nona’s player fact sheet, which laid out restrictions regarding players having access to Nona’s practice facilities. In the memo, players were informed that they “may not use the practice facilities more than one hour prior to their practice tee times. Use of the practice facilities is not available unless playing a practice round.”
Castren inquired with an LPGA rules official about the situation on Monday and was told that it was non-negotiable with the tournament, but that the LPGA wouldn’t be strictly policing it.
“The guys would never agree to an hour of practice each day,” Castren said.
Danielle Kang reacts after winning the 2022 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club on January 23, 2022, in Orlando. (Photo: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
An LPGA official said what was written on the memo applied to last Sunday only, though there’s a section on the memo directly underneath the lines in dispute that read, “Sunday, January 15th” in bold and underlined type, followed by four lines explaining the rules specifically laid out for Sunday.
Aaron Stewart, Hilton Grand Vacations’ Vice President of Sports Marketing, stated that players are not restricted to one hour practice, and they can practice without scheduling a practice round.
“Once they have their credentials,” he said, “it’s their course.”
As for the locker room, a tour official said that due to the hospitality setup, the men’s locker room had to remain open to the public to utilize the restrooms, and that they were unable to create a private and secure locker room for LPGA players.
Stewart claimed that they were going to order lockers for the week, and then use an area at the clubhouse’s lower level for player dining. However, the tour itself changed its mind.
“I don’t know why they canceled the lockers,” he said.
LPGA’s statement regarding the situation stated that the space available to add temporary lockers was not equipped with a toilet area. Due to prioritization of other players’ needs, the tournament team chose not to pursue that option.
“We are always open to player feedback,” the statement continued, “and work with our tournament partners to allocate finite space.”
Ryann O’Toole is sharing a car with a player this week, which makes working out of the trunk less than ideal.
“I’m not mad at the club; I’m not mad at the sponsor,” said O’Toole. “I’m annoyed at the LPGA for that just being an overlooked factor.”
One LPGA veteran player explained that the locker room environment often affected how a club views hosting events. If LPGA players were allowed to use the men’s locker room, typically the larger and nicer facility at a club, she felt particularly welcomed. Sometimes, a club member would leave a note in the locker wishing her luck.
The locker room isn’t just a place to store valuables and a change of clothes. It’s also an oasis for players to gather their thoughts away from the rest of the world.
“You should have a certain standard,” said Castren.
While the TOC has always been known for its party atmosphere with concerts, on-course music and a celebrity division, it’s also billed to be an elite event filled with the LPGA’s brightest stars, though a number are notably absent this year The TOC was followed by a month of tour cancellations.
Stewart revealed that Lake Nona is home to 43 professionals in the playing of guitar who compete on international tours.
World No. 1 Lydia Ko, who isn’t in the field this week because she recently got married and went on her honeymoon, has a house here. Annika Sorenstam (who will be competing at the celebrity portion) has called Lake Nona her home for decades. This is the place where the Solheim Cup first took place in 1990. The place is loved by players.
Mollie Marcoux Samaan, LPGA commissioner, has spoken often about putting emphasis on performance excellence. She’s focused on putting together a strong schedule with big purses, but also on the small, important things that are needed to help players perform.
“So how do we create an environment for everyone within our ecosystem to reach their own peak performance?” she asked during a press conference last year in Singapore.
“And that goes to the things I just talked about, making it as easy as possible for our women to get the most sleep that they need, to eat properly when they come to tournaments, to have the administration taking care of them so they can focus on being the best that they can be.”
This would include basic locker room setups and practice areas, as well strong communication.
Officials from the LPGA confirmed that Marcoux Samaan did not know of either situation.
The year is already off to a difficult start.
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