Driving female golf participation 

Nancy Henderson was a young golf professional steaming shirts in a golf shop as a part-time employee when she mustered up the courage to ask for the job she wanted.

She had played four years of college golf at Southern Methodist University, spent two years on the Futures Tour (now called the Epson Tour) and had advanced to the final stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament three times, missing her tour card by two strokes each time.

So, she took a job at Orange Lake Resort and Country Club in Kissimmee, Florida, where she worked to have course playing privileges as she tried to figure out what was next.

When Orange Lake’s merchandise manager left, she walked into the office of the director of golf and inquired about the job vacancy.

“He looked at me and asked, ‘Who are you?’ ” Henderson said. “I had been there for two weeks and he had no idea who I was.”

But Henderson knew who she was. And even in that awkward moment, Henderson knew she wanted to make a career in golf.

“I had heard from a lot of...