Teaching lessons from a life on tour

Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, who became LPGA Player President in 2012, appreciates being able to help younger players. Photo: Christ Keane, USGA. She strides past players, cup of coffee in hand, stopping to say hello and answer a quick question or two from the best women golfers in the world. At a trim and athletic 50 – younger than her age and confident in her look and carriage – Vicki Goetze-Ackerman could easily be mistaken for a tour mom, or at least a favorite aunt out sharing a few laughs on the LPGA Tour. Unfortunately, if one of those players runs afoul of a tour policy – showing up late for a pro-am or letting a colorful expletive fly during television coverage, for example – Goetze-Ackerman is the last person they want to see. As the LPGA Player President, Vicki is the one who raps knuckles when players step out of line. But she is also the one ready to lend a sympathetic ear or a shoulder where a few tears may be shed. While LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan is the front-facing voice of tour leadership, Goetze-Ackerman is t...