Giving back to golf — on many different levels — very gratifying to Annika Sorenstam these days; World Golf Hall of Famer and former Broncos great Terrell Davis headline kids clinic at Foothills GC
By Gary Baines – 8/11/2025
DENVER — Annika Sorenstam was so shy as a girl that it’s been reported that she’d sometimes intentionally three-putt coming down the stretch of a tournament to avoid having to give a victory speech afterward.
That was decades ago, when Sorenstam was growing up in Sweden, and a tremendous amount has changed for her over time, of course. She still doesn’t normally seek out the spotlight, and she’d probably still lean toward being an introvert, but that doesn’t keep her from being in the headlines and making an impact on a fairly regular basis.
Back at the height of her playing career, that attention came from winning 72 times on the LPGA Tour, including 10 major championships; shooting 59 in an LPGA event; becoming the first woman in 58 years to compete in a PGA Tour event; or being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
But even though Sorenstam largely retired from competitive golf in 2008 — with some notable exceptions each year — the 54-year-old still makes a big-time impression in a number of different ways. From a Colorado perspective, this month is a good example.
The Annika Women’s All-Pro Tour held a tournament in Colorado — at Todd Creek Golf Club in Thornton — for the first time, further expanding playing opportunities for budding female touring professionals. Then on Monday at Foothills Golf Course, Sorenstam and Broncos Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Davis were the headliners for a junior clinic that was attended by nearly 100 kids from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, Girls Inc. of Metro Denver, and Denver Inner City Parish.
The Bank of America’s “Golf With Us” clinic, a partnership with Youth on Course, helped teach the kids some of the basics of the game and provided them with Youth On Course memberships (rounds for $5 or less at participating facilities) and an opportunity to join the PGA Jr. League team at Foothills GC for free.
It’s all on par for the Sorenstam brand and the initiatives and people that the Annika Foundation helps out. There are clinics; sponsoring aspiring players and a development program; helping out a mini tour in a big way; making select junior and college tournaments an annual reality; and Annika lending her name to the women’s college golfer of the year award as well as the Annika Inspiration Award, which honors women who are inspiring and making an impact on others — beyond their achievements in competitive golf.
Yes, Sorenstam is giving back to golf in a big way, and on many levels.
“It’s just like one thing has led to another regarding how we can expand,” she told Colorado Golf Journal on Monday at Foothills. “I wish we had more time, more money, more resources and more people. We would do a lot more. I feel like you can really help in every corner.
“There’s something about feeling satisfaction or warming your heart when you can help somebody play the game, help them along the way, or just inspire someone. It’s hard to explain in words, but the difference you make in many of these young girls’ lives is pretty cool. And I still feel like there’s room to do that. I know what it’s like. And I wouldn’t be here if someone hadn’t done that for me. Now it’s like pay it forward or give back or whatever you want to call it.”
Sorenstam helps a youngster with his putting on Monday.
Though Sorenstam was born and raised in Sweden and now spends much of her time in Florida and the Lake Tahoe area, Colorado has a special place in her heart. After all, her first LPGA Tour victory — and first major championship — came in the Centennial State as she prevailed in the 1995 U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. That opened the floodgates to her becoming one of the greatest female golfers of all time.
“That was my big win, and it brings back a lot of memories,” she said. The Broadmoor “is always a beautiful place to be. I’ve always enjoyed coming to Colorado. My mind kind of goes to Colorado Springs and The Broadmoor. We’ve been back many times.”
Bank of America is partnering with Youth on Course to put on about 25 of these “Golf with Us” clinics around the country this year. Sorenstam personally is attending four of those 25, including the one on Monday at Foothills GC.
Sorenstam answers questions from the kids at Monday’s clinic.
The kids in attendance — the great majority of them relative newcomers to golf — got to interact with Sorenstam and Davis and ask a few questions. Then they went from station to station to get some instruction, learning about full swing, putting, on a simulator, etc.
“I’m happy to be here. Teaching kids the sport is something I enjoy,” Sorenstam said. “Golf is something you can do your whole life. It’s for anybody — any gender, any age, any skill level. It’s good to get the kids out nowadays. There’s so many other things they can do, but to be outside and build some friendships is important.
“Today is more introduction level , so it’s a chance to bring in kids who maybe don’t have a chance to otherwise get introduced to the sport. It’s a way to spark their interest, motivate them and have fun at the same time.”
Sorenstam and Davis compare football throwing motions.
For his part, Davis didn’t play golf with any regularity until after helping lead the Broncos to two Super Bowl titles and retiring a few years later. In fact, it’s for that reason that he sees events such as Monday’s as being so important.
“For me it’s personal because I remember not having access to a golf course, not being able to play golf as a kid,” he said. “No. 1, I wasn’t trying to play golf, but I never had the option. It was never exposed to me as a kid. Nobody I ever knew played golf.
“So for these kids to have the access and the exposure to this game that I love so much … I’ve come to realize that this is just an awesome game to know and to play. You can play this game for life. The relationships you make with this game (are invaluable), whether it’s business deals or playing with family and friends. And you can still be competitive. I can’t play pickleball, I can’t play basketball, I can’t play any other sport, but I can play some golf — and I do. I love golf, man. I love golf.”
Former PGA of America president Suzy Whaley chats with Sorenstam before Monday’s clinic.
Sorenstam was asked if she or her sister Charlotta ever experienced big-time clinics — like the one held on Monday at Foothills — when they were growing up in Sweden.
“Things have changed,” she said. “Companies are getting involved and putting initiatives together like this. We had stuff at my club. It was mostly the pros or maybe some of the parents putting something together, but nothing at this level. Now it’s T-shirts and snacks and lessons and photos and ice cream or whatever. The driving range is kind of fun with some targets — which is really what this is about. We want the kids to have fun and walk away with memories. Maybe you meet a new friend with similar interest. That’s really the key. Hopefully they take up with Youth on Course and think, ‘Maybe we should try to play a little bit.’ That’s really what this is about.”
After more than 15 years of prioritizing initiatives such as Monday’s, it’s gratifying for Sorenstam to be seeing the fruits of the labor.
“When you have good partners and you have a good initiative and the ball is kind of rolling, it’s nice to see the impact it has,” she said. “It takes time, but all of a sudden it compounds.”
Sorenstam speaks with one of the girls attending the clinic.
These days, Sorenstam doesn’t have a lot of time to devote to her own game. But next week she’ll play in the U.S. Senior Women’s Open — an event she won in 2021 — and there are perhaps four other tournaments on her schedule each year, including the PNC Championship with son Will.
“I play for a different purpose today than I used to,” she said. “I want to continue to be part of the sport. I want to be relevant. I want to be involved in today’s sport because today’s sport is different than it was 20 years ago. I’ve mentored many of the young players on the ladies tour — whether it’s LPGA or Epson or the Women’s All-Pro Tour. But I want to be relevant in the sense I understand what’s going on. I think it helps me so I can help a little bit more.
“So the purpose is different. It’s not so much about how I’m playing. It’s more about inspiration and motivation to others — for my kids, my family, for other kids. You can do this (golf) all your life really. You’re always working on something (within the game).”
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com