There was some backlash toward LPGA commissioner Mike Whan this week as the LPGA played the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship in Taiwan.
Some fans were upset a sponsor would be named "Swinging Skirts," insinuating there was some kind of sexism in the name. However, there's nothing sexist at all about the Swinging Skirts Foundation or their mission, so let's clear that up for anyone curious.
The Swinging Skirts Foundation is a Taiwan-based nonprofit organization with men and women members, all amateur golfers focused on growing women's golf around the world with an emphasis in Taiwan. (ISPS Handa does something similar for accessibility to golf for people of various disabilities, including the blind and near-blind.)
The Swinging Skirts are called that named because they like to wear colorful, matching skirts, kilts and golf clothes when then play golf, doing so to pay homage to the earliest traditions of the game in Scotland at St. Andrews. The organization began with 10 particularly well-off Taiwanese golfers from the same club, then grew over time.
This isn't the first time the Swinging Skirts Foundation has sponsored an LPGA Tour event. For several years, they sponsored the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic at Lake Merced Golf Club near San Francisco. They also sponsor other golf events, including an event on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Tour.
