She’s All Business: Q & A with Annika Sorenstam

G&L: Good morning Annika.  Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to Golf & Lifestyle today.

Annika: You’re very welcome.

G&L: Annika, you may have retired from playing competitive golf, but it doesn’t look like you’ve slowed down at all.  And really that’s what we want to talk to you about today:  Annika the businesswoman and ambassador for golf.

Annika: It’s my pleasure because I am very excited about what myself and the team is doing right now.

G&L: Well, let’s start with the centerpiece of your business endeavors, the Annika Academy.  Are you pleased with the success and progress since its opening in 2007?

Annika: Yes, I am pleased with how the Academy is progressing so far. We’re attracting the whole range of golfers from the novice to the more accomplished golfer. Our clients are typically in the double-digit handicap range, and they are very focused on improving their game. Annika Academy is dedicated to exposing our guests to the four huge components of the game: Fitness, swing mechanics, the game, and the equipment.

G&L: Setting goals and establishing measures of success have been as much a part of your game as practicing, so I’m sure you have goals for the Academy as well as the other parts of your business ventures.

Annika: Certainly. Our goals at the Academy are to deliver completely to our Promise: Welcome guests as “friends for life. ”Share my passion for golf and fitness. Present a one-of-a-kind experience to our guests. Inspire each guest to reach their full potential. We strive to deliver on this promise through small groups of 6 to 8 guests with an array of packages to fit each guest’s goals and aspirations.

G&L:  The focus on fitness and nutrition is unique among golf schools.  What has been the reaction of the students to that part of the experience?

Annika: It’s been fantastic. We are teaching our guests the importance of tying these aspects into the overall game of golf for greater enjoyment and longevity of playing. When they get here, Henri (Reis), my longtime coach and Kai (Fusser), my trainer and nutrition expert engage them in a conversation on flexibility, range of motion, and how important strengthening one’s core is and how the core relates to the swing. Also, we have started a back program. You know so many golfers have back problems and sometimes those problems limit one’s ability to play or to play better. A doctor friend of Kai’s is working with us to help explain to our guests the anatomy of the back and how to protect it from injury as well as how to make it stronger.

G&L: Annika, your Academy is located in Reunion, Florida at the Ginn Resort, but I understand that you have put the Academy team on the road.

Annika: That’s correct. We’re taking our little band on the road! July 9-11 we were in Lake Tahoe, California at the Nicklaus designed Old Greenwood’s teaching facility. We hope to offer this experience yearly on an ongoing basis.

(G&L:Readers, please go to the website the annikaacademy.com for more information on packages, a tour of the facility, the team members, etc.)

G&L: You have often stated that the competition and the adrenaline rush of winning or executing the right shot at the right time was a key motivator on the course.  Is there an equivalent rush to these other endeavors?  What does a winning day look like now?

Annika: Well, to answer that I have to clarify some things. When I stopped playing competitive golf I didn’t lose my competitiveness. I did not lose my desire to be a perfectionist, nor did I lose all the lessons I’ve learned from focusing on winning, traveling the world, striving to be the best I could be. I want to bring my passion, my knowledge, my energy and ideas to build a brand and products that people can trust, identify with and want to be a part of. That also includes promoting the game of golf around the world. So to answer your question ‘what’s a winning day look like?’ I have to say that when one of our guests at the Academy tells me it’s the best experience they’ve had. Or when a mom writes to us about what a huge impact our junior camp had on her son. Those are major wins to me.

G&L: And the other businesses?

Annika: Yes, we’re posting some wins there too. Our South African course design project just received a 5-star rating and I’m very proud of that. The Annika Foundation brought the top 60 junior golfers from around the world to Reunion……it was a huge success. It’s our part in helping kids follow their dreams. We just renewed our partnership with Cutter & Buck that presents the Annika clothing line. I just introduced the Annika fragrance and its reception went very well as did the reception for our new wine, a Syrah that we developed in partnership with Wente Vineyards in Livermore, California.

G&L: Our congratulations, Annika.  In a very difficult economy you’re competing very strongly.  So, tell us what’s the next endeavor or?  Anything new?

Annika: Of course I’m still very involved in the promotion of the game of golf. I learned a set of values from my involvement in this game and I want to share that as well as teach people what a wonderful game it is for everyone. I was named by the USGA as the first female ambassador for that organization. I look forward to furthering the USGA goals in that capacity. In June, Colin Montgomerie and I made a presentation to the International Olympic Committee in a bid for golf to be played as a sport in the 2016 Olympics. Golf’s set of principles and the Olympics’ set of ideals of sportsmanship, spirit, and competition are very synergistic and I believe with the support of the world’s top golfers, we “shot under par” with our presentation. We eagerly anticipate a positive result when they make their decisions in October this year.

G&L:  Will the Annika Foundation expand its outreach?

Annika: That’s one of the most exciting new things we’re working on now. You know the Foundation’s mission is teaching children the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle through fitness and nutrition, and offers aspiring junior golfers opportunities to pursue their dreams. We have just scratched the surface in terms of outreach, but we look to develop programs that will inspire children to live healthier lives. We have just begun to work with some experts in the Florida hospital system to develop an Annika curriculum that would seek to instill a desire in every child to live healthy and actively.

G&L:  Annika, thanks so much for speaking with us today.  We certainly wish you as much success in these efforts as you’ve had on the course and have no doubt that you will continue to expand your legacy outside the ropes.  And please accept our congratulations on the upcoming birth of your baby girl.

Annika: Thank you; it’s a very exciting time. Thanks for having me.