Description

"History is the real differentiator from club to club. It can increase club pride, enhance the brand, and attract new members."

Gia Watkins

Country Club Archivist and Marketing Professional

Easton, Connecticut

On the golf-related side, Gia Watkins is a former member of the University of Florida Golf Team, who has played in two US Junior Girls Championships and won several prestigious tournaments, including the Connecticut State Senior Women's Championship; the Connecticut Women's Golf Association Senior Championship; the Connecticut State Women's Legends Championship in 2020; and the Westchester Fairfield County Women's Golf Association Championship in both 2023 and 2024. She currently plays to a 4.3 Index.

Notably, at Brooklawn Country Club in Connecticut – a legendary Tillinghast course established in 1895, where Gene Sarazen was once served as assistant pro – Gia has won that club's championship more than 10 times. She's also a member of the Golf Digest Golf Course Design Ranking Panel.

On the business side, Gia has managed her own successful design and marketing firm for more than 30 years. Over the years, Gia has created a few other businesses, and most recently she started Archives@Work, which combines her deep appreciation for the history and culture of golf with her vast marketing experience. Archives@Work helps private golf clubs to define and showcase their history, differentiate their branded culture, and increase the prestige associated with membership, which in turn drives membership growth and retention.

Show Highlights

Our conversation with Gia covers a lot of territory involving all aspects of her career as a marketing professional, and as a highly skilled amateur golfer, including:

[caption id="attachment_3214" align="alignright" width="266"] Gia helps clubs to preserve and protect historical artifacts in displays that tell their story.[/caption]

• What simple swing instruction from her only instructor - longtime Yale Golf Director David Paterson - she has followed over the years.
• The connection between her childhood interest in building glass sculptures and her enrolling in the University of Florida.
• How she grew her first graphic design business by knocking on doors with no introduction or appointment.
• The list of companies this hard-wired entrepreneur has started (and ended) as market conditions changed.
• The three main reasons why country clubs decide to focus on their history as a marketing asset.
• Her advice for young women or men seeking a golf-related business or career.

[caption id="attachment_3212" align="alignleft" width="300"] Gia's range of services includes commemorative books, heritage newsletters, anniversary logos, and custom paintings.[/caption]

Notable Quotes

On what Gia regrets about her GolfYeah interview: "I said Donna White and Lori Garbacz were the only two teammates who played on the LPGA, which was not true. Beverley Davis did as well. Not...