Addie's Baddies: Meet Dinah Shore, The First Lady of Golf

Born in the rolling hills of southern Tennessee and turned into a star in Beverly Hills, Dinah Shore was an iconic singing and acting powerhouse during much of 40s, 50s, and 60s. She began to make a name for herself in bustling New York City singing alongside the great Frank Sinatra, before moving west. Shore went to have over 80 hit songs and a handful of TV shows that made her a household name. Her talent and star power extended beyond the entertainment industry, and was used to elevate a certain tournament in the valley of Palm Spring and place women's golf in the spotlight.

Dinah Shore and Frank Sinatra (Getty Images)

In 1972, David Foster, the chairman and CEO of Colgate-Palmolive, approached Shore about establishing a golf tournament with her name as the title. Former commissioner of the LPGA and author Charlie Mechem was friends with Shore and shared this anecdote about her: "Dinah always loved to tell the story that when David approached her about putting her name on the tournament, she assumed it was a tennis tournament because she didn’t even play golf."

But that changed. Once Shore signed on to the golf tournament, she locked in and went to work on not only picking up the game, but also becoming an advocate and supporter of women's golf.

More than 50 years ago, Shore and Foster established one of the crown jewels of women's golf, the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle, now known as the Chevron Championship. It became the most talked about event and the one with the most amount of dough. The year prior, in 1971, the LPGA had only 20 tournaments and no purse higher than $60,000. But with Shore's celebrity and Foster's money pot, the Dinah Shore Colgate Winner’s Circle had a prize fund of $110,000. A game-changing duo.

Shore was the hostess with the most-est—engaging with spectators, hosting dinner parties (“Dinner with Dinah") where she'd sing a few songs and invite a couple of her Hollywood friends (the likes of Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and James Garner) to perform and entertain. Shore and co. would also play in the pro-am, which was a major draw in for folks. She'd film commercials and video promotions with Arnold Palmer to get folks excited about watching.

The Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle at Mission Hills Country Club quickly established itself as a fixture on the LPGA Tour, ringing in the spring season in the best way.

But perhaps my favorite thing Shore did, according to Mechem, was when she joined Amy Alcott, the first winner once the tournament was elevated to a major, in diving into the lake (Poppie's Pond) after her win 1988 beginning a tournament tradition.

Related: How To Watch The Chevron Championship

Mechem recalls, "Typical of Dinah, she agreed. What is really fun about the memory is that after jumping into the lake and climbing out, Dinah immediately was given a terry-cloth robe, and her hair was wrapped with a towel. So, she looked every bit the “star” even after jumping into the lake."

Shore fully leaned into her role and became an essential piece in putting her tournament as a the centerpiece women's golf when the game needed it the most. In a lot of ways, what Shore accomplished with her tournament is exactly what golf needs a refresher in now. Creating a spectacle where fans can be excited and embrace the traditions of the past.

Dinah was elected to be an honorary member of the LPGA Hall of Fame 1994, and remains the only non-player elected to the LPGA Hall of Fame—yet another testament to to her legacy in the game.

Forever cemented in the history of Mission Hills, a statue of Dinah Shore overlooks the 18th green, with the inscription on the base: The first lady of golf.

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