Dear Dad

My dad is my best friend, my homie, my biggest supporter, nicest critic, and the most selfless person I know. There isn't anything he wouldn’t do for the ones he loves, with no hesitation.

The last three years have been chalk-full of some unbelievable twists and turns. Not all of them bad, but not all of them good. Some for me, individually, some for him individually, and some for us together. 

Three years ago when I started playing professional golf, both my dad and I noticed a void in the opportunities for women's professional golf in the eastern third of the US. From talking to other friends, we quickly realized this wasn't a new problem or one that was going to change any time soon. We joined the bandwagon in thinking “man, someone should really do something about that” instead of actually doing something about that.

Those who know Mark know that he can’t let his thoughts go away silently.

Upon hearing that there was a small Florida-based tour for sale in 2021, my dad thought, “this is the time to give these girls another opportunity.” Mark D. Berman bought a women’s mini tour in Florida. If you’re thinking “WTF,” so were my mother and I.

His intentions for this tour were to bring more tournaments to the eastern portion of the US to make travel easier and less expensive, have affordable entry fees and hotels, and to have a promised purse and field size to make these tournaments worth it for the girls playing. He saw a void while we were out traveling and decided to fill it. He had a vision and acted on it.

Having a women’s professional mini tour on the East Coast meant girls like me didn’t have to shell out money for astronomically high priced flights, high priced rental cars, hotels, food, and purses that wouldn’t cover the cost of half of these things just to play in a tournament to prepare us for the next. This provided an extra season of saving, preparing, and playing. This truly filled a void.

As exciting as this endeavor was, it didn’t come without its challenges. Starting a tour (he quickly realized) takes resources, people, money, mental clarity, and time. Mark Berman is never going to half-ass a project. He poured his (literal) happiness, blood, sweat, tears, people, resources, money, and mental clarity to keep this dream alive not just for him, but also for the girls like me who needed another opportunity.

There comes a point when you’ve done the maximum you can do–you’ve stretched too far, you’ve expended all of your resources, you’ve spent all of your time, you’ve given up mental clarity. That point hit my dad really hard, and it was really hard to watch. I know what made it really hard for him was feeling like he was failing a group of people, that he had broken hearts and let people down.

When you’re in a low place, no matter how much reassurance you get or how much positive feedback you receive, it doesn’t matter. That’s where Mark went, to a very low place. So here I am, writing an ode to my hero and a congratulations piece to make sure he understands the magnitude of what he’s done:

Dear dad,

You did it. You made dreams come true. You cleared a path for the future. Whether you recognize it now or not (I know you don’t), you have made massive waves in the women’s golf community. Not only did you start a women’s mini tour in Florida, you started a movement. You made it your mission to pay the girls what they deserved to be paid. You made tournament entry fees accessible. You made tournaments in an off-season so girls had continuous opportunities to perfect their craft. You made sure there was press coverage and news articles to engage communities to get them to care about women’s golf. You made sure these girls felt seen and heard. You helped people get closer to reaching their dreams. You created a space for women’s golf to feel respected.

I know that you feel like you failed because you couldn’t continue, but it’s so far from a failure. You created a new baseline for treatment; how we DESERVE to be treated. Now, you get to pass this incredibly lit torch to someone who can carry this dream further. But it wouldn't have been lit without you.

I know you’ve quoted me as your inspiration for doing this, but it’s so much more than me. You saw a collective need for something and made it. I’m not even playing anymore and you still care enough about all of these girls and their dreams to continue to fight for them. YOU, my dude, are the inspiration.

You started a change, simple as that (“simple” in words, not action. That part was not simple). 

I’m so proud to be your daughter. I love you.
B