10 Famous Women Who Golf

Move over boys. Some extremely notable women, including politicians, CEOs and actresses, mark down golf as one of their hobbies. Should we be surprised? Nope.

For starters, very few sports come close to golf’s ability to build business relationships. Additionally, it is just plain fun! An estimated 90 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs play golf, and according to Barrons, one quarter of the 25 million golfers in the U.S. are top management executives, and a full 80 percent of that number agreed that the game is an important business development tool.

These 10 women are at the top of their professional and golf games.

Beverly Johnson
This former supermodel, who was the first African-American woman to appear on Vogue, says she loves to golf. ”I take my clubs to my hotel room. I clean them, line them up and talk to them,” she told NBC.

Celine Dion
The famous singer doesn’t just like golf, she loves it -– to the extent she owns her own golf courses! Dion is the owner of Le Mirage in Terrebone, near Montreal, and has a course at her home nearby.

Condoleezza Rice
In addition to being a concert pianist, the former secretary of state is an avid golfer. But even she didn’t take up the game until she was 50, which means it is never too late for you to start! Rice says she enjoys golf because it is a thinking-person’s game. “I find that I enjoy walking from shot to shot and deciding how I’m going to get out of this or that trouble. I just enjoy the strategy of it,” she told Golf Digest. “It’s taught me to be more patient, and it’s taught me to try to rein in my tendency to always go for it.” Rice also was one of the first women members of the Augusta National Golf Club.

Kathy Ireland
Former supermodel and business mogul Kathy Ireland definitely knows this is a great game for business. She even had her own Championship. The Kathy Ireland Championship was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1999 to 2001. It was played at Onion Creek Club in Austin, Texas. Ireland was the title sponsor of the 2001 edition and all three editions were held in honor of Harvey Penick, an Austin native and World Golf Hall of Fame golf instructor.

Sandra Day O’Connor
The first woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court made her first hole-in-one of her golfing career with an ace on a 125-yard par-3 at her home course in Paradise Valley, Ariz., in 2000.

Jessica Alba
The actress and entrepreneur actually counts golf as one of her main hobbies. " ... It's clear she has more than a passing interest in our sport. She always mentions golf when asked about her hobbies," wrote golf blogger Patricia Hannigan. "She sometimes even refers to herself as a golf dork."

Halle Berry
The Oscar winner has made it known that she is definitely into golf. "I'm not good at it and it eats me that I can't master it. I even had lessons with David Leadbetter," Berry has said previously. "I just want to be a decent golfer and have the guys be happy that I'm with them, not like, 'Oh, damn, here comes Halle.” It’s doubtful that anyone would ever say that.

Sheila Johnson
The billionaire co-founder of the BET network and CEO of Salamander Hospitality, which owns the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Fla., has said she isn’t the best golfer but she is trying. “I can putt. I have a little putting place on my farm back in Virginia,” she told TampaBay.com. “I don’t have time to practice. I’m such a perfectionist. With my violin, I used to play four and five hours a day. It’s just my DNA. Unless I can do something well, I’m not going to sit here and say I can play golf. I know how to hold the club, I can putt, I can hit a ball. Every time they ask me to hit a ball in front of the camera I do it and I don’t look stupid. I’ve taken enough lessons that I make myself look good. One day, once things level out, I’m going to really get into it.”

Cameron Diaz
The blonde athletic actress, who recently wrote a book on health, had never swung a club before her role in There’s Something About Mary which required her to hit the driving range. “When I was on Mary, I didn't play golf yet. I just learned to swing for the shot. I haven't played golf because I've been working. Golf requires time and I haven't had the time. I have only really taken it up the last few years and I've taken it up on the course and really understood the game. I haven't played enough to acquire my handicap. I love it. I am really obsessive,” she told ESPN.com.

Bethenny Frankel
The SkinnyGirl entrepreneur and TV personality has been known to hit the course in between all of her jobs. As a businesswoman, this is a smart move for the Forbes cover girl.