Wife of Former Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher Passes Away From Cancer

Thoughts and prayers to the Cowher family as well as to Bill and his daughters for the unfortunate and tragic passing of his wife Kaye. The following from the Post Gazette about her passing Friday:

Kaye Cowher, the wife of former Steelers football coach Bill Cowher, died today in her native North Carolina after losing a battle with skin cancer. She was 54.

The Cowhers moved to Raleigh, N.C., during Mr. Cowher’s final season coaching the Steelers, 2006, and continued to make it their home. Mr. Cowher resigned after the 2006 season, his 15th as Steelers head coach.

The Cowhers met when they were classmates at North Carolina State University in 1976. Mr. Cowher was on the football team and Mrs. Cowher, the former Kaye Young, and her twin sister, Faye, played basketball on full scholarships.

The Cowhers have three daughters, Megan, Lauren, and Lindsay, all of whom have been standout basketball players. The oldest two, Meagan and Lauren, played together at Princeton University.

The family has requested privacy and has released no information on Mrs. Cowher’s death. Services will be held in North Carolina on Monday.

Bill Cowher loses wife Kaye to cancer

By Doug Farrar

Very sad news from Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Kaye Cowher (pictured, far left), wife of ex-Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, lost her battle with skin cancer and passed away on Friday in North Carolina at the age of 54.

Mrs. Cowher was a native of North Carolina - the Cowhers met while attending North Carolina State in 1976 - and the Cowhers moved there after Bill retired from coaching in January of 2007.

Services will be held on Monday.

Mrs. Cowher played basketball at North Carolina State, and was one of the first women in her home state to receive an athletic scholarship, according to Bouchette. She later played in the Women's Professional Basketball League until that league folded in 1981. She then married her husband, who was playing for the Cleveland Browns. The Cowhers' three daughters, Meagan, Lauren, and Lindsay, have all been basketball players, speaking to the strong influence of their mother -- and grandmother. Their father originally didn't want them to play, but was overruled by Mrs. Cowher's mother.

"The reason we played is because of my mother," Kaye Cowher told the Post-Gazette in 2002. "She said that absolutely, these girls are going to have the opportunity to play."

Perhaps the most abiding public memory of Mrs. Cowher is the hug she gave her husband after the Pittsburgh Steelers lost Super Bowl XXX to the Dallas Cowboys. She was, according to Bouchette, a regular presence in press boxes on Steelers game days.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Cowher family.

Why Finding A Golf Instructor That Can Work With You As A Beginner Is Vital?

Every golfer needs a golf instructor who teaches the exact way to play the game. Without a own teacher, you cannot develop a winner strategy that works intended for you past a specific level. All those prevalent expert golfers converse in relation to the significance of a respectable golf instructor. Though you can operate online means to acquire online golf training, you need to own a special instructor to help you devise a triumph strategy in favor of you. As golf is a widely held game, you can observe many individuals calling themselves golfing experts. You have to hire an expert if you intend to devote a worth in support of the investment you have made in golf.

PGA and LPGA are the significant golfing associations that recognize pro golfers. The instructor you pick be required to be an apprentice or class A member of one of these associations. These members can be trusted even though qualified trainers charge more. The certified members need to bring up to date themselves with the newest technologies and therefore, you can expect the top training from these experts.

The instructor be required to be make plans for to go to work with you to identify your flawless game. He be required to know what you can and cannot resolve. If you notice that theteacher is not interested in listening to you, you must therefore move to some other person. It is eminent to continue a optimistic affinity relating you and your instructor. If whichever individual of you is not comfortable, breaking the association is beneficial in support of both of you.

Make definite that your instructor introduces latest education from stage to moment. Also, he be required to allot you about period to practice the instruction. Experienced trainers know many tips and tricks that amateurs don't know. You can bring into play their skill to keep away from bad mistakes and become skilled at skilled practices. The learning process be required to be smooth and gradual and the instructor ought to be glad to teach you different techniques.

While many trainers charge a considerable amount of money to provide you the training, don't progress with someone who values money more than everything. If yourteacher is working with you entirely in support of money, you can on no account obtain better training. The instructor be required to have appropriate and essential learning aids which can help you develop the game. He should be prepared to be patient with your faults and work with you on the course. To achieve reduce scores, short game skills are necessary and theteacher should transfer you inside information on gaming skills.

More than everything, you don't yearn for a humiliating teacher. If you notice your teacher criticizing you often, it is time to look elsewhere in place of someone who really cares for you. The teacher ought to be able to indicate to your mistakes, but at the same moment in time, you don't wish for him to insult you. Self confidence is far more vital as soon as you play golf, since with no confidence, you cannot aspire for your target. The golf instructor ought to be a competent motivator, helping you discover your golfing talents. Working with your teacher, you ought to be able to arrive at a golf strategy that works well in lieu of you.

Golf & Business?.Go Together Like A Horse & Carriage!

I guess it doesn’t have the same ring that the Sinatra song had but it’s accurate. Golf is the game of business. More deals are closed in a golf course club house or through the relationships cultivated while playing golf than with any other endeavor.

There are a couple of reasons for this. One, even though in America the game of golf has spilled over to the “common man”, having lowered the costs through municipal golf courses, daily fee courses and other like facilities the is not as common in other countries, especially Europe. Golf is still considered the game of kings and royalty. It is still considered a prestigious game. Outside the US golf is expensive.

Two, the game of golf is difficult to play well, takes four and a half hours to play and has a built it social factor by including lunch after nine holes in a fancy clubhouse and then drink afterwards. In America you include the golf cart which allows you to schmooze your prospective client all the way around the golf course for the entire four and a half hours. As if that’s not enough, golf is also the only game I know that you can play with a drink in your hand! In fact golf courses jockey up to get the best looking beer cart ladies in hopes of attracting more golfers.

Now that we know that golf is the game of business how does one improve their bottom line through this advantageous endeavor? Let me offer some tips for those that play golf and those who don’t. Yes even those who don’t play golf and take advantage of the golf market. I’ll also offer some tips on how to market to golfers directly.

First for those who play golf, if you are going to take your clients out to play golf make sure you are at least proficient enough to score 90 – 95. If you’re shooting over a hundred you’ll be doing more harm than good. The old adage of letting your client always win is not true. He/she will loose respect for you. In fact having a good golf game and beating the pants off your client will gain not only their respect but their admiration. Good golf equals “talent” in your client’s mind.

Most importantly if you have a bad day DON’T SHOW IT! Don’t let your golf game influence the mood! Just apologize for having a bad day, pick up your ball if you’ve hit it too many times to not slow up the pace and laugh it off.

If you are shooting consistently over 90 – 95 then you need to look at taking some professional instruction and work on your game a little before attempting to do business “with your golf game” on clients.

For those who aren’t playing well enough or do not play at all and want to take advantage of impressing a golf client may I suggest you do the following, explain to your client you love golf but are not proficient enough as yet but you’re working on it and would love to play with them once you do. Find the better golf course in your area and offer them as a gift two (2) cart & green fees to that golf course. Yes make sure you get two or he/she might never use the gift. Just hope they don’t take your competitor, (that’s why you should learn how to play). Another very good choice is to inquire about a nine hole playing lesson at a golf course. Getting your client a playing lesson with a PGA pro may not cost anymore than the two cart & green fees and be more impressive. Of course you need to do your home work here and make sure the pro you choose has an excellent reputation.

Another very good choice is to purchase your client some golf balls. If you have the chance to ask your client what ball they prefer get them that very golf ball. If you don’t have the chance may I suggest getting the Titleist V1star. They might be a little pricey but you’ll come off like a champ.

If you have a product you would like to market to golfers, you’ll find that golfers are easy to get to. Any good direct mail house that rents lists can rent you very specific lists by income, number of rounds played etc. There are internet companies that do the same for email blasts. These are double opt-in emails so you’re not sending spam.

You’ll also find tons of web sites that offer advertising space on a pay per click basis as well as Google ads with keywords that relate to golf.

Almost every town has a small golf related magazine or newspaper that is circulated around golf courses. Visit a few golf courses in your area and look around the club house. Usually the stated materials are in the pro shop or dining area or the front door as you exit for golfers to pick up.

Golfers are generally a higher income demographic. Only about 12 – 15% of the population in America plays golf but they’re worth going after and easy to find through their common interest – GOLF!