Women's group golfs to 'diva girl' theme

HARD HITTERS—Members of the Sunset Hills Women's Golf Association, from left, Fran Brough and Mikki Sergus of Simi Valley, Lil Cramer of Camarillo and Jeanne Miller of Sylmar, participate in the association's annual golf tournament. This year's theme was "diva girls." The Sunset Hills Women's Golf Association staged its annual thematic golf tournament Aug. 12 at Sunset Hills Country Club in Thousand Oaks.

This year's theme, "diva girl," was centered around a new board game of the same name, said association member Fran Brough of Simi Valley. The game, she said, serves the dual purpose of a "fun party game" and a way to support a good cause.

Camp Laurel, a Pasadenabased nonprofit, will receive 10 percent of the proceeds from sales of the game to help defray the cost of operating several Southern California camps for children with AIDS or HIV. Another 10 percent of the proceeds from game sales will be donated to a foundation that helps Nigerian women with AIDs or HIV start a business and become self-sufficient.

To kick off the event, Kathy Figueiredo, an association member, hosted a "diva party" for the tournament committee members at her Westlake Village home on Aug. 9. Each guest, she said, was asked to bring a gift in a designated price range. The Diva Girl game, a combination of a card game and bingo, is played until every person in the room has won at least once, so every guest receives a gift, she said.

"We were the first people in the world to play the game and test it out," Figueiredo said. "We wore tiaras and boas . . . and had a really fun time with it."

The annual golf tournament is strictly for fun and not a fundraising event, but this year's tie-in with a company that helps women and children with AIDS was an added bonus, Brough said.

"Each year, a committee from the women's club selects a theme, and members and their guests enjoy a day of friendly competition in a partner's better ball format tournament," Brough said. Committee members happened upon the "diva girl" theme because one of its members knew the creators of the board game—Sacramento residents Liz Rizzo and Nancy Foley.

In the past, the association has created tournaments around the themes, "think pink," "remember the '50s" and "it's magic."

The "diva girl" theme required the 128 participants from the Conejo Valley, Simi Valley and Moorpark to sport black and hot pink golf attire, colorful boas, "lots of bling and crazy hats," Brough said.

The showy attire got the women plenty of attention at the golf course and also brought attention to the new Diva Girl game and the charities it supports.

Every participant in the tournament was given a first edition of the game as her tee prize, Brough said.

The Diva Girl game is scheduled for release to the general public within a month, Brough said. Other versions of the game are being developed for younger players.