Debra Lissebeck notices things other golfers walk past. A ball mark on the 14th green. A junior player who skips fixing it. A pro shop employee who calls the forward tees “the ladies tees” without thinking twice.

As president of the LPGA Amateur Golf Association – Los Angeles, one of about 1,500 clubs in the SCGA network, she’s built a movement around paying attention to exactly that kind of detail.

Lissebeck has belonged to the Chapter for 12 years, long before it carried its current name. She joined what was then the Executive Women’s Golf Association after leaving her country club, chasing the marquee events and missing the healthy competition. “I was looking to get back into a regular golf organization,” she said.

She joined the board of the LPGA Amateur Golf Association – Los Angeles in 2014 as director of golf programs, then served two terms as events director before being anonymously nominated for president. She turned it down at first, worried about the commitment, until then-president Deb Olson, whom she’d recruited to take over her own events director post, changed her mind. “It’s been really rewarding to give back to a club that’s given me so much,” Lissebeck shared.

That instinct to give back shows up most clearly in Fix36, the etiquette movement Lissebeck started after noticing how many pitch marks were left unrepaired on local greens.

The idea is simple: every member pledges to fix two ball marks per hole, their own and someone else’s.
“There’s a lot of waiting on the green anyway,” she said. “So be productive with it. Make the place better.”

For Lissebeck, the habit is really about something larger. “It’s kindness to you, your teammates and your course,” she shared. “There’s an element of respect for the people playing behind you.”

It’s a small gesture, and an easy one to overlook, which is exactly why she wants it built into every member’s routine rather than treated as optional.

The response to Fix36 has surprised her. Other clubs and pro shops have asked for more information to spread the word, and she’s supplied divot tools to coed golf clubs for their goodie bags.

The Chapter itself has evolved well past its weekend-warrior roots. Members range from their 20s to their late 70s, some still building careers, others retired but no less committed to a Saturday tee time.

What started as a weekend club has since become a way for members to build a golf circle beyond their partners and the people they already know. “It’s a really great way to connect with people who share your enthusiasm,” Lissebeck said.

Ask her what she wants this group to represent, and the answer comes fast: “I want us to be the queens of the LA greens.”

How women are treated in the game is a cause close to her. She recalls a round at an upscale club where a staff member kept steering her low-index foursome toward the forward tees, calling them “the ladies tees” out of habit.

She’s seen the same hesitancy in tournament fields. The senior flights at the LA City Women’s Championship, once packed, have grown noticeably sparse, something she’s written to her own members about. Too many women skip local events assuming they need to already be good to compete. “Fill the field,” she told them. “Then we all win.”

It’s part of why she’s so focused on making sure new members to the Chapter never feel out of place. “They don’t realize there’s a whole bunch of people just like them,” Lissebeck shared. “Come learn, ask questions, have a good time.”

Her advice for anyone on the fence: Keep an open mind, and expect to meet people who make the game better, regardless of the score.

Looking ahead, Lissebeck wants the Chapter to keep growing, in numbers and in volunteers. The Chapter already serves more than 100 women, and every open board seat is a chance to shape what it becomes. “You don’t have to know everything, and you don’t have to be an expert golfer,” she told prospective volunteers. “You simply have to care enough to help.”

“The more we step up to volunteer,” she said, “the better the experience becomes for everyone.”