Welcome to our third post in our Women Love Golf series! At Honeybrook we support and encourage all golfers. We believe golf is not exclusive and is beneficial for everyone. Golf is a great way to get exercise, get fresh air, be social, network with others and to build self-confidence while having fun. But we also understand the intimidation factor of being a new golfer, especially being a new golfer and a woman.
In this post we will be talking to Colleen, who plays as part of our Ladies League!
Tell us a little bit about you?
In the prime of my 50’s! Active and love being outdoors. I’m married 25 years with 3 great sons and a lovely step daughter. We also have two dogs and 4 chickens. I work full time for a Tax Compliance, software engineering firm in King of Prussia.
How long have you been playing golf?
2 years.
What got you interested in golf?
I had actually played a full year and was losing interest on the edge of quitting. I was terrible and not getting better. I am a strong athlete in other areas, but strength and endurance didn’t seem to translate to this sport. Just as I had lost all interest, and was about to give up, two key things happened. COVID-19 hit, and golf became the go-to socially-distance acceptable sport out there. My sons and husband and I all played together and enjoyed some great time, when most other things were typically pretty sad and scary. Secondly, my good friend Mindy, encouraged me to stay with it, as I didn’t want my husband and my sons to all keep on playing and I would miss out on this quality family time, and fun. I stayed with it and now I’m not only interested in golf, I am a bit obsessed.
Did you feel intimidated or reluctant to start playing?
My husband was the one to help me remove the barriers of intimidation. He encouraged me to NOT keep score, and to use each and every outing as a practice opportunity, to relax and have fun. The rules and scoring when just beginning can be very hard, and I found it demoralizing and embarrassing. It was hard to feel good about a 10 on a par 3 hole. So for me, to focus more on the fun, the companionship, the practice factor with each new shot, and less about the formals rules was the successful path for me. I am just now learning the important rules and scoring.
Do you have any “golf victory” moments that made you proud?
Once I really started to relax when playing, I really did begin to enjoy the process and voilà….i began getting much better. I distinctly remember my first par, and once while playing with family, I hit the pin off the tee box! (it was a par 3, 121 yards). But a dead straight shot and that was so super exciting. Not a hole-in-one, but darn near close.
Has golf had an impact on any other aspect of your life?
Once my husband and my sons and I all got into a groove on how we play together (pace of play, do not offer input unless specifically asked, and don’t take yourself or the game too seriously. Our family golf outings helped provide a much-needed relief during the pandemic time and continues today to provide us much happiness as a family.
Do you have any advice for ladies who might be interested but may feel intimidated to get started?
Give you a shot, don’t quit easily, and have fun. It takes time to get to a place where you are feeling comfortable. I have found that 99.9% of golfers are completely gracious with new players, as long as you keep with the pace of play, and for petes sake, just pick up if you are on your 10th shot. The next hole is another chance for getting it done better.
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