Golf Lessons for an Evolved Species
Anne Cramer '01
Issue date: 11/5/00 Section: Sports
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Ladies, picture this: you're in the office at your last job (no this isn't supposed to be one of those naked stress dreams). You are working away, earning every last dollar of your pre-MBA salary. Suddenly you look up and four of your male colleagues are heading out the door to meet a client at the local golf course. There, in that afternoon while you are slogging away at your desk, fun will be had, business will be conducted and the corporate world as we know it will continue to turn on its axis.
Does it have to be that way? Let's all shout a resounding "NO!" To combat this age-old phenomenon, a group of us Johnson women decided to take some golf lessons.
Several women researched lessons around town, but in my opinion, Hillendale Golf Course offers an incredible deal. We paid $60 for four lessons, which really turned into as many as eight for some of us who went twice a week. Once the check was written, we really could have gone as often as we wanted. The Pro, Darlene Sommer, is a Class A member of the LPGA, and has been nominated for "Teacher of the Year" on four occasions. She even helped Hillendale's other Pro, Mary Novickas, design the back nine.
What really differentiated Darlene was her complete dedication to our learning. She was there to impart her love of the game. Her encouraging phrase "good idea," made you feel as though you are the genius who created the chip shot in the first place.
This is not to say that we are all naturals at this sport. I'm sure every one of us felt the embarrassing reverberations in our spines from that five iron hitting the ground about three inches from the ball. We all learned the lesson of replacing our numerous divets quite early on, as well as other important etiquette issues such as the correct way to hiss four letter words through clenched teeth. But when we heard the satisfying "thwack!" of a good drive, and actually saw the ball sail straight past the 150 foot flag (not bad for a beginner), there was no better feeling in the world. Every one of us had a moment where we pictured ourselves quitting real work and becoming a pro some day. Don't laugh, it can be done. And Darlene herself is a testament to that dream come true. She was a high school teacher who started golfing at the age of 19. Now she splits her time between New York in the summer and fall, and Florida in the winter, all golf all the time.
OK, so we might not turn into the female equivalent of Tiger Woods, but at the very least, we will be able to schmooze with our clients and colleagues as nature intended. On the golf course.
Does it have to be that way? Let's all shout a resounding "NO!" To combat this age-old phenomenon, a group of us Johnson women decided to take some golf lessons.
Several women researched lessons around town, but in my opinion, Hillendale Golf Course offers an incredible deal. We paid $60 for four lessons, which really turned into as many as eight for some of us who went twice a week. Once the check was written, we really could have gone as often as we wanted. The Pro, Darlene Sommer, is a Class A member of the LPGA, and has been nominated for "Teacher of the Year" on four occasions. She even helped Hillendale's other Pro, Mary Novickas, design the back nine.
What really differentiated Darlene was her complete dedication to our learning. She was there to impart her love of the game. Her encouraging phrase "good idea," made you feel as though you are the genius who created the chip shot in the first place.
This is not to say that we are all naturals at this sport. I'm sure every one of us felt the embarrassing reverberations in our spines from that five iron hitting the ground about three inches from the ball. We all learned the lesson of replacing our numerous divets quite early on, as well as other important etiquette issues such as the correct way to hiss four letter words through clenched teeth. But when we heard the satisfying "thwack!" of a good drive, and actually saw the ball sail straight past the 150 foot flag (not bad for a beginner), there was no better feeling in the world. Every one of us had a moment where we pictured ourselves quitting real work and becoming a pro some day. Don't laugh, it can be done. And Darlene herself is a testament to that dream come true. She was a high school teacher who started golfing at the age of 19. Now she splits her time between New York in the summer and fall, and Florida in the winter, all golf all the time.
OK, so we might not turn into the female equivalent of Tiger Woods, but at the very least, we will be able to schmooze with our clients and colleagues as nature intended. On the golf course.