Scholarship for Women Golfers

Golfing is a sport that embodies the art of challenge. In itself, golfing is an activity meant to push boundaries, challenge the body and mind, and build tangible energy within the holder of a golf club. This mind and body challenge makes golfing so enjoyable as a sport. There is more to be said about the art of golfing than the physical aspects of the sport. The sun shining on the perfectly emerald green fields and the riveting joy you feel while making a 50-yard putt are physical aspects that bring the player back every Sunday afternoon to play with friends and family. But the mentality that golfing gives you is something you carry with you as long as you do your golfing bag. That is where the real challenge comes along. Golfing can bring your mind to ease or begin a war of rage and retaliation against those who see you as inferior. The art of becoming "good" at golfing starts with training both your swing and your mind. As your mind becomes acquainted with the challenges of the heat, the mocking, and the mistakes, it becomes meditative. Golf is more than just "being the best."Golf is about being okay with mistakes of what could have been and being compelled to challenge yourself the next time you pick up your driver. As a woman passionate about golfing, I have overcome more mental challenges than I ever thought possible for a sport about hitting a ball into a hole. According to the National Golf Foundation, only around 25% of golfers are said to be women, which is a 14% increase since 2019. However, this does not stray from the fact that golfing is a predominantly male-dominated sport. That being said, I have faced multiple challenges as an overweight woman on the golfing course. Because of my looks, my weight, and my sex, I have been ridiculed and rejected from being on the course, despite having years of experience with my clubs. These complaints of an overweight woman on the playing field have only added to the mental challenges I face inside and outside the golfing course. The rage-inducing moments of only being inches away from the hole on par are only escalated further once the men who believe I should be elsewhere making lunch for my husband ridicule me for lacking the talent I know I possess. But the art of golfing is not about that. Golfing is about training your mind while challenging yourself to improve daily, physically and mentally. These are the reminders I tell myself while out on the field, ridiculed or not. Because I do not play golf to appease others, I play golf to appease myself.