Growing up, I had a hair condition where my hair would fall out easily, and I had bad asthma.
Paige Spiranac
Over the years, golf has evolved from a leisurely game of stick and ball into a competitive sport for highly skilled athletes. Players not only spend countless hours fine-tuning technique on the course, but also improving strength, stability, and endurance in the gym.
I love golf, I think it is a great game but I think there are a lot of things that need to change. I think it needs to become more progressive, more inclusive.
It's only when we stop looking exclusively to the podium for our heroes and start looking all around us that we'll make the greatest progress toward a better tomorrow.
I probably do more community service than any other professional golfer.
If you look at what people typically wear when they play, OK, my clothes could be considered provocative. But I'm not wearing them for a reaction. I'm just comfortable in fitness clothing. Golf is a sport, so dress like an athlete. Name another sport where people wear khakis and cotton polos?
Whenever I'm stressed out or having a bad day, the one thing that gets me happy or back into like a good place of mind is being on the golf course. I love being out there, especially really early in the morning getting the first tee time out and just playing by myself. It's so peaceful.
People seem to think I got where I am because of the clothes that I wear. That's unfair to me and unfair to all of my accomplishments.
If you've never been fit for clubs, your game could seriously be suffering. People tend to stick to out-of-date, poorly fit clubs because they either don't see the benefit of a fitting or are intimidated by the process.
Tennis players wear sleeveless tops and skirts with spandex shorts so that they can hit, reach, and lunge for the ball effectively. Similarly, in order to perform at the optimal level, golfers need to be able to rotate, extend, crouch, and bend, often in extreme weather conditions for up to five or six hours at a time.
But one of my absolutely favorite things to do is go to comic book stores on the weekends. I'm a huge comic book nerd.
The ability to act as a role model shouldn't depend on owning a pile of trophies. Instead, we should look at role models as whole people - people who fail but overcome adversity, people who inspire us both on and off the course, people who spend their time trying to make their community a better place.
I've never felt like I fit in. I always feel like I'm walking in the wrong direction or swimming upstream.
It's easy to get swayed by advertisements or the latest new gear, but what you think you want could actually rob you of yards and add strokes to your score, based on your personal swing and playing style.
When you have a lot of followers, you get the good and bad. So I had a career out of it. But unfortunately, I had people hating on me every single day.
The gymnastics community is toxic. You just do what they say no matter what. It's really scary.
But if I feel comfortable swinging in a short skirt or shorts, if I feel athletic and strong and confident, I can do that, and you shouldn't call me certain names for it.
I've done golf and fitness shoots, but in those I'm still fairly covered up.
Golf is elitist, it's stuffy, it's exclusive and I hate that because I am not that and I was never welcomed in and I'm still not welcomed in.
My weakness is hitting it straight under pressure.
I respect and understand that golf is enveloped in tradition and that certain rules and regulations must be upheld.
From the first time I swung a PXG club I have wanted to add them to my bag. They feel incredible and the performance really makes a difference.
The numbers don't lie, so make sure to come in with an open mind when it comes to building your bag. For example, the brand that helps you drive it longer and straighter might not suit you best when it comes to your short game.
When it comes to the golf industry, I know that people see me as a gimmick.
I actually was a competitive gymnast for the first part of my life. From age 6 to 12, I dedicated pretty much everything to that, until I got injured really badly.
Golf's a gentleman's game. So it's all about integrity and you cheer on other people, and it's kind of different from other sports where you just want to beat everyone.
I literally post swing videos. Like, how is that interesting? But I've created such a following, and they're loyal fans. It's really cool to create a community around something I love, and that they love, too.
I'm really trying to do everything I can to bring golf to people who have never done it before, as well as just make golf fun and cool.
People say I haven't accomplished anything, but I feel like I've done a lot. I'm an ambassador for the Cybersmile Foundation, which is an anti-bullying organization.
I'm a content creator, so I like to read the comments, and I like to engage, because if people aren't interested in what I'm doing, then I'm not doing a good job.
I was a tomboy. I played football and wasn't afraid to get dirty. Shopping? Not for me.
I'm introverted, and all my friends make fun of me because all I do is work out and play golf. I'm a grandma: stay in most nights and asleep by 9:30.
My strength is short game. I love the creative side to it. You can hit a wedge a million different ways. The flop is my fave.
All I ever wanted was to be a golfer on the LPGA tour. That's still my dream, but getting there has turned out to be a lot more complicated than I thought.
Everyone knew I was home-schooled. Everyone always said I was weird, and they're kind of right. And I think people can always tell that I'm a weak link. So if you are going to bully someone, I'm an easy target.
You know what, I was one of the top 25 amateurs in the world. I had a pretty good college career.
If someone is misrepresenting my playing career, I try to correct them. If they say something mean about me I'll let them know it hurts my feelings. But I've noticed that the best thing for me is to show love back to them and show positivity and by doing that you gain a fan.
As my followers know, I'm always looking for ways to improve my game and have a little more fun on the course.
For me, working with kids is one of my favorite ways to give back, and I refuse to let public opinion about whether I'm a 'winner' stop me from being a positive role model and mentor.
Every child thrives on encouragement, but beware of forcing it. I've seen too many family relationships crumble because of excessive ambition on the course or the range.
People seem to think I got where I am because of the clothes that I wear.
I dress differently, I don't conform to what golf is supposed to be.
You may not even realize how much your off-the-rack clubs are affecting your game.
I'm not ashamed of my social media following, my Sports Illustrated swimsuit shoot, or the tough time I had in my LPGA debut, but these small facets of my life are easily manipulated by the Internet to get views, and they don't define me as a person.
I started playing golf after a broken knee led me to quit my career as an elite gymnast. It wasn't long before I became one of the world's top-ranked amateur players.
It wasn't until last year that I figured out the problem: I just don't love competitive golf. What I love is the game itself. I love being outdoors, practicing, and smelling the freshly cut grass at 6:00 a.m. as the sun rises. But I didn't love travel, or pressure, or the mean-spiritedness of my competitors.
Turns out, the enjoyment I receive from growing the game through content creation and collaborations, and the work I do with the Cybersmile Foundation around cyberbullying, is leaps and bounds above what I got out of playing competitively.
To be a professional golfer in the 21st century, you must be an athlete.
Because of the increased physicality of the sport, golf apparel companies began incorporating more performance-based materials into their designs, as well as updating styles that had fallen out of fashion over the years.
I may not go down in history as the best female golfer to ever play, however my intent is to do whatever I can to grow the game.
