"Do you play golf?" is probably my most asked question as a fully qualified PGA Professional.
The truth is, no one expects you to be a lady golf pro or even a golfer, so what image would we need to display for someone to say "you look like a golfer", because I don't think my outburst love for the colour pink, smiling desire and skinny jeans are portraying the stereotypical image of a lady golfer and business women. So heres my thoughts for how to survive in this manly world ...
Recently I received a phone call from someone who I coach congratulating me on my achievement of being named in the top 50 strongest and leading women in Cornwall. The top 50 lists some absolutely incredible achieventments and I was luckily enough to be amongst them standing at number 22. As I read through the list it inspired me to see how women have achieved so much for their own talent, knowledge, passion and power. Then it got me thinking ... how do successful business women survive in a mans world? What image would we need to give across to say we are business women? Or would it be a case of showing them proof of our long list of TAX returns and continuous bookkeeping spread sheets?
A business all starts with a plan on a piece of paper. My business plan started to develop when I was in Year 9 completing a careers chart. From such a young age I said I wanted to be a professional golfer. I wanted to play in competitions and coach. I took business studies during school and as I have worked through my PGA career my passion for business has tremendously developed. All of this leads up to the one big vision in my eyes and that is being a qualified PGA Director of Golf. In school I've had numerous teachers try to guide me on to a different careers path as they believed this wouldn't be possible for me to become a professional, but with self motivation to train, practice, learn and receiving high support from my family I am very happy to be where I am now, with the vision of endless possibilities and opportunities that I could have in the near future.
Here's my 6 rules of advice for any upcoming or current sports/ business women in my world.
• If you have a dream idea of a business or a goal, then start planning towards it and make it happen.
• Never stop playing the sport you love and have worked so hard towards.
• No matter what environment you are in never change from being yourself.
• Promote the knowledge you have for your sport/ business and it will surprise them all.
• Remain confident and be proud for what you have achieved already.
• Keep learning, the higher the degree level combined with your thirst for competing, practicing, coaching and managing a business all leads towards becoming a dedicated business women.
We have so many great campaigns now that are turning the image around such as #thisgirlgolfs and I know many other Lady PGA Professionals who are doing a fantastic job in getting involved and promoting ladies golf, making it modern, fun, popular, enjoyable and showing them what an excellent career path it could be. For this very reason it is very rewarding to be head performance coach for the county girls squad and helping them all achieve their dreams and ambitions.
I am very lucky to have very successful business women in my family and I can only hope to grow alongside them and achieve the same success that they have achieved and currently achieving.
And as I sign out from my latest blog a member of them public has just walked in and said
"Are you actually a professional golfer? ................oh you are?!"
Happy Golfing
Katie