How did your love for golf originate?
“My husband John has been playing golf for a long time and I thought a while ago: Let me join. From the moment I was on the course, I thought: Geez, this is fun! You’re hitting the ball. You’re playing sports, because if you play nine holes, you’ve quickly taken about ten thousand steps. When you’re pounding in the gym, you catch up with each other while you’re playing golf, so it’s fun, too.”
How often do you play golf now?
“I have lessons every week at the BurgGolf de Purmer, near me, where I have a great teacher. I really like to have that consistency. Every Wednesday I am there, with nice weather, but also in the rain. The nice thing is I now also discover that the people around me They play golf, so instead of: “Shall we have coffee?” Is it now: “Shall we play round?” A lot more young people do that than you think, and it’s great to encourage each other in that.
The 10,000 hour rule applies here: you really have to invest and practice consistently
Do you also see yourself progressing?
“Yes, quite! I’ve never been involved in a ball sport, but this one is the first time I think: Well, I have a feeling for this. The kick you give when something works is tremendous. But there is also frustration when something doesn’t work, and that It always makes you want to get better.In golf it’s also true that you can or can’t go through your day and then you really feel like you have to start over from a certain point.But I absolutely think anyone can learn it, because it has a lot to do with technique. The 10,000-hour rule applies here: You really have to invest and practice consistently.”
Many people think that golf is an ancient sport of the rich man, is that still true?
“No, that’s nonsense. If you look at America, England and Asia, you see that golf there, just like tennis or hockey, is just a sport for young people. I hope that through the Welcome to the Club campaign, we can also show the NGF here that golf is for everyone.” Really, and that it can fit well into your weekly sports routine. The bottom line is a bit higher, because the golf course seems farther than the football field. But we have over 250 courses in the Netherlands, so it’s very accessible actually.”
Another prejudice is that golf is very expensive…
“This doesn’t have to be the case either. You can start with a used golf set or rent clubs at a golf club. And you don’t even have to wear expensive golf clothes, you can do it too in comfortable pants with sneakers underneath. A lot is done in the world of golf to make this sport more accessible to young people, so you can do it without an expensive membership.”
What do you wear on the golf course?
“I like to play golf there in vintage Berber uniform, as a great nod to the polo-wearing, cigar-smoking old men of yore. I like to unpack, because golf is the sport in which you put on your nice clothes this morning I was still on the track in the big super high fleece jacket with Venus On my back with golf pants and sneakers. It’s especially important that they’re comfortable and that you have a little bit of grip in your shoes.”
What are your favorite places to play golf?
“So I often find myself at BurgGolf de Purmer, because I have lessons there. I recommend looking for a golf course in the area if you want to do it often, so you can go there regularly. What I really like about golfing is that you can Doing it anywhere outside.When I’m on vacation, there’s always a golf course nearby somewhere.Then I rented some clubs there and hit some balls.When I came to Costa Rica,I went to play nine holes by myself for five days.The nature was beautiful and the weather was really nice And that was really cool.”
Do you have a goal too?
“I think it would be nice to go to a better handicap and then maybe I’ll be able to play a match. I was now invited to Beat the Pro during the KLM Open. That’s it. challenges Where you can play against a professional. This is the great thing about golf: It is the only sport in which a beginner can play against a professional. A professional adheres to other rules – for example, he must cover more meters in fewer strokes – so that you can actually win. This is not possible with football or tennis, because the differences are too great, but you can play these sports with people of all levels.”
Do you have any tips for people who also want to play golf?
“Start with a series of lessons, so you actually know something about the sport. It helps if you first get a handicap of 54, so you know the rules, get familiar with the sport and learn how to hit the ball. I notice that the more knowledge I get, the more golf I become Fun. Furthermore, I would advise you: Give yourself time to learn it. Really look at your course and plan those lessons structurally. With golf they are really busy in your head, because you constantly have to estimate which club to use or how hard your shot is to get the distance Certain. And the fact that it challenges mentally makes golf more interesting to me.”
This interview appeared in Happy in Shape magazine. The theme for this edition is “5 Great Outdoor Sports”.
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