Apr 27, 2022

“I Am Competitive” with Alix Chesno and Erin Groeneveld

beginner golfers golf tips and tricks mental hurdles of golf on the course

In this episode, we’re joined by Erin Groeneveld and Alix Chesno. Erin is the director of Women’s Golf for the Florida State Golf Association and has also worked for the Arizona Golf Association as the tournament director. She transitioned over the years to the USGA programs director where she manages the rules committee, later becoming the director of rules and education after AGSA’s transitioning with the men. Alix Chesno is an ex-tennis professional turned golfer and Tori's sister!

We chat about Erin’s experience and the differences she’s noticed while working with women and men, as well as Alix’s professional tennis journey and some of the life lessons that she learned from it. We also dive deep into the discussion around the stigma of “being competitive” as a woman and how it plays out on the golf course.

You will also get to learn more about how golf is connected to your emotional well-being, why women of age 25-49 are the least represented in women’s golf, and some of the tournaments you can play outside your state without being a member of any association.

The big differences in working with men and women

Women approach the game differently than how the men do.
Women tend to be more competitive with themselves than they are against the people they are playing with.
For men, if they win, they forget or forgive how they played poorly that day. As long as they won.
On the other hand, women, even if they win, they tend to focus on what they did wrong that day. And they just approach the game from that standpoint.

Why do women shy away from saying they are competitive

There’s probably a stigma around it. Like that’s not a feminine thing to do.
A lot of times, women think that they have to be elite athletes to consider themselves competitive. Or they have to win a certain number of times to consider themselves competitive. That’s the idea around the word competitive.
However, being competitive means you compete all the time. Knowing that about yourself helps drive you to produce results in a way that works for you.

Golf and emotional well being

In golf, there’s no one else to blame but yourself. In almost every other sport you play, there are teammates and there’s someone else involved in your success.
But in golf, that’s four and a half hours of you having to be strong for you and having to make it through for you.
You have to be present within 15 seconds of hitting a poor shot.

Getting to the next level

“The people you surround yourself with, elevate you or plateau you.”

In her high school, Erin was one of the best players. Although her teammates were great, their game didn’t push her. So she had to find ways to push herself and compete with other people.
She started playing Junior Gold Association and LPGA Girls Club, even though she didn’t want to become a professional.

Alix’s journey in tennis

After leaving home at 12, Alix went to a tennis academy in North Carolina for a year before joining Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy in Bradenton, FL. It was the same time Agassi and Sampras were there.
Tennis was like a full-time job for her and it required total commitment.
With her children having followed the path of becoming athletes (collegiate swimmers), Alix says she can’t regret it because there are a lot of life lessons you learn from being an athlete.
Every woman should find their inner athlete because it empowers them and makes them feel good about themselves.

Finding tournaments outside your state

There are a lot of events across the country. Lots of states will host an open for their women.
The great thing about an open is that you don’t have to be a member of the hosting association to participate. In fact, those who will pay are determined on a first-time basis and a playing resume.

Comparing Florida and Arizona golf tournament attendances

Florida is very lucky. For instance, Erin’s senior women’s tournament this year got filled up within 29 minutes. 96 players and 45 on the waitlist.
Although Arizona has a lot of amazing golfers, they still struggle with attendance.
Erin says there are some reasons for this. First, Florida is bigger in size compared to Arizona and also has a lot of golf academies where ladies register for tournaments that have no age restrictions.

The least participated age group

Women aged between 25 and 49 are the least represented in the golf tournaments and there’s a reason for this.
A lot of that comes from after college. Female golfers have a decision to make: turn professional or become an amateur golfer.
If they become professionals, at a certain point, when they want to play golf, the state-level golf events don’t serve them.
If they turn to amateur golf players, they have to get a job to pay for all the golf activities.
Florida came up with a solution to this by reducing the median age to 22, so they catch golfers right out of college. Besides, they have introduced cash prizes in some tournaments to encourage young golfers.