STUDENT SPOTLIGHT – CATHERINE MYERS

By Bob Myers

I was asked to write an article for the student spotlight, and I thought about all the students that went on to win tournaments, becoming PGA professionals, and excel in golf. Then I thought to myself about the lessons that the golf game taught me, and how important it was to my success in business, teaching and life in general. Growing up, I was into combat sports: boxing, wrestling, judo and MMA. I was very active until I was about 29 years old, when my knee and back started to give out. So, my wife bought me a set of clubs and told me to give up wrestling and start playing golf. I thought to myself “no way” – golf is such a wimpy game, and anybody can do that. It was too easy, and not enough action for me.

So, I brought my clubs to the range and realized how wrong I was. This was the hardest thing I had ever done. You see in wrestling and other combat sports you can muscle your way through a match, but golf…no way. I became so involved that when the school I taught at asked me to coach the team, I jumped at the invitation. That’s when I found the USGTF.

So, with all that, I would like to spotlight my two amazing daughters. The oldest Shannon is now 29 and very successful in business. She played Pee Wee golf for a few years, then fell in love with rowing in high school. She and her younger sister Catherine still play with me every Father’s Day. Yes, we still play a cutthroat skins game to keep us sharp. Shannon learned how tough the game was and she knows that being able to play will someday come in handy at an outing of some sort, but Catherine really took on the game when I least expected it. After I thought she was not interested, she came home one day and said she was going out for the varsity team at school. Catherine never really did anything more than mini golf and hit some balls at the range. She was the captain of the varsity cheer team and was an amazing flyer for them. She was and is very athletic, and like most cheerleaders can do some gravity-defying flips. I never thought she would ever go out for the team, so I never even asked her to give it a try.

Well, there we were three weeks from the beginning of the season, and we were both determined to get her ready for the season. We went to the simulator, and eventually the range and we did the best we could to get her ready. I did not think it was enough, and we both doubted she would ever get a start, but lo and behold, someone was ill and she got the start. In her first match she shot an 89. I was thinking anything under 100 would be good, so she surprised me. I told her how humbling golf was and prepared her for a higher score the next match, and she showed me her card, and it was an 84. Wow, I was shocked, so I once again explained how hard golf was and to prepare for a rough round. Next match, 82. I had never seen a high school student get better so fast and with such regularity. Then 79 and then 75, and then 69. I was amazed. Then before you knew it the season was over, and she had to get back to prepping for senior year of cheer.

Catherine went on to cheer at Towsend University and now Bond University in Australia. She likes golf and asks to play often, but life is busy for her. She plans on becoming a detective some day and I am sure there will be an outing with the other officers where she can show off her talents. Golf is hard, golf will humble you, but most of all, golf will teach you about life and about yourself, so keep on swinging and keep growing yourself and the game.