Make the protein balls. Pack the pretzels. Bring a cold Body Armor. Keep it simple, keep it accessible, and start eating before you're hungry rather than after.

And if someone on the course offers you a granola bar, let's hope it's because you're sharing yours, not desperately accepting theirs.

Go have a great round.

Soooo… even after I started hitting greens, I was embarrassed to fix my divots.

Not because I didn't want to. But because I had heard that if you repair a ball mark incorrectly, you can actually do more damage to the green than if you'd left it alone. And I did not want to be the person who made things worse out of good intentions.

So I hung back. I watched other players. I tried to mimic what I saw. And I was never completely sure I was doing it right.

Let me save you that particular anxiety with the proper technique… verified by the USGA.

Pssst…. You don't have to shop at the big box golf store. You don't have to settle for the same three brands you see at every pro shop, in the same four colors, in styles that feel designed for someone else. There is an entire world of smaller women's golf brands out there- brands started by women, designed for women, with personality and intention baked into every single piece.

I've been building my golf wardrobe with them for a while now. And I think it's time to share what I've found.

These are not household names yet. But they will be. And you'll feel very smug for knowing about them early.

One of the things I love most about ball markers is that they are one of the few spots in golf where your personality gets to come out on the green… literally! While you're standing there reading your putt, that little marker sitting next to your ball says something about you.

I have an Elle Woods–inspired marker that says "What, like it's hard?" and I cannot tell you how many times I've pulled that one out and it made someone laugh, or made me smile right when I needed a little confidence boost before a putt.

That's the thing about a ball marker that really resonates with you. When you're standing over a putt with some pressure on it, having an object that brings you good energy - something that makes you smile, or reminds you of a great trip, or simply feels like yours - it can only help.

Since you're the reason this blog keeps growing, I want to keep building it around what you actually need and not what I assume you need. So I put together a short survey, and I'd love for you to take three minutes and tell me:

• What's the moment (like the one you just thought of) that still makes you hesitate before saying yes to golf

• What would make the biggest difference in helping you go from nervous beginner to become a more confident golfer

• What you wish someone had just told you plainly, instead of you having to figure it out the hard way

There are no wrong answers and no silly thoughts. I read every single response, and I often turn them directly into future blog posts, emails, and workshop content… so what you share here shapes what shows up in your inbox next.

Golf is one of the most sun-intensive sports there is, with hours outside, minimal shade, reflective surfaces everywhere. And because the whole point is to be present and focused on your game, it's easy to let sun protection slide to the back of your mind.

I will always be the person reminding you to put on sunblock. Consider this post my standing reminder.

Your skin is working hard out there whether you're thinking about it or not. Take care of it. Four hours in the sun, swinging a club, you deserve to walk off the 18th feeling good, not pink and tight and reaching for the aloe vera.

Protect your skin. Have a great round. Do both at the same time.

I used to stand in front of my closet before every golf round and just stare.

Is this too casual? Is this too short? Does this count as a collared shirt? Will someone at the pro shop say something to me?

The spiral was real. And it was exhausting! I was already racing from work, already trying to get to the course on time, already running through the mental checklist of everything I needed in my bag. The last thing I needed was a ten-minute existential crisis about whether my top was golf-appropriate.

Now? I spend maybe two minutes getting dressed. Grab something from my golf closet, throw it on, and go. Zero anxiety.

Here's what changed: I finally learned the actual rules. Not the vague, intimidating, unspoken rules that make golf feel like a secret club with a dress code nobody will explain to you. The real ones. The simple ones. The ones that, once you know them, make the whole thing click.

Let me save you the closet spiral.

It is the kind of hot in Cincinnati right now where you genuinely could cook an egg on the sidewalk. Hot and humid, the air thick enough that you feel it the second you step outside.

Which means it's exactly the right week to talk about playing golf in this kind of heat… because I have learned some hard lessons here.

A couple years ago I played golf in Florida in July. Looking back, that was a fairly silly idea on my part. I was so overheated that I had to sit out a couple of holes and just relax in the cart. My entire body felt slippery with how much I was sweating. I had done everything right going in: I had all the snacks, plenty of water and electrolytes, I even had cooling towels. The one thing I didn't have was a fan, which in hindsight sounds like it would have been incredibly refreshing.

But even with all of that prep, the heat got me. Just getting out of the cart to walk to my ball and line up a shot felt like walking through a thick steam room. I was moving as slow as molasses, and I knew something wasn't right.

I almost never buy big-ticket golf gear at full price.

Not because I'm trying to be cheap about it. It's because Amazon Prime Day exists, and I've learned to be patient.

Case in point: my rangefinder. I bought it during a Prime Day sale, and I am so glad I waited. I remember unboxing it and taking it out on the course for the first time. It definitely takes some getting used to… actually shooting the pin instead of guessing is its own little skill. But it made an immediate difference. And I saved real money getting it during the sale instead of paying full price whenever the mood struck me.

That's the whole philosophy behind this post. Prime Day runs June 23–26 this year, and if you've been putting off a bigger golf purchase… a new bag, a push cart, a rangefinder, a GPS watch… this is genuinely the best window of the year to pull the trigger.

Here's exactly what's on my personal list.

A few weeks ago I finally retired my very first pair of golf shoes.

Not because they were worn out. They still had plenty of tread and life left in them. I got them in early 2023 when I was still figuring out this whole golf thing, and they served their purpose: they gave me more stability on the course than my regular sneakers ever did, and honestly, that alone was a win at the time.

But here's why I let them go: they weren't waterproof.

And the longer I play golf, the more I understand that waterproof isn't a nice-to-have. It's the whole thing.

When I first started playing golf, I knew you were supposed to wear a golf glove. I just didn't think I personally needed one right away.

I wasn't playing that much. How much could it really matter?

Then my left hand started getting irritated. A little calloused in spots. Nothing dramatic …. just enough to make me pay attention. So I finally bought a glove. And within one round, I understood what I had been missing.

Your hands are the only connection you have to the golf club. That's it. That's the whole argument. Everything else - your stance, your swing, your follow-through - starts with your grip, and your grip depends on your hands feeling secure on that club. A good glove is what makes that happen.

And here's the part that still gets me: the average golf glove costs around $15. Fifteen dollars. For something that directly affects every single shot you hit for the entire round. It might be the most undervalued piece of equipment in the whole bag.

The first league night of my 2026 season did not go according to plan.

It had been raining on and off all day — warm, but wet. The kind of muggy May evening where you're not sure if you need a jacket or a towel. The golf pro at the course basically mandated leagues were on. No rain-out, no rescheduling. That's in the agreement with the course — their call. So the choice was simple: show up or lose the week.

I showed up. And for the first five holes, honestly? It was really pleasant. There's something kind of peaceful about a lightly spritzing round when the course is quiet and the air is cool.

But with no setting sun to warm things up, by hole seven my fingers were getting chilly and my grip just wasn't right. And that's when it hit me — I have rain gloves in my bag. Have had them in there for two seasons. They were sitting right there the whole time.

I completely forgot they existed.

Several years in and I'm still surprising myself.

I spent my first year of golf trying to figure everything out on my own.

I watched YouTube videos at midnight. I read blog posts about grip and stance. I practiced at the range by myself, trying to remember what that one instructor said in that one clinic six weeks ago.

And you know what happened? I improved... very slowly. Painfully slowly. And I almost quit multiple times because I felt like I was doing it wrong but had no one to ask.

Then I found my first golf mentor - not a formal coach, just a woman in my league who'd been playing for five years and was willing to answer my endless questions.

The first time someone handed me a scorecard, I stared at it like it was written in code.

Numbers in boxes. Abbreviations I didn't recognize. Little symbols and lines I couldn't decode. And everyone around me was filling theirs out like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I nodded like I understood, then frantically Googled "what does slope rating mean" in the golf cart when no one was looking.

Here's what nobody tells you: scorecards contain a wealth of information that can actually help you play better golf. But first, you have to understand what you're looking at.

So today, I'm walking you through exactly how to read a scorecard - what every number, abbreviation, and symbol means, and why it matters for your game.

I need to tell you something that might change how you think about playing golf.

You know that voice in your head that says "Maybe I'm too late to start" or "I should have learned this when I was younger" or "Golf isn't really for women like me"?

That voice is wrong.

Dead wrong.

In fact, if there has ever been a perfect moment in history for a woman to start and continue leaning in to playing golf, it's right now. This year. This season.

My favorite day of Masters week is not Sunday.

It is not the back nine drama. Not Amen Corner. Not watching someone drain a putt on 18 to win the green jacket.

My favorite day is Wednesday. The Par 3 Contest. And I think the reason says everything about why I love this game — and why I think you will too.

Private lessons are absolutely valuable - I stand by everything I blogged about investing in good instruction.

But there's another way to learn golf that honestly doesn't get enough credit: group golf clinics.

These clinics are how I started my golf journey, and looking back, I'm not sure I would have stuck with golf if I'd jumped straight into private lessons. The group setting gave me something I desperately needed as a beginner: proof that other women were struggling with the exact same things I was.

So if you're looking at the price of private lessons and wincing, or if the idea of one-on-one instruction feels intimidating, or if you just want to meet other women who are learning golf, let's talk about golf clinics.

The azaleas are blooming at Augusta National, Rory McIlroy is defending his green jacket, and I am already planning what snacks to make while I watch every single minute of it.

Golf hits differently when you actually play it. I notice the shots now. I feel the nerves. I understand what it means to stand over a ball with pressure on — even if my pressure is a ladies' league round and not Sunday at Augusta.

If you want to host a Masters watch party and make it feel like an actual event, this is your guide. Decorations, food, the Azalea cocktail recipe, and a free download to keep your guests entertained all weekend.

Let's do this.

"I need to take some golf lessons."

If you've said this to yourself even once in the past month, you're already ahead of most beginner golfers. Seriously - acknowledging that you need instruction is a huge step that a lot of people skip, thinking they can figure it out on their own through YouTube videos and trial and error.

But here's where a lot of women get stuck: they Google "golf lessons near me," get overwhelmed by the options, and never actually book anything. Or worse, they book with the first instructor they find, have a mediocre experience, and conclude that "lessons just aren't for me."

The truth? Lessons absolutely ARE for you. You just might not have found the right instructor yet.

After organizing golf clinics and leagues for the past four years, I've worked with more than 15 different golf instructors. I've seen the ones who make beginners feel like rock stars and the ones who make them want to quit. I've witnessed teaching styles that click immediately and ones that leave students more confused than when they started.

And here's what I know for sure: choosing the right golf instructor isn't about finding the most qualified person on paper. It's about finding the person who can actually help YOU learn.

Let me show you exactly how to do that.

I'm walking you through every type of golf league that exists, how to figure out which one matches your skill level and lifestyle, and exactly where to find leagues in your area.

By the end of this post, you'll know exactly what to look for - and you'll be ready to actually sign up instead of spending another season thinking "maybe next year."