Tee for Two
Golf and the Club’s 19th Hole simulator have given Member Sharry Xue and her daughter a common interest and plenty of life lessons.
I used to play golf back in China. It was something I enjoyed, and it was great for my work. Being on the course is important for customer relationships in my business.
About 10 years ago, I even won a championship there. But then, as life changed and work took me to different places, I didn’t play for a long while.
A year ago, my daughter, Alina—she was 10 at the time—became interested in golf and started taking lessons at the Club with coach Tom [Fielding]. She would tell me how much she liked the 19th Hole simulator and, as we talked about golf together at night, I decided to pick up my clubs again. Now we both take lessons with Tom, and golf has become a shared mother-daughter experience for us.
Alina tells me that golf has helped her feel physically stronger, but it is the mental benefits that I especially appreciate about the game—for me and for her. I learned from my own experiences playing golf how it differs from team sports. Because it is just you and the tee. You’re on your own, and each shot is different. Like life, the situation changes, and there’s the risk that your shot will go astray. As you learn and improve, you gain confidence that you can take another swing and find a better outcome. This really shapes your personality, and I feel it is very important for Alina to learn this, just as I did.
Coach Tom is a great teacher for this. His approach has helped her learn to focus even more, building on her years of ballet and being part of the Club swim team. He’s strict, but he has a way of picking the rights words to help you believe in yourself.
Although we take separate lessons, Alina and I also enjoy using the 19th Hole together, playing various courses. When we visit the States, we get out on the real course, sometimes twice a day, to put our skills to the test. And this summer, we will be in Palm Springs for 10 days and have booked time on the PGA West courses. We’re really looking forward to playing those links for real.
Thanks to the Club, Alina and I have been enjoying this wonderful experience together for the past year. She is growing stronger physically and mentally, and I feel reenergized to improve my game again. After years of not practicing, my average score slid to 100. My two-year goal is to get back to 90. I know that with the support of coach Tom and the encouragement of Alina—who insists she’s more advanced than me!—I can do it.
As told to INTOUCH’s C Bryan Jones.
Top Image of (l–r) Alina Xue, Tom Fielding and Sharry Xue: Kayo Yamawaki
