Compassion, respect, honesty and strong disciplined competitiveness are qualities that LPGA Director of Saratoga Spa Golf Academy, Meg Kelly, feels women bring to the sport of golf.

Meg started playing golf at the age of 14 and recalls swinging her first golf club at McGregor Country Club with her dad Vince Kelly. Growing up she was always athletic and active and had a natural ability to succeed in most sports and found learning the fundamentals of golf proved challenging and exciting. For young girls and teens golf as well as most sports instills discipline. Meg advises that “Letting youth enter the game early in life allows them to utilize the flexibility of their youthful bodies and develop very natural swings. It is a great way to build lasting friendships and experience competition in a fun supportive environment.”

In her early twenties, Meg formed an interest in teaching golf to others and has been a dedicated instructor for the past 25 years. She expresses that “Golf is the only sport that I have played that allowed me to completely leave the day-to-day “making a living” behind and focus on just the golf game.” Meg finds great satisfaction in the fact that she has helped her students both in their golf game and in their lives. Meg credits her greatest accomplishment “to be the success of the thousands of student I have taught that have taken up the golf game as a permanent habit and the enjoyment they receive for playing a great game of golf.” As an instructor, when Meg notices a student struggling, she tends to study them and enjoys the detective work of discovering what difficulties the player is having. Her goal is always to aid them in visualizing a solution to the problem.

When asked what advice she offers to women interested in taking up the sport of golf Meg emphatically states “Jump in! Everyday there are new players joining the ranks of beginner golfers. Get started by hiring a good instructor. Practice, practice, practice. When you go out to play, do it with people you enjoy being with and have fun.” In the Capital District are there are several 18 hole and 9 hole leagues that woman can participate in. Whether a novice or seasons golfer, players have the benefits of playing a disciplined sport, socializing with friends and, as Meg emphasizes, “getting to play outside on beautiful courses throughout your community, regionally, nationally and internationally.”

Meg Kelly currently provides lessons at the Saratoga Spa Golf Course, located in the Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs. For more information on lessons please contact Meg Kelly at mkellylpga@nybiz.rr.com

More Features & Commentary

• Golf and WineBy Karen Wyld
• Help! My girlfriend wants me to give her lessonsBy Stina Sternberg
• We might already have a Ryder Cup spokesman…By Tim Rosaforte
• Golf Without Tiger and Tiger Without GolfBy Sam Johnson on 6-26-2006
• A Liberal’s Point of View…By Steve Gribin on 6-26-2008

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.