About a year ago, recent Epson Tour graduate, Jackie Stoelting, joined a committee of six women in the Treasure Coast area of Florida that wanted to see more young girls involved in the game of golf.
They were puzzled. In an area so rich in beautiful golf courses on the coast of Florida, there have not been many girls that have gone onto play college golf since Stoelting left.
“We have the Indian River Golf Foundation here in Vero Beach, which reaches out to all kids, but we really wanted to get a girls specific program going through the LPGA / USGA,” explained Stoelting, who won twice on the Epson Tour in 2016. “There hasn’t been a big influx of girls wanting to play golf in our area and we’re trying to figure out why. We’re just trying to get more young girls out there participating and trying to start them at a younger age."
On September 24th, Jackie and her husband, Travis, ran the first event, “Beat the Pro”, at her home club of Meadowood Golf & Tennis Club and approximately 40 girls between the ages of 4 and 14 showed up to compete in Big Break themed activities.
“One thing we’re trying to do since golf is such an individual sport is make fun little challenges and activities and do everything as a team,” said Stoelting. “By having these events, we hope to grow an interest in this area.”
This past week, Stoelting volunteered at the Turkey Trot, an alternate shot format where the kids had to do the “turkey trot dance” after coming off the green. The younger and less experienced golfers played “snag golf” using tennis balls and big plastic clubs with velcro targets in front. The most recent event was held at Bent Pine Golf Club.
If Stoelting wasn’t a professional golfer, she’d likely be an elementary school teacher. She was an elementary education major at Florida Southern College and loves to work with kids.
“Working with kids is my passion in addition to golf,” said Stoelting, who plans to continue to be involved in the new Girls Golf chapter while competing on the LPGA in 2017. “I find a lot of joy in watching kids learning how to play golf and seeing their face when they are able to connect with the ball for the first time or hit a really good shot.”
Stoelting also found an interesting trend when playing in pro-ams with women on the Epson Tour circuit.
“So many women I play with in pro-am events say they wish they learned how to play golf at a younger age,” explained Stoelting. “Golf is something they don’t have to go to college for or play professionally, it’s something they can do with their family.”
That’s exactly what attracted Stoelting to the game. Both her mom, Teri, and her dad, Ed, played golf and her brothers would also join so it was a family activity that ultimately gave Stoelting the deep desire to pursue the sport in college and professionally.
“We have so many nice courses in Vero (Beach) and Fort Pierce that it would be nice to see more girls out there,” said Stoelting. "I think what the LPGA / USGA are doing with Girls Golf is just tremendous and I’m happy that we finally have a chapter in my area.”
Stoelting has already seen the benefits of being involved in growing the game. One of the girls in the program, Lily, was on vacation last year with her family in Michigan during the Meijer LPGA Classic. Lily’s parents, who the Stoelting’s have become close with, brought Lily to the tournament to follow Stoelting.
“They drove an hour or so to come watch and she followed me around,” said Stoelting. “It’s nice to see a little girl from Vero on family vacation decide to come watch me play.”
Recently, Sarah Noonan (Vero Beach HS) committed to play college golf at Georgia Southern. Stoelting remembers taking her out when Noonan was in middle school.
“It’s really nice to see the progression and how far she has come,” said Stoelting, who tries to keep in touch with area golfers as much as possible. “I remember playing golf with them and working on course management. She’s probably the first that has gone to college on a golf scholarship since I left so it is great to see more getting involved.”
As a young kid, Stoelting played in tournaments through the Indian River Golf Foundation, but it was mostly a summer time activity.
“That’s why we started this Girls Golf chapter, to have more opportunities and get kids out year-round,” said Stoelting. “Our goal is have something once a month and I told them I want to be involved anytime I’m home."
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