Around The Commonwealth
“As a junior golfer and
collegiate golfer, it was great
to see behind the scenes of
what your state’s association
does for the game!”
—Olivia Bowling
Olivia Bowling has played golf since age 5, and has a
passion for teaching the game.
I had just finished my third summer at
the Robins Junior golf program teaching
juniors at Independence Golf Club and
it made me realize that I am meant to do
something with golf, not PT. I couldn’t
picture myself being away from the golf
course or the game itself.
VG: You spent a year as a USGA P.J. Boat-
see the color of the flag from the fairway
and always had peanut butter crackers.
I played other sports growing up but
always came back to golf because there is
such a rush when you crush a drive down the
fairway or sink a long birdie putt to beat your
dad on a hole (or winning a golf tournament).
VG: What interested you in pursuing a
career path as a golf professional?
OB: I had always thought it would be fun
to be in the golf industry but I didn’t think
much of it until my junior year of college. I
was preparing to apply to physical therapy
schools and I thought that I wasn’t going
to be doing anything with golf anymore.
vsga.org
wright intern with the VSGA? What did you
learn from that internship and why would
you recommend it to other college students
with an interest in golf?
OB: I had an amazing experience as a Boat-
wright intern with the VSGA. It is such a
great team with such amazing people who
are ready to teach you everything. I did
everything from running tournaments,
assisting with the scholarship foundation,
and rating golf courses. As a junior golfer
and collegiate golfer, it was great to see
behind the scenes of what your state’s
association does for the game!
If someone loves golf and is interested
in pursuing a job in the golf industry, the
VSGA is a great place to start. You will
learn so many great skills on and off the
golf course while working with a great
group of individuals.
VG: Who are some professionals and
teachers who have made an impact on your
teaching style?
OB: Leighann Albaugh, director of instruc-
tion at Magnolia Green, was my college golf
coach and also the director of the Robins
Junior golf program when I worked there
in the summertime. She was the first to take
the time to help me understand the golf
swing on a different level. She also showed
me that juniors are my passion. She was
always asking me to help her with different
clinics and camps outside of the summer
camp because she knew how much I loved
teaching juniors. She challenged me to find
my teaching style every chance I had.
Another professional who I have really
learned a lot from and helped me develop as
a teacher is Eric Layton, director of instruc-
tion at CCV. When I started as an intern
two years ago, Eric was always asking me
questions and testing my knowledge.
VG: You spend a lot of time teaching young
children in your current position. What are
some of the most fun aspects of that?
OB: Kids are hysterical because you never
know what they are going to do or say. They
are so honest and innocent that they make
my job fun! They never get worked up over
mistakes or problems. They just want you
to watch, listen to their stories, and help
them read putts. My favorite time to teach
juniors is right after they get out of school.
They have so many stories from their day
along with built-up energy that transfers
well to the golf course. It’s exciting to see
their faces light up when you ask them if
they are ready to head to the range.
Kids are always growing, learning,
and developing. It can be challenging
to decide what information you want to
give the kids and how you want to teach
them. You want them to go home to their
parents, telling them what they learned
during the lesson but you also don’t want
to over load them with information about
the golf swing. You want to encourage
children while improving their skills.
Each child receives, processes, and incor-
porates information differently.
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