Floridian talent boasts excellence in women's golf – true or false?
Florida is, indeed, the state of excellence in women’s golf. The Sunshine State has fast emerged as a place to be for women golfers from all over the world.
Once it used to be California, the most happening place for women golf. Not anymore! It is now all about Florida and Florida based golfers. They have taken the world by storm.
Christina Kim, herself a Californian, said, “Back in the day, it used to be all about Cali. There were a lot of kids from Cali, but now they're coming from Florida”.
The fact is highlighted by the upcoming U.S. Women’s Open. The tournament will be played in Blackwolf Run, Kohler, Wis. The event’s entry list is a roster of top talent of native Floridians or players who now call Florida, home.
Among the 156 players lined up to play in the U.S. Open, 43 belong to Florida. These are either the natives or migrants from other places.
This is a great honour for the state which has invested a substantial amount in developing its golf infrastructure.
What makes the state so popular among the women golfers? The opinions are divided but the list does contain some common factors that point out the great golfing environment of the state.
When asked, many players said that it is the sunny open spaces and the friendly golf crowd that make Florida the golf heaven it is.
Commenting in response to the question, Na Yeon Choi, the Korean player said, “It's good weather, and they have a lot of good golf courses and good teachers”.
Florida has developed into a prime destination for women golf because of another reason as well. It has a thriving chain of golf courses that attract top national and international level tournaments.
A whole system of training academies, practice courses and coaching courses is in place. This arrangement creates a great environment for golf.
A look at the world rankings will reveal the level of influence Florida has on the women golf. Ten of the top fifteen players have a connection to Florida. This is no coincidence. Many of these players have come to Florida to take advantage of the thriving
women golf culture here.
Some notable names in the list are: Yani Tseng, world’s number two Stacy Lewis, world’s number four Shanshan Feng, world’s number five Na Yeon Choi and Suzann Pettersen.
The upcoming starts of women golf Alexis “Lexi” Thompson also comes from Florida.
Stacy Lewis, a Texas born player used to play from University of Arkansas. She recently moved to South Florida and is now well settled in the community.
Here in Florida, she gets to practice at The Medalist, a course frequented by Tiger Woods and other top notch players.
Talking about her choice, Lewis said, “[The men] tend to be out there all day kind of practicing, and I kind of like to get in there and do my thing and get out. But it is good to have little chipping games with them. I think any time you can play and practice
with the guys, it helps out a lot”.
Florida has become the destination of choice for many top women golfers. This has elevated the level of golf training available to the budding players in the local golf academies. An event hosted in Florida will be an opportunity to see top players in action.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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