What Golf Means To Me - The Jazzy Golfer
What Golf Means To Me
Our second in our series of articles titled 'What Golf Means To Me'.
This time we catch up with CNN International Host, golf presenter and content creator, Jasmine - AKA The Jazzy Golfer. We delve into everything from how she first came to pick up a club, to what encouraged her to become The Jazzy Golfer.
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Name: Jasmine - aka The Jazzy Golfer
Who Am I: Host of CNN International’s ‘Living Golf’, Golf Presenter & Content Creator and Founder of the UK Women’s Golf Community.
Handicap: 14 on a good day 140 on a bad day!
Dream 4-ball: Annika Sörenstam (the absolute GOAT!), my Dad (because he’s more of a golf addict than I am!) and my partner (because I’ve recently got him into golf).
"I was first introduced to golf about 6 years ago. I'd never played golf before that and never really considered playing, I guess, for the same reasons a lot of young women and girls don't pick up golf – they don’t see it as a sport for them. BUT, that all changed while on a family holiday in Portugal where I was bored of driving the cart round and was encouraged to ‘give it a go’.
Having played many sports growing up, including field hockey, I thought 'how hard can it be?! Ball and stick and all that!' Erm, No! Turns out I was so wrong! It was very different, and golf is very difficult! That first attempt I remember making loads of air shots and probably disrupted quite a few Portuguese worms but… I connected with one pitching wedge that went exactly where I wanted it to go, landing about 10ft from the pin and that was it, I was totally hooked. I wanted to keep repeating that feeling - oh how addictive golf is!
After the holiday when I was back home in the UK, I was still absolutely buzzing from the experience and was certain I wanted to make golf my next hobby! I decided to head down to the local club to figure out how to properly start golf and look at booking some lessons but unfortunately, it wasn’t the best experience. I was whistled at, sung at and one guy said it was ‘nice to have some fresh meat’ at the golf course. Yuck.
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After becoming more involved in the sport and at the club, I soon realised just how ‘un-set-up’ golf was for women, especially those with jobs! I couldn’t play at the weekend, the women’s competition was only on Tuesday, there weren’t any toilets on the golf course, for example. It was all a bit of a shock to me as the sport is so fun, so addictive and rewarding at the same time, yet the culture didn't necessarily match up, or rather in my personal experience, the golf club culture didn't match up with that.
Despite my first experiences, I was still very much hooked so I decided to have lessons somewhere I felt more welcome and went straight to eBay and grabbed myself a half-set of random clubs. (The less said about the fact I accidentally bought a left handed-driver, the better!)
The more I fell in love with the sport, the more I wanted women and girls to see past the not-so-great culture and see that golf could absolutely still be a sport for them and one they could thrive in, so I set up The Jazzy Golfer Instagram page to hopefully try and showcase that a bit more and show that golf really is a sport for everyone!
After becoming more involved in the sport and at the club, I soon realised just how ‘un-set-up’ golf was for women, especially those with jobs! I couldn’t play at the weekend, the women’s competition was only on Tuesday, there weren’t any toilets on the golf course, for example. It was all a bit of a shock to me as the sport is so fun, so addictive and rewarding at the same time, yet the culture didn't necessarily match up, or rather in my personal experience, the golf club culture didn't match up with that.
Despite my first experiences, I was still very much hooked so I decided to have lessons somewhere I felt more welcome and went straight to eBay and grabbed myself a half-set of random clubs. (The less said about the fact I accidentally bought a left handed-driver, the better!)
The more I fell in love with the sport, the more I wanted women and girls to see past the not-so-great culture and see that golf could absolutely still be a sport for them and one they could thrive in, so I set up The Jazzy Golfer Instagram page to hopefully try and showcase that a bit more and show that golf really is a sport for everyone!
"My friends call me Jaz or Jazzy, so when I first started up the Instagram page it just fell into place to be the Jazzy Golfer. I wear quite a lot of bright colours when I play sport, so it just made sense."
"My friends call me Jaz or Jazzy, so when I first started up the Instagram page it just fell into place to be the Jazzy Golfer. I wear quite a lot of bright colours when I play sport, so it just made sense."
Throughout my first few months as a golfer, through my Instagram page I spoke a lot about my experiences in golf as well as documented my journey of learning how to play. My channel soon started to grow and...and yeah, here we are now! A lot has happened in-between then and now (which is probably an article for another time) but those initial experiences were definitely the catalyst for where I find myself today.
At the time I started playing golf, I had a full-time job in finance so the Instagram page really was just a little hobby for me to start with. It was just this little corner of the world I could share my passion with people and hope to inspire others. I never intended it to be something that would eventually become my career, that wasn't ever my goal. I loved my job and never imagined I would leave it, but the more and more my channels grew and the more I was being asked to participate in projects in the women's game - to tell my story and try and challenge some of the engrained stereotypes within the game - the more I realised I just didn't have enough time to do both. I only had so much annual leave left, and it was getting to the point where I was starting to ask myself 'do I go for this and commit to it being my full-time job? What should I do?'
It was around 2019, I think probably two years into the page going live, when I sort of decided to pull the trigger and said to myself 'I'm going to make a go of this.' Thankfully that decision has paid off. In my head it was a case of, I absolutely loved working in finance, but where could I make the biggest impact? For me, to make a career in this wonderful sport and make a tangible difference for women and girls, that was really the deciding factor for me.
Throughout my first few months as a golfer, through my Instagram page I spoke a lot about my experiences in golf as well as documented my journey of learning how to play. My channel soon started to grow and...and yeah, here we are now! A lot has happened in-between then and now (which is probably an article for another time) but those initial experiences were definitely the catalyst for where I find myself today.
At the time I started playing golf, I had a full-time job in finance so the Instagram page really was just a little hobby for me to start with. It was just this little corner of the world I could share my passion with people and hope to inspire others. I never intended it to be something that would eventually become my career, that wasn't ever my goal. I loved my job and never imagined I would leave it, but the more and more my channels grew and the more I was being asked to participate in projects in the women's game - to tell my story and try and challenge some of the engrained stereotypes within the game - the more I realised I just didn't have enough time to do both. I only had so much annual leave left, and it was getting to the point where I was starting to ask myself 'do I go for this and commit to it being my full-time job? What should I do?'
It was around 2019, I think probably two years into the page going live, when I sort of decided to pull the trigger and said to myself 'I'm going to make a go of this.' Thankfully that decision has paid off. In my head it was a case of, I absolutely loved working in finance, but where could I make the biggest impact? For me, to make a career in this wonderful sport and make a tangible difference for women and girls, that was really the deciding factor for me.
That ability to make a difference has now become the biggest aspect of my career certainly. That responsibility to other women and girls, helping to grow the game and opportunities for them, that's what drives me and was why I ended up launching the UK Women’s Golf Communityalong with other women in the industry. Funnily enough I haven't entered a local competition because the idea makes me quite nervous. That would be me playing as Jasmine, no cameras, not in aid of anything - Just me, Jasmine, playing golf. Whereas when I played at the BMW Pro-Am, in front of thousands of people, I'm doing it for the gals!
I've had women come up to me to me and say 'it's so great to see another woman playing in that Pro-Am (for example)' or 'you're so brave for doing that, you've now given me the confidence to go out to the range and get involved.' To be honest, things like this give me all the confidence I need to get out there and represent those who maybe don't have the platform or the confidence to speak out...and I 100% don't claim to speak for all women in golf, but for those who don't have a voice or aren’t comfortable enough to speak up, I can certainly help utilise my platform to help amplify their messages.
That ability to make a difference has now become the biggest aspect of my career certainly. That responsibility to other women and girls, helping to grow the game and opportunities for them, that's what drives me and was why I ended up launching the UK Women’s Golf Community along with other women in the industry. Funnily enough I haven't entered a local competition because the idea makes me quite nervous. That would be me playing as Jasmine, no cameras, not in aid of anything - Just me, Jasmine, playing golf. Whereas when I played at the BMW Pro-Am, in front of thousands of people, I'm doing it for the gals!
I've had women come up to me to me and say 'it's so great to see another woman playing in that Pro-Am (for example) or 'you're so brave for doing that, you've now given me the confidence to go out to the range and get involved.' To be honest, things like this give me all the confidence I need to get out there and represent those who maybe don't have the platform or the confidence to speak out...and I 100% don't claim to speak for all women in golf, but for those who don't have a voice or aren’t comfortable enough to speak up, I can certainly help utilise my platform to help amplify their messages.
What do I love about golf? SO many things. It's given me a wonderful and fulfilling career for one, which I’ll always be grateful for. It’s also given me some amazing friendships, I've been so fortunate to meet so many wonderful people along my journey and made friends for life along the way.
I also love the health benefits of golf, I’m a very sporty person anyway - I do a lot of other sports as well such as Crossfit and Powerlifting - but golf in particular is just you outside with nature and that's really hard to beat. Walking down the fairway, the birds singing and hopefully a putter in your hand after a great approach shot! Honestly, twilight golf provides some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable and how great is it that golf is a sport that allows you to drink all that in while you're performing?! It's so unique in that respect and something that I think we as golfers often overlook or forget about when we are playing and grinding for lower scores.
I also absolutely adore the fact that wherever you go in the world there are golf courses. It's like an international language everyone can speak and enjoy. I really love the challenge too and playing golf has definitely given me a bit of added resilience and maybe (probably!) a bit more patience! You are going to experience (on more than one occasion) a fantastic shot that gets an absolute stinker of a bounce or a horrible lie and you just have to deal with it...overcome it...and prepare for the next shot. There’s some life lessons in that, for sure.
What do I love about golf? SO many things. It's given me a wonderful and fulfilling career for one, which I’ll always be grateful for. It’s also given me some amazing friendships, I've been so fortunate to meet so many wonderful people along my journey and made friends for life along the way.
I also love the health benefits of golf, I’m a very sporty person anyway - I do a lot of other sports as well such as Crossfit and Powerlifting - but golf in particular is just you outside with nature and that's really hard to beat. Walking down the fairway, the birds singing and hopefully a putter in your hand after a great
approach shot! Honestly, twilight golf provides some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable and how great is it that golf is a sport that allows you to drink all that in while you're performing?! It's so unique in that respect and something that I think we as golfers often overlook or forget about when we are playing and grinding for lower scores.
I also absolutely adore the fact that wherever you go in the world there are golf courses. It's like an international language everyone can speak and enjoy. I really love the challenge too and playing golf has definitely given me a bit of added resilience and maybe (probably!) a bit more patience! You are going to experience (on more than one occasion) a fantastic shot that gets an absolute stinker of a bounce or a horrible lie and you just have to deal with it...overcome it...and prepare for the next shot. There’s some life lessons in that, for sure.
The only thing I would like to change, is to break down some of the barriers that prevent certain groups of people from playing - golf is so wonderful, fulfilling and rewarding and wouldn’t it be great if everyone could have access to this great sport we all love? I’d love to see it offered more in schools as part of the syllabus to make the sport more accessible to kids and introduce the game to a whole new generation. Of course, not every school has a golf course around the corner, but that doesn't mean they can't be creative. I've seen a lot of great adaptive equipment provided for those with disabilities that could certainly be repurposed for school children who only have indoor halls or outdoor playing fields.
Golf can be seen as a sport that takes a lot of time to play and with time being a scarce resource for so many, I would love to see golf continue, or improve to market itself as more than just 4 and a half hours of walking round your local course. For me, if you play mini golf, you're a golfer. If you play Top Golf, you're a golfer. If you only ever want to play 9 holes on a weekend, you're a golfer. So, I feel like golf needs to do better at showing its versatility, that it's not just in one format and there’s a form of golf for everyone!
The fact that anyone can play with anyone, of any ability and have a fun AND competitive game, thanks to the handicap system - that's a huge benefit that other sports just can't offer. Golf needs to be shouting about that from the rooftops! I can play with my grandad, who's 80 odd, my cousin who is 12 and a really talented amateur who is 20 and we'd all have a fantastic game together, despite being at vastly different abilities.
The only thing I would like to change, is to break down some of the barriers that prevent certain groups of people from playing - golf is so wonderful, fulfilling and rewarding and wouldn’t it be great if everyone could have access to this great sport we all love? I’d love to see it offered more in schools as part of the syllabus to make the sport more accessible to kids and introduce the game to a whole new generation. Of course, not every school has a golf course around the corner, but that doesn't mean they can't be creative. I've seen a lot of great adaptive equipment provided for those with disabilities that could certainly be repurposed for school children who only have indoor halls or outdoor playing fields.
Golf can be seen as a sport that takes a lot of time to play and with time being a scarce resource for so many, I would love to see golf continue, or improve to market itself as more than just 4 and a half hours of walking round your local course. For me, if you play mini golf, you're a golfer. If you play Top Golf, you're a golfer. If you only ever want to play 9 holes on a weekend, you're a golfer. So, I feel like golf needs to do better at showing its versatility, that it's not just in one format and there’s a form of golf for everyone!
The fact that anyone can play with anyone, of any ability and have a fun AND competitive game, thanks to the handicap system - that's a huge benefit that other sports just can't offer. Golf needs to be shouting about that from the rooftops! I can play with my grandad, who's 80 odd, my cousin who is 12 and a really talented amateur who is 20 and we'd all have a fantastic game together, despite being at vastly different abilities.
So in short, what does golf mean to me?
It means so much to me. So, so much. It's given me this wonderful career, too many friends to mention and has allowed me to travel the world. Hopefully, it has allowed me to give back to many people as well.
I don't want to say it means everything to me, because I have so much to be thankful for outside of golf, but it does mean a hell of a lot. I think it'll always play a significant part of my life and has done ever since the day I first made that air shot in Portugal on my family holiday...
So in short, what does golf mean to me?
It means so much to me. So, so much. It's given me this wonderful career, too many friends to mention and has allowed me to travel the world. Hopefully, it has allowed me to give back to many people as well.
I don't want to say it means everything to me, because I have so much to be thankful for outside of golf, but it does mean a hell of a
So in short, what does golf mean to me?
It means so much to me. So, so much. It's given me this wonderful career, too many friends to mention and has allowed me to travel the world. Hopefully, it has allowed me to give back to many people as well.
I don't want to say it means everything to me, because I have so much to be thankful for outside of golf, but it does mean a hell of a lot. I think it'll always play a significant part of my life and has done ever since the day I first made that air shot in Portugal on my family holiday...
So in short, what does golf mean to me?
It means so much to me. So, so much. It's given me this wonderful career, too many friends to mention and has allowed me to travel the world. Hopefully, it has allowed me to give back to many people as well.
I don't want to say it means everything to me, because I have so much to
So in short, what does golf mean to me?
It means so much to me. So, so much. It's given me this wonderful career, too many friends to mention and has allowed me to travel the world. Hopefully, it has allowed me to give back to many people as well.
I don't want to say it means everything to me, because I have so much to be thankful for outside of golf, but it does mean a hell of a lot. I think it'll always play a significant part of my life and has done ever since the day I first made that air shot in Portugal on my family holiday...
be thankful for outside of golf, but it does mean a hell of a lot. I think it'll always play a significant part of my life and has done ever since the day I first made that air shot in Portugal on my family holiday...
