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I began playing
golf at age 10 in Bellevue, WA. During high school I was a 4-year
letter winner on the Boy’s Golf Team and played in several local,
state, and a few national amateur events. In 1964 I received a golf
scholarship to a small college in Texas. A year later my family
moved to Miami, FL where I joined them to have the opportunity to
work on improving my game with the renowned instructor Bob Toski.
Bob and I would drive together from his home in Miami to the Ocean
Reef Club in Key Largo, an hour and a half journey one-way, 5-6 days
a week for a full year at least! When I wasn’t playing or practicing,
I would spend countless enjoyable hours watching Bob teach, and from
that my love for teaching developed. I could not possibly have had a
better mentor and I am so grateful for the opportunities, expertise
and friendship Bob provided.
In 1965 I met
and became good friends with Judy Rankin (LPGA and World Golf Hall
Of Fame member and golf television commentator). She spent about
three months in the winter off-season working with Bob at Ocean Reef
as the club’s tour representative. Judy and I played or practiced
golf together almost every day she was there. Bob
joined us in the afternoons after his lessons were finished. One
afternoon Judy and I were driving home from the PGA Show in Palm
Beach and Judy casually said, “Lesley, what are you going to do with
the rest of your life?” Well, that one question changed my life! We
were both 19 years old at the time, however Judy Torluemke (maiden
name) Rankin was already a well-known seasoned LPGA veteran with
three years of Tour experience. I greatly admired her. The question
stunned me.
I was having so much fun in the present, I had never
even thought about my future! I must have looked at her cross-eyed
because she smiled and said in her very soft spoken voice,
“Let’s think about this. You don’t have a college degree so I guess
you could work in a dime store to support yourself. A good job is
out of the question because you don’t want to go back to school. Or,
you could keep on living with your parents while they support
you.” WOW! Tears started streaming down my cheeks. I felt
so totally embarrassed and inadequate. “Now, here’s another option”
Judy said. “In about a month the Tour season begins and the first
three events are in Florida. Why don’t you consider playing them as
an amateur to see if you like it? I think you are good enough to
compete now. You won’t win right away but you won’t finish last
either, and you’ll get better as time goes on. You can travel with
me and I’ll help you learn the ropes along the way. It will be a
great learning experience and you will have a better idea about your
future.” WOW.
Turning
professional had never ever entered my mind. I was a pretty good 19
year-old player at the time but certainly not in Judy’s league. I
was obviously naïve and had never had a real job. I had won several
golf trophies, but no titles. Judy had a lot more confidence in my
abilities than I did!
Judy dropped me
off at my parent’s house. Mom, Dad, and I sat down and discussed the life-changing conversation. They reluctantly
agreed that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They said
I could go, but I had to call home at least three times a week
to let them know how I was doing!
You can
probably guess the rest. Who wouldn’t love playing with the world’s
greatest women golfers while enjoying all the camaraderie that goes
along with it? I absolutely adored those three weeks. I would have
won a little money too if I had been a pro. I had found my future.
Thank you Judy Rankin!
I turned professional
immediately and played
the LPGA Tour from 1966-1972 with winter rests and tune-ups with Bob
and Judy at Ocean Reef. By the way, I was a consistent money
winner on tour with my best finish being 2nd place in the
1970 Springfield Jaycee Open. I lost the event by one shot, to
guess who -- Judy Rankin. And during my playing career I called home a
few times a week too!
After seven
years of weekly travel, different motels, restaurants, and
Laundromats, it was time to change directions. This time I didn’t
fumble around trying to figure out what I would do. I knew I wanted
to teach golf. I began my teaching career in 1972 on Cape Cod, MA
and after two really cold winters returned to South Florida. I
taught
at the Biltmore Golf Course in Coral Gables, the home
course for the University of Miami’s golf teams. Soon I became the
University of Miami’s Women’s Golf Coach. I was with that program
from 1977-1981. Our teams won back-to-back National Championships as
well as having nine team members play on the LPGA Tour. I was named
AIAW Florida Golf Coach of the Year in 1981. I'm extremely proud to
have received the award.
Teaching golf
in South Florida in the summer months is absolutely brutal- the
weather is hot and very humid. My glasses fogged up every time
I went indoors! In 1981 I decided to return home to Bellevue,
WA and continue teaching there. After four years of teaching in the rain at Bear Creek
Country Club, and another year of coaching the University of
Washington Women’s Golf Team, I decided I wanted to work for myself.
In 1985
I opened an indoor teaching center
called Studio Fore. I incorporated video golf
instruction with computer swing analysis machines. I also did club
fitting for a local club maker. Studio Fore was an innovative, fun, and profitable business.
In 1995 Studio Fore
merged with O’Brien’s Golf
(the club maker) and expanded to include an indoor driving range. Studio Fore closed its doors when the
lease expired in 2000.
At this point
I was 55, with 28 years of
teaching behind me. I thought it was time to consider
semi-retirement. I wanted to do so in a dry, warm, sunny climate. I
discovered, and fell in love with the CasaBlanca Resort in Mesquite,
NV and became its Director of Golf Instruction in 2001.
So here I am. The
weather is great, the people are fabulous, and CasaBlanca is a
championship course with wonderful teaching facilities. I love every
day I've spent in Mesquite!
I’m so very
grateful for the marvelous opportunities I’ve had all along the way! |
