She hit the shot eight years ago, but like any truly obsessed golfer, Alex Andersen can still see it. It was a drive – a line drive – down the middle of the first fairway at Ridgemark Golf Club in Hollister, California.
“That’s what kept me coming back, that one shot. I can still picture it to this day,” said Andersen, 36. “I remember struggling, I still have videos of me swinging irons that day, and I just couldn’t hit the ball. I kept on trying because I wanted that same feeling that I got when I hit that driver.”
Andersen had never given golf the time of day in her early 20s, despite working in member billing and human resources at Ridgemark in her hometown of Hollister for four years. But after that day on the course, a monumental shift occurred.
Andersen is the founder of Babes Golf, an organization launched in 2017 that has brought together roughly 200 female members across chapters in Orange County, California; San Diego and Scottsdale, Arizona, where Andersen is based. Running Babes Golf is a full-time job for Andersen, given the full slate of tournaments, outings and clinics across three locations.
Andersen, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business management entrepreneurship from San Diego State University, always knew she wanted to start a business; she just wasn’t sure what that business would be. A professor told her it would have to be something she was passionate about, and the passion took a few years to develop.
Andersen originally came to golf through a former boyfriend who loved the game. He would work a two-weeks-on, two-weeks-off schedule, and in the off weeks, Andersen remembers that the two would play every day. Her boyfriend taught her a few basics, and she picked up the rest on her own.
When that relationship ended, Andersen found she didn’t want to stop playing. She began recruiting friends to go to the driving range with her to make it less intimidating. That became a standing event and grew in size.
CLICK HERE TO READ THIS UNLOCKED STORY AT GGP Women... AND USE COUPON CODE GGPW48 TO SAVE 20% ON AN ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION