COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — I had to be clear right away with the kids from First Tee-Southern Colorado, the woman they volunteered to coach at Valley Hi Golf Course that afternoon really had no clue how to play golf.
"I need to give you a little insight into my experience, it's zero," I said. "I did swing a club twice at Top Golf, but then I just got interested in the snacks."
They immediately knew they had their work cut out for them.
Dianne Derby: What is this?
Nash Legg: It's a putter. It's something you use to play golf
My first lesson: putting. My target: rubber ducks on tees.
Eight-year-old Nash Legg made putting look so simple, lightly tapping the ball with his putter and hitting the blue duck perched on top of a golf tee.
He taught me it all starts with the proper stance. Right away my elbows were a problem.
"Instead of bent like this you're gonna keep it straight so your arms don't go like this," he said as he corrected my form.
I immediately wondered if the putter he gave me was the right height. Then I realized the problem wasn't the putter, it was my awkward stance and overthinking.
After a few more tries remembering to keep my arms straight, with my dominant hand down, I was ready to move on.
Dianne Derby: What's next?
Nash Legg: Chipping.
Eight-year-old Brady Stilson-Medina was my chipping coach.
Dianne Derby: So how is this chipping business actually going to help me overall?
Brady Stilson-Medina: Just because it's a lesson and you're gonna know how to do it.
But knowing how to chip and actually doing it are not the same thing.
Brady Stilson-Medina: So swing through and then go like that. Okay, you're gonna give the grass a haircut, a little bit.
Dianne Derby: A haircut?
Brady Stilson-Medina: Yeah.
Dianne Derby: I didn't know hair was involved in this whole thing.
Just like my putting coach, my chipping coach made it all look so simple, too.
"As I'm doing this, I'm realizing how amazing it is that anyone gets the ball to move, and that there ever is a hole-in-one," I said.
At that point in my lesson, I was just happy if I made contact with the ball. The quiet golf claps I got from the parents watching their kids teach me was proof I was getting somewhere.
Once I had clearly "mastered" chipping, I was ready for my final lesson from 14-year-old Meryn Myers.
Meryn Myers: You're going to learn a full swing which is going to be your first shot when you play a hole.
Dianne Derby: I do not think I'm ready for this.
Meryn Myers: You're gonna be fine.
Dianne Derby: I'm putting my trust in you to teach me this. You've been doing this how many years?
Meryn Myers: Twelve.
Meryn was about to teach me another stance.
Dianne Derby: All I learned about was "Y" shapes. Now I've got to add other letters.
Meryn Myers: You have to add an "L" to this.
Dianne Derby: Okay
Meryn Myers: It sounds harder than it is.
Dianne Derby: I don't believe you, because you're really skilled at this. All right, show me what it's gonna look like.
Meryn Myers: So you are doing to take it back and you're gonna make a basic "L" shape with your foot.
After a few practice swings, I was ready to try a full swing.
Meryn Myers: I feel like you're good. I feel like you can hit it
Dianne Derby: Okay. Here we go.
Miraculously, I hit the ball on my first full swing.
Dianne Derby: That was a fun noise.
Meryn Myers: It is a fun noise.
Dianne Derby: Hold on can we just take a moment? I actually hit it and the ball moved on my first try.
Meryn Myers: Yes.
Dianne Derby: Okay.
Meryn Myers: Which is amazing.
Dianne Derby: I'm basically athletic now.
Meryn Myers: Pretty much.
Dianne Derby: I'm a golfer.
Meryn Myers: Yes!
A "golfer" who knows she's nothing without the coaches who had her back on her very first day on a course.
Dianne Derby: I love that I learned this from you. I will always remember that. Thank you.
Meryn Myers: Thank you
First Tee-Southern Colorado has summer camps and programs year round. All equipment is free and scholarships are available. They also are looking for volunteers who want to help mentor children and teach them how to play. Click here for more information.
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