When it comes to the game of golf, women are driving unprecedented growth across the country. Young women in North Texas who golf have a huge leg up thanks to top-notch technology at the PGA of America Coaching Center in Frisco.
15-year-old Grace Cronin of Frisco who plays for Panther Creek High School said the game of golf is her life.
“I’ve shot in the 80s, mid-80s, I’ve shot 70s and I shot a 69 before and that’s my PR (personal record),” said Cronin.
She caught the bug when she was five years old, all thanks to her dad.
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“I have been playing golf for as long as I can remember, he’s always taken me to the driving range and he’s taken me out to play on the course with him,” she said.
Seven years later and a trip to state, Cronin says golf has built confidence and character.
“I feel like I have a better mental outlook on life because of golf," she said. "It just makes me feel so alive and strong.”
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That strength, she said, has come from mentors like Paige Holland, a coach at PGA of America’s Coaching Center.
"Just seeing her come out of her shell with each day and just the way she gets to express herself through the game of golf, it’s incredible,” Holland said.
Since 2019, women’s golf participation has increased 45% according to the National Golf Foundation. It’s, “off course” experiences that are driving interest, like here at the PGA Coaching Center.
“Just the technology that’s here. Whenever I first saw it, I was blown away because we can take any putt, projected onto the green and it can track what your golf ball does and it can see what your putter does,” Holland said.
The Science and Motion Putt Lab technology and Toptracer bays with AI-powered analytics help golfers shape up their game.
For Cronin, who can now beat her Dad at a round of golf says her sights are set on her game at the next level. “At this point, college is the goal and I’m really looking forward to making that goal a reality,” she said.
PGA of America’s Coaching Center in Frisco is open to the public. Frisco will host the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June.
