durham inc.
HOT SHOT W E C H AT W I T H N ATAS H A A I N S L E Y-T H O M AS O F G O L F H E R , A C O M M U N I T Y- B U I L D I N G O R G A N I Z AT I O N DESIGNED TO EMPOWER WOMEN THROUGH GOLF P H O T O BY J O H N M I C H A E L S I M P S O N
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atasha AinsleyThomas came to the United States on a golf scholarship, a sport that had been a lifelong passion and a meaningful way to spend time with family when she was growing up in England. After a challenging first year at the University of Central Arkansas, she transferred to McKendree University in Illinois to complete her undergraduate studies – earning a bachelor’s in exercise science and sport performance, with a minor in sports psychology – but still felt unfulfilled in her athletic journey. The onset of COVID-19 presented an unexpected opportunity: “I got my extra year of eligibility and did my master’s at NCCU [in 2021],” she said. At North Carolina Central University, under the guidance of Head Coach Kendra Greene, AinsleyThomas found her place in the school’s new golf program. “It was one of the best decisions I ever made,” Ainsley-Thomas said. “Even though I was only at NCCU for a year, that’s the school that I associate with the most. It was such a great experience.” Ainsley-Thomas graduated with her master’s in kinesiology and athletic administration in 2022, and saw an opportunity to empower more women to
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embrace the game of golf. Today, as the co-founder and CEO of GolfHer, she leads efforts to promote inclusivity and create spaces where women, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, can learn and thrive in the sport. Can you dive further into the inspiration behind GolfHer and its goals? How does the program work? Growing up as a woman of color, I never really played with other girls who looked like me or were in my age group. This is a very individual sport as it is, but it doesn’t have to be. It can be such a sociable sport. And seeing what men get out of the game – a chance to socialize and stay active while providing networking opportunities that can enhance career growth – women might not benefit from the same experience due to not knowing the game, which is a huge reason that women don’t even try. It can be incredibly intimidating to step into this space. That was a big part of it for me, just creating a space and trying to make people feel more comfortable in this [sport] and also educating people that it’s OK to be bad at it … like with everything, you walk before you run. You’re going to hit the ball in the water a bunch of times before you clear that pond. Those are lessons that everyone can learn, but I wanted
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“I wouldn’t be here today without my mom, [Judi Thomas],” said Natasha Ainsley-Thomas, seen here at State of Golf in American Tobacco Campus. “Golf was something for us to do together and bond as mother and daughter. … My mom is so resilient and is a big part of why I want to support other women.”
to target women because that’s something I’m passionate about. Whenever you hit a ball and it’s going off course or not where you want it, you yell “fore!” really loud … and I always used to feel very uncomfortable on the golf course shouting fore. It took a long time for me to step up and be loud and take up space on the golf course, so that’s one of the lessons that I love to talk about in golf: Don’t let it get to a point where your ball is heading
toward people before you speak up and make yourself known on the course. It’s OK to take up space in every situation in your life if you’re confident and respectful. I think that lesson especially speaks to women, because we often shy away and don’t make much noise, and it’s OK for us to, especially in sports. GolfHer started in November 2023, and we’ve done events, [promoted] online [blogs, resources and guides], [hosted]