8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 6-12, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com 831 Katherine Marren rarely takes time away from the course. She is the PGA director of instruction at Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel Valley—a club pro— and earned Women’s Player of the Year honors from the PGA’s Northern California Section a year ago. Which is to say she spends a lot of time teaching and playing the game. But this weekend, July 6-9, Marren is taking a step back to just watch. “I didn’t know I’d ever see a women’s open at Pebble,” she says. “I’m so excited.” Like thousands of other golf fans, Marren will spend the weekend at Pebble Beach Golf Links. For Marren, it’s familiar territory. For the past 30 years, she has served as an instructor in Monterey County—16 of those at Pebble Beach, 14 at Quail Lodge, where she still presides. Yet the duties of a PGA America club professional do not always allow for time on course. While she now tries to get in a round each week, there were decades when she might tee it up 10 times in a year, if she was fortunate. Marren is a self-described golf swing nerd. She enjoys analyzing the mechanics—the degree of rotation at points of the body, club arc, radial deviation. However, Marren is first and foremost a teacher. People come to her at different stages of improvement and with distinct learning styles. Some may understand what they are doing wrong, but cannot find a way to fix the issue. Others are completely lost. “There are barriers to learning,” Marren says. “Trying to get through those barriers—that’s a challenge.” The same lesson taught to three golfers could require three different approaches. “What did you feel your body doing? What did you feel that was different?” she asks. “You’re trying to be a guide to their understanding.” Golf has a way of layering frustration on those who attempt it. When coaches say the game teaches resilience, they are referring to the way golf tugs and tears at emotions over a few hours. Marren notes that everyone misfires. There’s no such thing as consistency, which is why helping people come to grips with the mental aspect is as important as the mechanics of a swing. “There are times I step up to a 3-foot putt and I have to remind myself ‘this is fun,’” she says. “You don’t ever let yourself think about the outcome.” Marren came to instruction naturally. A native of Maryland, Marren played college golf at North Carolina State University, “most often as the number six,” she says. With little demanded from her on course, she used the time to study the game, to work on its different aspects in detail. Her teammates began coming to Marren for advice. A teacher was born. Yet she can play, as well. To earn the section’s Woman’s Player of the Year honors, Marren finished in the top five at four Northern California PGA Women’s Division tournaments, a competition among regional club pros. She won at Half Moon Bay, was second on the leaderboard at Incline Village and also finished runner-up at her home course, Quail Lodge. How did another golfer edge Marren out? “We have a group of core players who love to compete—a couple who are fine players,” she explains. One of those is Pat Hurst, 1995 LPGA Rookie of the Year and a six-time winner on the tour, who is also an NCPGA member. “She’s a real player. I’m a club pro.” Although Hurst captured the crown at Quail, Marren’s fifth in the next event at Stanford was enough to secure the overall title—something that is a little bittersweet. The NCPGA section includes around 1,200 club pros. Just 50 of these are women. For decades, women rarely competed in section events. In 2020, the PGA introduced an award for the top female golfer on both a national and sectional basis. Marren claimed the 2019 title, but it was unofficial. “It still meant a lot to me,” she says. The game is changing. Over the past decade, PGA of America introduced several initiatives to bring more diversity to the game—“more than I ever thought they would,” Marren admits. That’s also why she is spending the weekend at Pebble Beach watching the world’s top women’s golfers endure the frustration and elation of the sport. “It’s the most exciting time for women’s golf,” Marren says. “It will help grow the game.” Pro Tip While Katherine Marren is reigning Player of the Year, Quail Lodge’s club pro puts teaching first. By Dave Faries “Every day is fun—beginners to more advanced and those in between,” club pro Katherine Marren says about teaching golf. “It doesn’t get stale. Each person is their own puzzle.” “She’s a real player. I’m a club pro.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS LET' S CELEBRATE! 2023 BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce GET TICKETS! BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2023 Celebrating Excellence in the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Business Community! Thursday, July 20, 2023 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Monterey Conference Center
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