School of Golf: Meet Pro Golfer Maggie Noel

Monday, 18 November 2013 22:11 Written by  Brittany Rodgers

Maggie Noel isn’t your ordinary golfer. She rocks a short edgy haircut, has tattoos, is a woman of color, and she’s the only female golf instructor for the chain business Top Golf.

A 25-year-old Houston native, Maggie has proven that she’s a dominating woman in the golf world. From winning every tournament she played in as a kid, playing for a D-1 college and eventually getting the opportunity to go on tour and getting paid to do what she loves.

Overall, Maggie definitely makes golf a sexy sport.


GlossMagaineOnline(GMO): How did you get introduced to the sport of golf?

Maggie: My dad would pick me up on the weekends as a kid and when he would, he would take me to play golf. He would do it as a recreational thing with his friend but he would tag me along and would put a golf club in my hand.

One particular time when we went out to practice I was six-years-old; I was hitting very well and a gentlemen behind us told my dad that I had a natural ability. He told my dad, as a female golfer you should keep her in this sport because you don’t have to be great and I could get a scholarship.

That light bulb went off in my dad’s head and he said he was keeping me in golf. Since then he signed me up for every junior clinic, junior tournament. Whatever it was that was in the city, I was in it. I was good, around the city I was dominating. Every tournament I played, I was dominating it.

 

Maggie had a few offers when it came down to picking a college. She took a 70 percent scholarship to the University of North Texas and played golf all four years.

GMO: What was your experience like playing in college?

Maggie: Growing up and playing in an all-black school, I never had a team behind me. I was the golf team; I never had that pressure of having to back my team up. By the time I got to college, a D-1 University, I had a team.

I started to experience this new found pressure and anxiety. So, whenever I would play, I would get nervous. I found my body shaking (hands were shaking). I would miss these little putts and it really start affecting my game.

During my college years, I got the worst of it (anxiety). It really hurt me mentally, it was depressing and embarrassing.

I started seeing a sports psychiatrist once a week. I started reading books to find a solution but nothing would work. Even practicing and putting money on the line was not working. Eventually I had to get put on medication; and sure enough my scores started to drop again. I was able to perform the way I knew I was able to. So my scores started to drop my junior year and by my senior year, I said I was done.

 

After graduating, moving to Plano, Texas and taking a break from golf, Maggie decided that she wasn’t satisfied with what she doing. She didn’t want to look back later in life and wish she would’ve gone pro or miss out on how far she could’ve taken her golf career. After having that epiphany moment, Maggie packed her apartment up and was back in Houston 30 days later.

 

Maggie: I moved back out to Houston, started playing and signed up for a tournament. I played in the Texas Women’s Amateur in 2011; had not played in a year. From going to barely making the cut from going to the match play, I ended up winning the entire tournament. By winning it, I got attention from all these write ups in the papers.

{I} was gaining sponsors and was able to travel and play golf and everything was getting paid for.

While I was playing, I started to notice my anxiety creep back up. I was still taking the medication just as a precaution but I started to see my body fight through the medicine. I saw myself starting to take more and get higher doses.

It started to dawn on me that maybe I’m not supposed to play on tour, maybe that’s not my purpose. By that time, I decided to take another avenue, decided that if I’m not on tour I’m not playing.

GMO: Since golf wasn’t working out, what did you decide to do?

Maggie: I started contacting agencies in LA since golf didn’t work, and I take good pictures so I took a shot at it.

Thirteen days later, I moved back to Houston.

GMO: Was the move back to Houston an easy transition for you?

Maggie: Before I left, I started teaching golf. I had a few clients and got with the city parks and recreation department. I never taught golf but I had a way of teaching where my clients were very receptive.

I decided to teach golf when I came back to Houston because I didn’t want to bartend. One of my clients told me to come over to Top Golf. I came over and they told me they were hiring for bartenders and golf instructors. I told them I was an instructor and they said they were looking for a female instructor. They didn’t have one in Houston, UK or any other sites. They don’t have a female instructor for this entire company. The manager contacted me, and I got hired.

Before I got on the floor I was still training, and the Golf Channel was here doing a segment on the Top Golf Houston site. I was filling in; they saw me swinging and noticed how good it was. They asked me if I was the ‘female instructor’ and said they wanted to do a piece on me.

The next day, they did a piece on me, it was great. That’s how I found myself here at Top Golf.

GMO: What is some advice you would give to young women in their 20s that are having a hard time finding out what they want to do?

Maggie: One thing I would say is, it’s ok if you don’t know. I’m 25 and I’m still figuring it out. You want to know what you like to do but you don’t have to say I want to do that because what if you stop falling in love with that.

Everybody is expecting you to do that. Well, what happens when you don’t want to do that anymore? Do what you love to do, because nothing is worse than waking up and going to a job you don’t like.

GMO: Besides golfing, what else do you like to do in your spare time?

Maggie: I love the outdoors; fishing, bowling, cooking, and I love my dog I adopted in July.

GMO: It’s pretty cool that you are the only female golf instructor at Top Golf and you teach the sport in a way that everyone can understand.

Maggie: I do a ladies clinic every Sunday. Ladies are learning the game and loving the game. I have junior golfers. They listen to me I’m like their role models especially for little girls.

The more I teach and roll the game, the more blessings come my way. It’s my turn to give the information back because growing up, I never paid a dime for anything, I was blessed.

I couldn’t be any happier and all of these opportunities are falling into place.




Brittany Rodgers

Brittany Rodgers

Brittany Rodgers is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism. She has written for a variety of publications, including The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Defender newspaper. She also is a blogger and enjoys social media.

Brittany can be contacted at BrittLRodgers@yahoo.com

Website: heartbrittlashay.tumblr.com