No Stopping Now

The ANNIKA Foundation's Jordan Hatch talks about her journey as a golfer and what made the biggest difference along the way.

Last week I had the opportunity to play in my first ever Suncoast Tour golf event in Orlando. I was both nervous and excited. The tournament held a field of professionals and amateurs that added up to about 27 girls. The 3-day tournament was held at on the Palmer Course at Reunion Resort, which was beautiful. Luckily I was able to get in a practice round the Sunday before so I wouldn’t have to play the course blind.

Growing up, my parents pushed me to get involved in many different sports, including basketball, softball, soccer, golf, tumbling, cheerleading, cross-country, track and volleyball. I enjoyed doing them all but one managed to stick with me all the way through college, and that was golf.

As a child, I learned the game in fun little clinics at Rockford Park District in northern Illinois. Every week during the summer, the clinics would consist of short game contests, range, rules and then playing. Being a very competitive person helped me—I would practice more than the other kids because I didn’t want to lose.

Coming from a background with little money, these clinics were all my parents could afford, so I made the best of it and enjoyed it. It’s where I really learned the game. I was also around golf a lot on the weekends as well because my dad and both of my brothers played. After I started golfing, Sunday mornings were great because then the boys would finally take me along.

I continued my golf career at Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford where I was captain of my team. After high school I went to a nearby junior college where I played on the men’s golf team and made it to the girl’s junior college national tournament. From there, I was recruited by another junior college in southern Illinois where I played my sophomore year of college. That year we made it to nationals again, where I was recruited yet again. Finally, I made my way down to Saint Leo University just north of Tampa where I completed my final two years of eligibility. There, my game flourished. I began to be more consistent and my lower rounds became more frequent than the higher ones. I finished my collegiate golf career at Saint Leo University and it brought me to where I am now playing on the Suncoast Tour as an amateur.

Throughout these years of golf, the most meaningful lessons I had received were the ones at Rockford Park District when I was young, as well as my different coaches along the way. I was not raised in an environment where I could afford professional lessons all through my life, but I think I did a pretty good job with what I had.

I may not be one of the top female golfers yet, but someday I will be. In my work at the ANNIKA Foundation this summer, I helped organize ANNIKA Junior Day and taught children from the Orlando Minority Youth Golf Association and Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida about putting. This year’s event brought back a lot of memories of how the clinics were taught when I was younger. I hope and pray the kids stick with whatever they love and know every little bit matters. You don’t always need professional coaches to get where you want, but you do need dedication and passion for what you love.

I always dreamed about moving to Florida and playing as a professional. As I grew up, I didn’t know if it was going to happen. However, all the different paths I went down finally led me to where I wanted to go, and now I’m here doing what I love.

The Suncoast Tour is only the beginning for me but definitely a strong starting point. These tournaments are a stepping stone for me to see where I will place among great golfers. I entered this first tournament to see where I would rank, and to just get into the competitive mode again. I told myself going into it to just have fun and love the experience. I didn’t play well this first tournament, but now I know what I need to work on to get better and that’s what I’m going to do to get ready for the next one. 

- Jordan Hatch, Projects Manager, ANNIKA Foundation