Story by Krista Martinelli, Photos by Alan Fabricant
A few months ago, I discovered a ladies’ golf group that meets on Saturday mornings at Okeeheelee Golf Course. This weekend they are celebrating two years as a group. To celebrate, the ladies (along with their families) got together at Adventure Mini Golf in Lake Worth and had a potluck party. What I love about the golf lessons on Saturday morning is that there is no judgement – you can be at any level of golfing, even an absolute beginner. The lessons are with golf pro Darrell Welker and cost only $20 (cash) and you RSVP on the Facebook page “Wellington Ladies Golf Club.” As a general rule, a maximum of ten people can sign up for the Saturday morning lesson, which runs from 9am to 10am. I talked to founders of the group Melanie Kafka and Carole Glushien, as well as golf pro Darrell Welker.
I asked Melanie Kafka what gave her the idea to start a Ladies Golf Club in Wellington. “A few of us used to go to a lesson and it was great, not intimidating. During the pandemic, golf was one of the only sports you could play, and we continued to go. Carole Glushien helped bring this all together, as she has the contacts, and her kids are golfers. In general, we suck at golf. We know this,” she laughs. “We wanted to have a place where it would be OK to still be allowed to be out there with our golf clubs and our shenanigans. We found a home in Okeeheelee Golf Course.”
She went on to say that the potluck party and mini golf would be a great celebration of their hard work as organizers. Also, we are recognizing one of our MVP’s, Christa Hutton, who has done a lot to boost attendance at the lessons. “I have a whole notebook full of ideas for the future,” says Melanie, who recently met with Carole to think of extracurricular activities, which will supplement the weekly golf lessons.
“Why do you enjoy golf personally? What lessons does it teach us?” I asked Melanie.
“It’s like yoga where I get to hit things. Namaste golf! I get to calm down, focus on nothing but being outside. You just focus on this one small area, and it takes all other worries out of the picture. I want everyone to experience this. Why golf? I grew up in a very male world, where there were a lot of pro golfer guys in my family. It was kept from me intentionally. Women don’t get the same opportunities as men in golf. So now here’s your opportunity, ladies!”
I also spoke to Carole Glushien about the golf group. “It started at a late-night wine night when we were brainstorming,” says Carole. Her youngest child was seven and taking golf lessons already, while her oldest was a golfing assistant at Okeeheelee. “You know the soccer mom? I was the golf mom. I just found the place and the coach,” she explains. The coach was originally Trish Beucher at Okeeheelee.
Today the golf coach is Darrell Welker and I spoke with him about what he enjoys most about teaching the ladies golf group on Saturday mornings. He says, “I was privileged to be able to learn the game at an early age and had my first lesson at 7. I was injured before orthoscopic surgery was available. These days I love the ability to give back and giving back information to help people learn the game better.” Welker was a professional golfer for a living and now has been teaching golf for approximately 35 years.
We also talked about the variety of levels that come for the lesson. “We have a few girls who golf regularly. A few girls who are beginners. It’s interesting because you’re helping people of all skill levels. The challenge is always there to help the individual. Stance and posture are always so important. I’m blessed to have the girls…it’s fun for me and I’m hoping it’s fun for them.”
If interested in joining the group on Facebook, which now has over 200 members, just visit “Wellington Ladies Golf Club.” Or if you don’t have Facebook, you can email: wellingtonladiesgolfclub@gmail.com
