Selam Olson

LPGA*USGA Girls Golf

• Role at LPGA

  LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Member

• Year Joined Girls Golf 2015
• Girls Golf Program First Tee of Connecticut
• Who introduced you to golf and when did you start playing?

  I began taking First Tee lessons in 2015, but was introduced to golf when I was much younger through a family fun day that First Tee of Connecticut did with families from my summer camp.  I started golfing just because my mom thought it would be good for me to have a second activity. I remembered enjoying golf from the family fun day, decided to give it another try and it stuck.

• Why do you love to play golf?

  It’s a lot of fun.  I like that it’s low contact and involves a lot of thinking and strategy.  I’m competitive and it gives me a way to compete with other kids.

• What do you like most about Girls Golf?

  The opportunities and encouragement that it gives to young girls. For example, our chapter has had some events with college level players and I really like meeting collegiate athletes and being encouraged that I might be one someday.

• Why do you recommend golf to more women and girls?

  It’s a fun sport.  It’s beautiful on the course and being out in nature, especially when it’s early in the morning.  It’s a fun way to travel and meet people.  It’s a sport that you can play with other girls, and you can also compete with (and beat) boys, too. It’s also a sport that lasts a lifetime. I’ve been told that it’s good to know how to golf in order to succeed in business, also.

• How can golf be more welcoming to black women and girls?

  Hiring more BIPOC coaches and staff will bring more BIPOC girls to the sport.  When a coach looks like you, it encourages you to keep reaching and trying, because you can see yourself in them.  It would be great to have more representation in the LPGA, too.  I’m still a kid so I don’t have all the answers, but I think BIPOC women coaches and athletes will. Listen to them.

• What is your #LittleGirlBIGDream?

  I want to graduate from a top college, possibly in a STEM field, and get a career that makes a difference in people’s lives. I also want to play golf in college and in high school. (High school tryouts are in a few months...Wish me luck!)

• Who would be in your dream foursome?

  Jasmine Suwannapura, Troy Mullins, Mariah Stackhouse, and me!