The valuable lessons from Imani Alysse Stingley’s father have led her to find her passion in life. Imani tells the story of how her father taught her the game of golf. Born in the trend-setting East side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Imani enjoyed its various restaurants, parks, lively people, and myriad cultural activities and events. She fondly referred to it as the, “busy East Side.” In addition, she pointed out that she enjoyed the East Side because, “It also has the lakefront where I go to the beach.”
Imani currently resides in Brown Deer, a town 20 miles north of Milwaukee. There she continues the pursuit of her passion for golf, playing at the Brown Deer Golf Course. Before being truly capable of holding a golf club, Imani’s father introduced her to the game of golf. Imani said “my dad took up the game, and by the time I was old enough my dad put clubs in my hand, and we started to work on my swing at the driving range.” She further posited that, “We first worked on a grip, and then the fundamentals of a swing. We found out early that I had a natural swing, so we decided to take it seriously.” 
Evolving from the decision to take the game of golf seriously it was the passion for the game that she still cherishes to this day. Imani, now 18 years old, has been a member of the Wisconsin Junior PGA for the past eight years.
With the guidance of a swing coach, Scott Appleby, from the Missing Link Golf Course, Imani boasts a handicap score of 13:2. She has played in numerous PGA and WIAA events with her high school.
Imani stated that one of the reasons she loves playing the game of golf is because it teaches her how to handle herself while off the golf course: it teaches self-control. In turn, she plays every day during the high school golf season, but out-of-season, she said that, “I probably play about 2-3 times a week, between the driving range and being on the course.”
Aside from golf, she enjoys music, playing her tenor saxophone, the flute, and singing in the youth praise team at her church. She also enjoys playing basketball and volleyball. Today, Imani’s discipline, hard work, and love for the game have earned her a spot on The Tennessee State Women’s Golf team.
Writer Brooke Johnson resides in Pensacola, Florida
