Imani Stingley (photo contributed)
BY AAGD STAFF
December 2, 2019
23-year-old Imani Stingley started work as a server/bartender at the Old Natchez Country Club in Franklin, Tennessee in August of 2018. Today, her uniform looks a whole lot different, as she now answers to the title of Assistant Golf Professional. Ambitious, this young woman has her sights set even higher, aiming to be among the 28,000 PGA professionals in America—where there are just a few dozen African Americans at this level.
Imani Stingley (photo contributed)
How did such a transition occur for Imani? Old Natchez, founded in 1882, is the area’s oldest country club in continual existence. The private Williamson County club has a challenging golf course and plenty of amenities to satisfy its members including 6 clay tennis courts, private dining in the casual Tap Room, an elegant Grille Room, a junior Olympic swimming pool with a slide and covered pool pavilion. There is also a state of the art fitness room, a full-service golf pro shop. The Club’s beautiful banquet facility, extensive social events calendar, event lawn and a spacious veranda that stretches the length of the 30,000sq.ft. clubhouse once kept Imani busy at its kitchen and bar along with offering a wide variety of activities and events for members of all ages to enjoy.
Imani Stingley (photo contributed)
But that all changed for Imani. “I expressed to my food and beverage managers that I was interested in working in the golf industry and thinking about going back to school for the PGM through the PGA,” explained Imani. “My food and beverage manager invited me to play golf and saw that I could actually hit the ball and helped filter me into the Golf Shop. That’s when I met the head pro and he helped me decide to really make this ‘going back to school’ happen.”
Imani grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Milwaukee’s private Cardinal Stritch University. She played golf at Tennessee State University for 2 years, then transferred to Cardinal Stritch University where she was on the golf team there for 2 years.
Excited about the new job at Old Natchez CC, Imani is cultivating relationships and expanding her business network in order to reach her professional goals. “I am making my way into the golf industry,” she says. “The head professional and the other assistant professional at the club are both Class A professionals and are excited to help me work on my game, as I plan to start the PGM next year.”
Imani Stingley with her father Derrick Stingley (photo contributed)
Imani’s involvement in golf was the result of exposure by her father, Derrick, and her uncle, Craig. Both gentlemen are avid golfers, seasoned businessmen, and through their company CS Innovation, inventors of golf putters and training aids. Together, they guided a young Imani along the pathway to golf. “When I was about 7 or 8-years old, my dad took me and my middle sister to the driving range to start teaching us the basics of golf. I ended up having a natural golf swing, so we decided to take it seriously,” says Imani. With her new job responsibilities, Imani says she tries to get in as many rounds of play as possible in Nashville, TN where she has relocated. “My mother only lives two-hours from me here. So we try to play at least once a month, work permitting,” she adds.
Imani Stingley (photo contributed)
A BRIGHT FUTURE
“In 5 years, I want to have finished the PGM program and be able to teach and work with African American women in the corporate world who are interested in getting into the golf game. I hear about so many Black women who wished they knew how to golf, so they could get out there for work outings, or just for leisure. But they are too nervous about being “bad.’ I want to help them and make them feel more comfortable in a white, male-dominated sport.” Imani is on the right track, taking her professional aspirations seriousness she has a bright future ahead of her.
