BY AAGD STAFF
At 29-years young, Jamie Taylor loves her native Buckeye State of Ohio. Here, she has remained close to her Cleveland home where she intends to continue accomplishing her career goals. It’s the familiar, friendly faces that keep her spirits high, along with the proximity of some great municipal golf courses that are situated nearby.
She grew up in a loving household where golf was a regular past-time pleasure. In fact, she, her father, mother, and brother all took lessons together at a local driving range. They even make it a point to play rounds during family outings and vacations. Jamie’s always liked being active and the tennis court, likewise, holds an attraction for her. She still plays at the local racquet club on occasion.
(Left: Jamie gives a lesson to one of the many youth who come to Cleveland Metroparks.)
Jamie has been a member of the LPGA since 2011 and carries a 7.6 handicap. Since October 2008, she’s worked at Cleveland Metroparks as a Golf Professional/Clubhouse Manager while serving the needs of the public, providing instruction and seeing her goals come to fruition. Jamie is the youngest, as well as, the first and the only minority female golf professional that has ever worked for Cleveland Metroparks.
She graduated from Gannon University with an MBA and holds a Club Performance Fitting Specialist Certification. Her career success is paved with years of dedication and hard work and she is proud to have received 2nd place for sports innovation from the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association for her Women’s Super Clinics.
“My passion is working to bring more women and minority children into the game and retain them,” she says. “I am the first golf professional in Cleveland to do weekly golf tips for Channel 3-WKYC News (Summer of 2013).
Front row (left) Fred Lissauer, golf volunteer; Back row (left), Jeff Staker, PGA pro; (center), Michael Breed, PGA pro and host of “The Golf Fix” on The Golf Channel, Jaime Taylor (far right)
With all that is happening in her life Jamie has not played competitively since 2006. “Maybe, I’ll get out three times a month to play, if I’m lucky,” says the stunning, long-haired brunette. When she does play, most often it is with her friend, Aaron Oliver, an avid golfer who is working on obtaining his PGA card.
Seneca Golf Course is Jamie’s home course and it is located in Broadview, Heights, OH. The course opened on August 1, 1940 to provide “fine, low-cost, pay-as-you-play golfing” to Cleveland’s westsiders. Federal Art’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds were secured to develop it. Today, the 18 hole, 72 par course is a beauty to behold with smooth greens and consistent fairways.
“I enjoy playing golf because of the challenge of the game. I am super competitive and it allows me to rely on no one else, but myself,” says the bachelorette. She’s also captivated in being outdoors and seeing the beautiful layout of different courses.
Jaime Taylor
As a golf professional, Jamie realizes the importance of receiving good instruction and applying lessons learned.
“My two most influential coaches are Giles Everhart, who first taught my whole family how to play. The second is George Stinchcomb. At age 90, he still coaches me today.”
Stinchcomb has seen Jamie come a long way in her golf development and helped her compete when she was in high school, and college.
“Golf instruction helped me to compete at a high level. Without my instructors, I would not have been able to achieve a score that would have allowed me to be offered full rides to eight different colleges.”
Each year, many of these scholarship opportunities for Black college-bound students go unclaimed. Jamie realizes how fortunate she was to have gotten introduced to golf.
“I have volunteered as lead instructor for the Greater Cleveland Junior Golf Scholarship Fund, Inc. (GCJGSF) for five years. Volunteering for this organization is my greatest joy, because the students who graduate from this program go on to attend college.”
“My biggest challenge in this game is myself. I get so frustrated with myself that I often mentally breakdown, before the physical part of my game breaks down.
“If I knew what I know now, about how to stay mentally tough on the course, I would have been a stronger competitor.”—Jaime Taylor
Jamie’s motivation for the game goes far beyond that. It is derived from her students. As each one goes from learning about the various woods, irons, tees, balls, and rules of the game, it is the excitement of watching them play their first nine holes that remind her why she loves this game so much.
“I just like to play with no expectations and enjoy the atmosphere,” she admits. And when she is not playing golf, Jamie can be found fulfilling her quest for international travel, shopping, or spending time with her dear friends and family.
