Daphne Pineda is an analyst at AIG who has recently taken up golf and is working on her game with Teaching Professional Randy Taylor at The Bridge Golf Learning Center in Harlem. She recently fielded some questions from Executive Director Farrell Evans.
FE: Tell us a little about your background.
DP: I am from a family that emigrated from the Philippines in the 1970s. I grew up on the Jersey Shore and have lived in New York, San Francisco and Boston. I work in legal technology as an analyst for AIG.
FE: What was your journey to golf and starting lessons with Randy Taylor at our Learning Center?
DP: I have a group of friends that I worked with and then we went our separate ways. We wanted to keep in touch, and in New York City a good way of keeping in touch is to go out for meals and drinks. One of my friends said, “why don’t we do something aside from eating and drinking?” She suggested we take golf lessons, so we went to the driving range and we just started hitting. It became a good way for us to start getting together, and from that point I decided that I really needed to get lessons. My father, who played, said, “you better stop right now and get lessons.”
FE: You grew up around the game but didn’t play?
DP: My father, grandfather and uncles all played in the Philippines, but my dad didn’t really play too much in the U.S. So I really wasn’t exposed to the game that much, but he would tell me stories and there were always golf clubs in the house. My dad is elderly now and can’t walk, but he comes to the driving range to watch when he can.
My greatest influencer with golf is my sister, Marion, who lent me her golf clubs when I mentioned I wanted to learn how to play. She has been playing for several years in California, learning with an instructor on the public courses in Long Beach. We are excited to play on the courses in Southern California as a family.
FE: What’s been your experience since you began lessons with Randy in January?
DP: Randy has been a great teacher and he’s also been a great mentor in the game itself. I’ve been very lucky to come to The Bridge Golf Learning Center. I’m taking a lesson once a week. It’s something that I look forward to. I also told friends about it, and one of them has started working with Randy also. Now that the season has started we’re going to spend more time on the golf course.
FE: What are you working on with Randy?
DP: I’m a beginner, so I’m still learning about standing correctly and how to consistently make contact with the ball. I know that I need to practice more, so I’m trying to integrate it into my schedule each week. Randy has given me drills that I’m supposed to think about, such as keeping my eye on the ball and committing to my swing.
FE: Through an event at The Learning Center, you became acquainted with LPGA Women Who Play. Tell us about getting to know other women interested in the sport.
DP: I’ve met a lot of the ladies and we’ve watched seminars on the history and etiquette of golf. They have been really great and supportive.
FE: What are your long-term objectives as a player?
DP: I want to integrate it more in my life as I get better at my swing. I’m just enjoying spending time with people at LPGA Women Who Play, as well as with personal friends talking about the game.
FE: Are you watching golf on television?
DP: I’ve been making an effort every week to watch the tournaments so that I can learn from them.
FE: What’s your favorite part of the game?
DP: I like the athleticism and discipline of it. There is a huge learning curve and I’m at the state where it’s very difficult to make the little white ball go where I want it to go. But I’m really enjoying it.
FE: How do you encourage friends who might be hesitant to take up the game?
DP: I tell people that this is the kind of game where you get to meet and talk to a lot of people. It’s centered around socializing, even in business. It’s not unusual in my industry for people to go out and play golf. Now I can go with them or at least talk to them about it.
FE: What are some of your other passions?
DP: During the summer, I sail and go to the beach. I’ve been crewing on boats for several years. I find golf and sailing very similar in that the learning curve for both is very difficult, and they both have some community built around them. You don’t just enjoy the sport itself, but the friends you make around it.
FE: What are you reading?
DP: I’m a huge science fiction fan. The last book I read was “New York 2140.” It’s about New York being underwater in the future because of global warming. It’s very entertaining.
FE: Have you found that eating out less and going to the driving range more is better all-around healthwise?
DP: Yes. Legal technology people don’t go outside very much.