Why I Started The Girls Academy

A few years ago, while traveling with the UBC Women’s Golf Team, we had a conversation in the van about how each player got into golf. Every single girl had learned from a male coach. That moment stuck with me long after the trip.

Sports—especially golf—have long been dominated by male coaches. The higher the level of competition, the fewer female coaches you see. Only 26% of head coaches for women’s teams are women, and in the past decade, just 10% of accredited coaches at the Summer and Winter Olympics have been female. In Canada, women make up only 6% of PGA professionals. I’ve been fortunate to learn from incredible male coaches and had great experiences in sports growing up, but I rarely saw myself reflected in the leaders around me.

That realization sparked a question: Why couldn’t there be a program led by a female coach? And with that, the Girls Academy was born.

I wanted to give families an option—a program where young girls could see themselves in their coach, feel empowered, and grow within the game. But it had to be more than just technical skill development. My goal was to create a team environment within an individual sport, fostering kindness, support, friendship, competition, determination, and resilience. In other sports, like gymnastics, athletes train together as a team, while competing individually. The support I felt as a gymnast—and later as a coach—were invaluable. So why couldn’t golf offer that same experience?

This academy isn’t just about golf. It’s about confidence, community, and changing the face of coaching. It’s about addressing the real reasons girls leave sports in their adolescences. It’s about breaking barriers and showing young girls that leadership in sports can—and should—look like them. Together, we push ourselves to be the best we can be—on and off the course.