Claire Cameron (Claire Cameron Golf Academy)

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome. Cause you are now listening to from the CART Pass with your host Trent Roberts bringing you tips, support and player recognition and education with the experts for parents and junior golfers in Indiana. This is from the CART Path with your host Trent Roberts. Foreign welcome everyone. This is Trent Roberts again with from the CART Path and I have a special guest this week, but let me introduce her first. As a junior golfer, she had 42 total tournament wins, qualified for five USGA US Girls Junior Championships and competed in several AJGA events. Her best Finish was a second at the Stacy Lewis Open. She's the 2013 Indiana State Girls State Champion. The last year we had a Match Play championships for junior girls so she's still the defending state girl Junior Match play champion. In 2014 Western AM she finished in fifth place. She's the three time Indiana golf Association Player of the year and her final year as a Junior she ranked 130th in the world and went on to play at the University of Kentucky. In 2018 she was inducted into the Golf Week Junior Golf Tour hall of fame. And in 2020 she turned professional and in 2022 she became a teaching professional. Today she runs the Claire Cameron Golf Academy at Southern Dunes Golf Course on the south side of Indianapolis. We have much to discuss to today and I'm excited to have Claire Cameron on the podcast. But before that, Claire, there was a lot of tongue twisters in there and I'm probably going to have to re record that a few times. But welcome to the show. [00:01:50] Speaker B: Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure. I'm excited. [00:01:54] Speaker A: Great. So how did you get started in golf? [00:01:57] Speaker B: Oh my gosh. My dad introduced me to the game when I was very young. I think about six, five, six years old. Just kind of started hitting in the backyard and kind of knew from an early age that I liked it and honestly watched golf on TV with my dad and looked up to women professionals like Paula Kramer and Morgan Pressell and thought what they did was really cool and just knew that I wanted to play golf. I played some other sports but nothing really stuck like golf. So yeah, just started at a very young age and fell in love with it very quickly. [00:02:35] Speaker A: What course did you grow up on? [00:02:38] Speaker B: So I grew up on Foxcliffe Golf Club in Martinsville for a couple years and then I transitioned over to Southern Dunes Golf Course on the south side of Indy and Greenwood and that's now where I teach and give lessons out of that's where my golf academy is. But I have been at Southern Dunes for 12, 13 years now. And that was my home course, so. [00:03:02] Speaker A: Oh, wow. What are some of your best memories from your junior career? [00:03:06] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. Traveling with my dad. Many, many trips, long road trips, flights. I met Justin Thomas at an AJCA event. That was very cool. I met Justin Rose probably finishing second at the ajga. Stacey Lewis in Arkansas. I don't remember what year that was, but it was so long ago. But that was a great memory. I also played in the Junior Orange Bowl International Championship and going to Miami and playing with international kids was super fun. A lot of good memories. There's too many to name, honestly. [00:03:40] Speaker A: What are some of your favorite Indiana memories? [00:03:43] Speaker B: Winning the Indiana Girls State Junior Championship. And that that whole week, like you said, it was. It was the last time we had a match play championship. So it was those first two days of stroke play, and I remember playing pretty good. I think I finished third in the stroke play and then getting into match play, and that was my first time really playing match play seriously and just ended up winning all my matches and then winning the events. [00:04:07] Speaker A: What do you think the difference between match play and stroke play is for a junior player? [00:04:13] Speaker B: Yeah, I feel like match play, you have to learn how to be mentally tough, and you have to be mentally tough in stroke play. Don't get me wrong, but I feel like you really have to be mentally tough at match play to keep yourself in it. Because if you lose the hole, most juniors are going, oh, you know, I lost the hole. Like, they're not going to salvage that. Maybe as well as a college player, professional player would. I feel like it teaches you to be very mentally tough and to hang in there more than stroke play does. You have to do those things in stroke play, but you can kind of get away with it more in stroke play, if that makes sense. I think you also in match play, too, it's you and that opponent versus in stroke play, it's you in the course, you and the whole field. There's a lot of differences. [00:05:01] Speaker A: I would say I've always learned that when I have played match play, when I find myself playing the course, that's when I lose and I'm not playing the person across from me. And I remember a couple years ago I was playing in a match play event over at Ironwood and the guy was not long off the tee. The guy had nothing going for him, but he could get up and down from everywhere. And here I am trying to play long, trying to do my entire game. Played the course like I would play it. Next thing you know, I'm three holes down after nine, and I'm going, I'm playing the course and not him. Yeah, he's playing me. I've already lost. And that's what happened. And then two days later, he and I are playing 18 holes together. I shoot 74, shoot 79. So it's like, yeah, you're right. It is about being mentally tough and playing the opponent, not the course. [00:05:47] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:05:48] Speaker A: So that's. Was that your biggest win in Indiana? [00:05:51] Speaker B: Yes. Yep. [00:05:53] Speaker A: What was your biggest win not in Indiana? [00:05:56] Speaker B: Well, I would say any of my Golf Week Junior Tour wins. [00:06:00] Speaker A: And that's how you became inducted into the hall of Fame. What was that like? How did they approach you with that? [00:06:07] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. Well, I just want to say Alex Martin and Grant Martin run Gulf Week Junior Tour, and I've known them for several years. They are fantastic. So shout out to them. They run wonderful tournaments. They have been an amazing tournament for a long time. [00:06:20] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:06:20] Speaker B: Yeah. And they're such great guys. I know them personally and still talk to them to this day. And I would say they called me up and they said, okay, you're going to be inducted into our hall of Fame, and also you're going to get invited to the Junior Orange Bowl International Championship in Miami. And I was like, great, awesome phone call. Thank you for getting right. Right. Right to it. They just kind of briefly told me, and I was like, I kind of saw it coming a little bit. But, yeah, we just had a simple conversation, and I just thank them for helping me, you know, earn status to play ajga, which then got me to college golf. They were really that stepping stone for me. And so when they inducted me into their hall of Fame, I mean, obviously I was honored. I love them. And what they. [00:07:04] Speaker A: I would agree. I think. I think what's great, since I have you on here, I think there are levels of tourists to play, and I think golf week's the best one you can play in the Midwest. [00:07:13] Speaker B: I agree. [00:07:14] Speaker A: For competitive golf. And I'm seeing more and more of our girls and guys go down and play those at some great courses. [00:07:21] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:07:21] Speaker A: And I'm happy that this year those tournaments are not during girls high school golf season. Last year, they had a couple of them right during the middle of girls high school season. So therefore, nobody from our state's playing. [00:07:33] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:07:34] Speaker A: So I'm glad to see that they've. They're going to purgatory during their regular year. So with all that being said, you had a great junior career. [00:07:43] Speaker B: Thank you. [00:07:43] Speaker A: When your college Recruiting experience started. Let's go back to that time. What was those first couple of weeks like for you? [00:07:53] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. A whirlwind. Did not know how to handle it. Had to learn very quickly how to talk to coaches, how to be mature, how to present myself, how to present my accomplishments, how to present to them what I was looking for. Just a lot of things I had to figure out very quickly while also focusing on playing and getting better and practicing and going to school and all the things. So I would say a whirlwind. Sometimes I think back and I'm like, how did I do that at such a young age? I think my parents were obviously a great help, and my swing coach at the time was a great help as well. Just very. I remember it being very chaotic, but very fun because that was my goal. One of my goals was to play Division 1 college golf. So I knew, like, if I'm going to ask for this, I am going to have to be able to suck it up and. And dig the dirt and work really hard and. And figure out a way to get recruited. And that's what I did. [00:08:51] Speaker A: That's great. What were some of the schools that you got to visit during that process? [00:08:55] Speaker B: Several. Obviously, Kentucky. I visited Georgia. I visited Arkansas. I visited Auburn, Furman. I. South Carolina. I had a lot of interest from Indiana schools. I did visit iu, but I. I kind of knew I didn't want to play for an Indiana school. I'm sorry. But that's just kind of. That was just kind of my preference. I didn't. I wanted to get out of state. I wanted to play in the sec. That was my goal. [00:09:24] Speaker A: Why the sec? [00:09:25] Speaker B: Why the sec? I just love the south and I love the conference, and I love the schools in the sec, and I think that they are the best golf schools in my opinion. And so that's just what I was focused on. That was my goal. [00:09:38] Speaker A: So ultimately, you end up at Kentucky. What was choice number two? Do you remember? [00:09:45] Speaker B: Yeah, choice number two was Florida, and choice number three was Illinois. [00:09:50] Speaker A: Oh, wow. And Illinois has a great Big Ten program. [00:09:55] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah, they do. And they have a great coach, Renee Sloan, and she was wonderful to me. And, yeah, they've got a great practice facility at Illinois as well. [00:10:04] Speaker A: So what led you to that decision at Kentucky? [00:10:08] Speaker B: I liked the school. I liked the athletic department. I liked that it was in the sec. And I'll be really honest with you, when they offered me a full ride, they were one of the first schools to offer me a full ride. So I was very. Just obviously excited, but I felt like they were like, we want you. We're showing you how much we want you right off the bat. They didn't give me a deadline either. A lot of other schools gave me a deadline, so I just felt like because of those things, it made them more attractive. [00:10:37] Speaker A: How quick into the process did they give you that full ride offer? [00:10:41] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. I was thinking about this last night. I believe they offered me. And then, like I said, they didn't give me a deadline. But I thought about it for a good, like, three weeks. And I would say at that fourth week, I called him back and said, I'll accept verbal exceptions. So it was a decent amount of time. [00:11:03] Speaker A: But you're glad you accepted earlier than waiting. [00:11:06] Speaker B: Looking back, I think maybe I would have waited a little bit longer to see some other offers had come in, obviously, but I just thought that their offer was the best at the time. But now, if I had to do it all over again, I would have probably waited and had been more patient. I think I was just so excited and had been working so hard for it for so long. I was waiting for that day, so. [00:11:29] Speaker A: Well, Claire, one of the things I know you're doing now is you want to work with your students and other kids around the area. [00:11:35] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:11:36] Speaker A: That are getting ready to go through this process. [00:11:38] Speaker B: Yep. [00:11:39] Speaker A: What do you think's different today than 10 years ago? [00:11:45] Speaker B: Social media. Social media was obviously a thing when I was in high school, but it wasn't as popular as it is now. There was Instagram, there was Facebook, but they weren't used for college teams and the college recruiting process. So that's a huge difference. I didn't have Instagram until, I think I was a senior in high school. I just didn't have. [00:12:08] Speaker A: It is Instagram. How old is Instagram? I can't even remember. [00:12:11] Speaker B: I don't know. I. I literally. I don't know. [00:12:14] Speaker A: But I almost want to go back now and look at my first post to see how long ago that is, because it does feel like it's been around for a while. [00:12:21] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, Twitter was like a big thing at the time, but, I mean, again, college coaches didn't use that to recruit or to share about their team. So it was really like, word of mouth. And, hey, I'm gonna come watch you play, and if I like you and if I like your parents, then, like, I'll keep contacting you. [00:12:37] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:12:38] Speaker B: Um, I would really just say that's the biggest difference. There's a lot of Other NCAA rules now as well that were not in place when I was going through the process. So some things are the same, but there's a lot of things that aren't the same. So I don't know. It's just. It's an interesting setup right now. [00:12:58] Speaker A: It's crazy right now. And I would love to put you in touch with Lauren at some point just to learn some more. I think you guys have a great connection and it would be another. I would love that person that you could give your ear. She could give you an ear and she could educate you on what's going on. I've learned so much from her. We love working with her. I'll do that introduction for you after this. I'll send her a text and give her your information. [00:13:20] Speaker B: Thank you. [00:13:22] Speaker A: I think it'd be good because obviously you're both trying to do the same thing and help people out and you can only learn from each other. And you're right. Social media is a big thing. And I see a lot of times these kids having two different accounts and I don't think they realize they still need to make sure everything they post is good and not get themselves in trouble, I think, because that can be a quick turn off to some coaches if they're not doing the right thing. [00:13:48] Speaker B: For sure. For sure. It's the same as if, you know, you're playing in a tournament and let's say you have a terrible attitude and you treat your parents terribly. Coaches are going to see that and that's going to turn them away. It's the exact same thing. It's just digital, digital and virtual now. [00:14:05] Speaker A: Sorry. What was the role with your dad if you ever acted up on the course? [00:14:09] Speaker B: Well, I never acted up. That was good. [00:14:11] Speaker A: That's a good thing. [00:14:12] Speaker B: Never acted up. Anybody who knows me as a player would say that I. You could never tell if I was mad, if I was upset, if I was happy. You could never tell. I was like an ice queen. I still kind of am that way. But I made it my mission. It's also just a part of my personality. You never let them see me sweat. That was like what I was always thinking. So my dad, I don't remember him ever having to get on me because I just. He knew I never was going to do that. [00:14:42] Speaker A: Yeah, we've had some rules here. We've never had an issue with our daughter. She's always been great on the course. You go behave and act professional out there because that is your job, kind of, in a way, because now you're, as I told somebody the other day, is your focus now is going through the recruiting process, finding the school that's right for you, not right for us, right for you. And then you figure that out. And that's kind of why, I think, too, with you offering some recruiting services with your students and helping them is. I'll be the first one to be honest with you. I need to stay out of that. As much as I can hear him with the podcast saying that, but at the same time, is. It's her journey, not mine. And I think that's one of the reasons why we started this podcast was I hope other parents can do the same, because it's difficult on you as the player, and I'm sure it was difficult on you. I can't even imagine what life was like for your parents during that process. [00:15:37] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:15:37] Speaker A: So what was it like for them when you were going through this? [00:15:41] Speaker B: Yeah, I think my dad was. I mean, he came to every tournament with me. He took me everywhere. He retired very early on in his life, and so he was able to financially support me and travel with me, whereas my mom wasn't as much with her job and her career. I mean, she was there as much as she could be, but it was really. Me and dad, they obviously sacrificed a lot. I think that they were obviously nervous with me and were feeling all the emotions with me, but my dad was a rock and was very calm and positive, and that obviously helped me. Um, it wasn't easy, but I. I think we just did it together. We just approached it as, hey, we're a team. We're gonna do this together. Um, and we. We got through it. I mean, that's truly what I remember. [00:16:29] Speaker A: So the pro. So 2020, you turned pro. [00:16:33] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:16:34] Speaker A: What was the plan when you turned pro? [00:16:36] Speaker B: I. I'll be honest with you. Didn't. Didn't really have a plan. I had kind of taken some time away from playing. After 15 years of playing competitively, I felt a little. A little burnt out, I won't lie. But I now realize that that was the Lord's plan for me in my life, because he put teaching and instruction into my life. So kind of that Covid year, obviously, we were at home and couldn't go anywhere. And I had some people that I had known for a while, and their kids wanted to learn golf, and everybody's antsy and wanting to, you know, get outside and do stuff. And so I had little kids in their. In their backyard, and we were all wearing masks even though we were outside. And I kind of started teaching them, in a way, an informal lesson and found, hey, like, I. I really like this. This is something I enjoy. But that Covid year was tough. I mean, I couldn't really travel, and obviously not a lot of people could really travel. So I wasn't super focused on playing at that time. I think I needed a break from competitive golf. And then the instruction came right in after that. So. Yeah. [00:17:51] Speaker A: So in 2022, you turned your passion into instruction structure. And it sounds like a lot of that came from COVID So why Covid was a tough year. [00:18:03] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:03] Speaker A: It actually led you down the path to where you found what you want to do with your life. [00:18:09] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. [00:18:10] Speaker A: So 2022 kicks in. Let's go there. Let's talk about. Did you go to Southern Dunes right away to start your instruction or where did you go? [00:18:19] Speaker B: No, I didn't start right away at Southern Dunes. I just kind of taught people that I knew in their houses. Some of them had golf instructors in their, you know, basements or barns or things like that. I would kind of go and make house calls, and that's kind of how I started. Just people who knew me and knew my family, you know, church family and friends. And then I started at Southern Dunes shortly after that and asked Kurt Scheer, who is the general manager at Southern Dunes and was my golf instructor for, I think, over eight years. [00:18:54] Speaker A: Oh, wow. [00:18:54] Speaker B: I've known him for so long, I can't even remember. [00:18:57] Speaker A: But he's that third parent you've. You've had for your entire life now. [00:19:01] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And he now runs the golf course there and doesn't really teach anymore. He's kind of out of it. And so then I asked him, hey, like, I want to. I really want to do this. I want to do this, like, formally and. And create my own business. And I want to. I want to build my clientele. Can I do it at Southern Dunes? And he said, yeah. And we started from there. [00:19:21] Speaker A: I think it's great. How many other instructors are there? [00:19:24] Speaker B: None. [00:19:25] Speaker A: So it's you. [00:19:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:19:27] Speaker A: That's. [00:19:27] Speaker B: Excuse me. [00:19:28] Speaker A: That's great. [00:19:29] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:19:29] Speaker A: How many students do you have right now? [00:19:32] Speaker B: Today, February 15, 2025? I have over 115. [00:19:38] Speaker A: That's amazing. [00:19:40] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you. I am very blessed. [00:19:43] Speaker A: Can you think back, like, four years ago and be like, hey, in four years, I'm gonna have 115 people that I instruct in golf? [00:19:52] Speaker B: Yeah. No, I did not think that at all. I was like, we'll see where this goes, you know, I like it, but who knows if anything's gonna come of it. And I truly have been blessed with some of the most amazing students and some people who are truly friends of mine now. And obviously we have that instructor student relationship, but we are friends at the end of the day, we care about each other. And I've just been able to meet some wonderful people who trust in me and trust their kids with me. And so shout out to all of them because I know they're listening and they're fantastic. [00:20:27] Speaker A: I'm excited because we're going to have a lot of listeners next week. [00:20:29] Speaker B: When I release this now, CCGA people for sure will be tuning in. They're excited. [00:20:34] Speaker A: So you've been instructing for a couple of years now. What do you think your strengths are as an instructor? [00:20:40] Speaker B: Yeah, I think I am a good technical coach. I think I understand the golf swing from a technical standpoint very well. I learned from somebody who was a fantastic technical coach, so that was obviously very helpful. But I think one of my biggest strengths as an instructor is that I went out and did everything myself. I learned everything myself. So if I have, you know, a high school girl that I'm working with, and let's say she is really struggling to break 80 and what's going to help her score better? I take her out on the golf course and we do certain things and we work on certain course management ideas and things, and I can relate to them because I'm not that far removed from that age and I'm not that far removed from my competitive golf careers. I think I just being able to relate to them is huge, and they appreciate that. You know, I've had students ask me, well, when you were this age or when you were in this position, what did you do about this? How did you go about it? And I think that they really appreciate that at the end of the day. So I think that's definitely one of my strengths. [00:21:45] Speaker A: Great. I think Course management, working with these kids is one of the best things you can do. I have spoken with a lot of instructors, making it fun. And you'll probably say the same thing in a second. He's. He goes, just get on the course. [00:21:58] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:22:01] Speaker A: So with that, how has Southern Dunes been beneficial for you with your students? [00:22:07] Speaker B: Extremely. They allow me and my students to go out on the golf course anytime we want. We hop in a cart. We can go to any hole we want. We can go to our par three golf course and work on short game and wedges. They give me pretty much full Rein. And I am super appreciative of that. I think that is something that not a lot of instructors at courses can offer, unfortunately. And I'm able to. So that's great. And I think my students have improved tremendously because of that. Because, let's say, you know, we're working on learning how to hit cut shots. You know, we can stand on the range all day, and we can hit to the same targets all day, but let's go out on the golf course for the last 10 minutes of the lesson, and let's go and hit into a real green, into a real pin. Let's put you in that tournament situation or round situation, and let's simulate that the best we can. And people love that and improve tremendously because of that. [00:23:03] Speaker A: I agree with you. You have to do it on the course. You can't. I see so many kids that go indoors, and they're hitting indoors all winter long. [00:23:10] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:23:11] Speaker A: They're hitting off the mats, and the first time they go outside. What's going on here? Well, you've been hitting off a mat for three months. That's what's going on. And every shot off the mat is going to be perfect. [00:23:21] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:23:22] Speaker A: So. And I think even in instruction, it looks great because some courses only allow you to hit off the mat because they want to make sure that grass grows back quick and. [00:23:30] Speaker B: Yep. [00:23:31] Speaker A: And I hope you. And I'm sure all your students do the line. They've learned to hit a line right with the dirt so you can fill it and let it grow back. Because otherwise you look down to the left, you've got a guy my age, just played the game for three weeks, and he's got divots in 27 different spots. Right. [00:23:44] Speaker B: Yeah. Don't be one of those people. [00:23:47] Speaker A: What are some of the biggest proud moments you've had so far with your students? [00:23:51] Speaker B: Yeah. So Zoe Land is a student that I have who's been working with me for a while. She plays for Center Grove High School. And she came to me and was struggling with certain things and wants to, you know, wants to play college golf and kind of looks up to me and my career and is also somebody that I mentor through, you know, this whole process as well. And when she broke MD5 for the first time, um, and she called me and was ecstatic and got choked up. And I wanted to be there, but couldn't because I had, you know, people I had to work with that day, and I just. It just filled my heart, and it was just one of the greatest memories. I have so far. Hopefully we have many more accomplishments to come in the future with my students, so we can have more of those. But I would say that that is the biggest one that stands out to me right now. [00:24:43] Speaker A: Yeah. As a parent, I remember those low rounds. I remember the first time that they happened. For Zoe, that's the moment you realize she's got it, she can do it. And mentally, she's there. [00:24:54] Speaker B: It just was one of those moments, too, where she was so excited to share that with me. And obviously, you know, her. Her family was there, so that she was excited with them. But the fact that she called me and she trusts me and has that personal relationship with me and she knows how much I care. [00:25:10] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:25:11] Speaker B: And wanted to share that with me because that was something that we were working so hard for was just one of my proudest moments. It made me feel like, hey, I'm doing something right. [00:25:19] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:25:20] Speaker B: Because not only. I mean, people can come in and take a golf lesson for me, but I want them to really know how much I care about them and their game. It's a partnership, especially my kids. I call my students my kids. They're my kids. I mean, I see them every week or every two weeks, whatever it is, and I'm invested. I want them to be better than I was, truly. I hope they go and break records I set. I hope that they go and do other things that. That I have. I've done or. So it's just. It was a very proud moment, and I appreciated that she wanted to share that with me. [00:25:55] Speaker A: I think that's great. I love it to hear that stuff, because as a parent, and I'm sure her parents probably feel the same way, is they found the right instructor for her and she's a great student for you. You can share that story to future parents and teachers of. These are the relationships that I have. Here's how I've built my. I don't even call it a business. Here's how I'm building my family. Yeah, you're all going to become a part of that family. And here's what it's going to be like to be a part of that. I'm going to make sure your journey gets from a. To where you want to get it to be. And I think that's the difference between you. When I've seen some of these younger instructors coming in right now. [00:26:36] Speaker B: Well, thank you. I appreciate that. [00:26:38] Speaker A: What are some of the things that newer players that you're doing to get younger players into the game? [00:26:46] Speaker B: Yeah. Great question. So I have seasonal kids golf camps that I run every season at Southern Dunes. Obviously my spring and summer camps are a bit more popular because we're able to be outside and we're in the sun, we're in the warm weather, all that stuff. But I do have fall and winter camps as well and I try to make those fun, interactive. Last year in the fall I did a girls only kids golf camp where we did golf instruction inside because it was obviously getting cold. And then we did a friendship bracelet craft and it was around the time that like the kind of Taylor Swift popularity was happening and there was a lot of little girls that I got connected with and I came up with the idea. And doing instruction with little kids is obviously fun and you can keep them engaged, but also having something too that they can look forward to and bond with me, which was that friendship bracelet craft was I think a successful idea. So I try to post about that on my Instagram and put it out on Southern Dunes website and just try to make those group kids activities fun because they're lessons, yes, they're instruction, but I don't want to take them too seriously with little kids because again, we have to make it fun for them, we have to keep them engaged. So I've been trying to work on that and build that and grow it. But then I also have some older kids who do one on one lessons with me as well. [00:28:14] Speaker A: So how much time do you leave for yourself during the week? [00:28:20] Speaker B: Not very much. [00:28:21] Speaker A: Not very much the life of a golf instructor. I have to schedule time with myself and pay myself so I can have time for myself. [00:28:29] Speaker B: Yeah, not very much. My family understands that. You know, I, after school, when kids are in school are, is, is prime time for me. So I get home at sometimes 8:30, 9:00 and go right to bed and I'm working on the weekends, you know. But I love what I do. I love my kids. I, I truly do. I love when they come in and they say Ms. Claire, I, I hit a 200 yard drive the other day or I finally feel comfortable with holding my hands forward and compressing the back of the ball now or you know, something like that. [00:29:04] Speaker A: So things they couldn't talk about three weeks before that, that you're educating them on. It doesn't just sound, it's like, it doesn't sound like you're just saying, okay, do this with your swing, do that with your swing. Let's talk about this, let's break it down. And yeah, you're, you're bringing it down. To the level of which they can understand. [00:29:21] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. I, I have, I, I go in every lesson and I am like, I have to know my audience. Right. So Zoe, who's a sophomore in high school, she's a totally different golfer person, individual. She's a totally different audience from a little nine year old boy. You know, it's just I have to shift my mind and I, I teach very similarly with everybody, but just I teach in different ways, certain things with certain people. So I hope that makes sense. [00:29:50] Speaker A: Yeah. And she's at a. And I'll be honest, Zoe is at a high school where it's tough. [00:29:55] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. [00:29:56] Speaker A: Yeah, they're deep. They've always had a great team. And it's tough to crack that top five at Center Grove. There's, there's maybe six or seven schools in the state where if you make that top five, you're a player. [00:30:08] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:30:08] Speaker A: And they're one of them. And we see that every year and year out at the state championships, which is always tough. [00:30:15] Speaker B: Yeah. Oh, sorry. [00:30:18] Speaker A: So. No, no, no. Speaking of high school state, how many times did you experience going to, to. [00:30:23] Speaker B: That level the high school state tournament? [00:30:26] Speaker A: Yep. Did you play all four years in high school? [00:30:28] Speaker B: No, I went a. I went a very unique route. [00:30:33] Speaker A: Okay. [00:30:33] Speaker B: Because I knew what I wanted from a very, very early age and not a lot of people understood at the time why I was doing what I was doing. So I played my freshman sophomore year and finished second, I believe my sophomore year. I don't remember exactly. Forgive me. [00:30:48] Speaker A: You're fine. [00:30:49] Speaker B: Came close to winning. I think I lost in a playoff, but I just felt like it wasn't challenging me and I wanted to play in more ajga, and I was able to. I had earned more status in AJGA at that time from golf week, and I just, I'll be honest, I just felt like I was kind of wasting my time. And nothing against high school, you know, if you want to play high school golf, that's great. You know, I think that's awesome. But for me personally, I did not feel like it was helpful. I didn't feel like it was beneficial. And again, anybody who knows me knows that I knew what I wanted. And I was like, nothing's going to stop me. I'm going to get there. I didn't go to a Center Grove, so I didn't go to a big school like that. So maybe if I would have, that things would have been different. But for me, I just, I knew I wanted to play nationally. You know, I started playing in iga, but then graduated golf week and then went into aga. I just knew that was. Those were the stepping stones I wanted to follow. [00:31:51] Speaker A: And I think that's kind of the same conversation. And I know you listened to Braden's conversation with me and even his coach this year when he's going to Cincinnati here in a year. The Cincinnati coach even kind of made the comment, what about resting from high school this year? And Braden's comment was, I have the opportunity to be the first back to back state championship since 1995. [00:32:12] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:32:13] Speaker A: And I think he wants to go for that. And it's difficult for. If you go to a school, and I know where you went to high school and they have the most state championships in the state, but I know it's not the same program as it was back in those days. [00:32:26] Speaker B: Yep. [00:32:26] Speaker A: But it's not easy to make it to state as an individual. And especially if you look at like where the Franklin Regional, where I think you would play through, that's gotten tough. And I think that's. [00:32:39] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:32:40] Speaker A: And I think even he kind of made that comment and I know he knows several players that they've made the same decision as you is they don't go to a big school. So, yeah, they're not playing at the big tournaments during the high school season. And I think I don't blame you one bit. I think you did what was right for you and at that time. And I think everybody needs to do what's best for them. So. But no, I wanted to ask because I always like asking that high school question because I think it's. I think it's different because as a parent, when you go watch the number of people that go watch those kids, I don't think you can go to a collegiate tournament and get as many people, they come out and watch. [00:33:18] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think it's. I think it's great. Like if, again, if people, if they feel like they want to play for their high school and they have friends on the team and they're, you know, they're, they love their school and they want to do that, I mean, more power to you. I just, I just felt like you said for me it just wasn't the right fit. I just felt like I was wasting my time. And I remember a lot of people being like, what are you doing? Why would you do that? I remember calling college coaches and saying, hey, you know, just to let you know, when I could talk to them, per NCAA rules, I remember saying to them, like, hey, I'm not Going to play high school golf for my high school. And they were like, that's fine, we don't care. And I remember being like, oh, wow, okay. But people here at home were like, what are you doing? Why would you do that? And I remember being young and feeling like, why are, why are you against that? I. [00:34:12] Speaker A: That's not fair to you at all. [00:34:14] Speaker B: Yeah. But I again achieved the goal I set out to do, so it worked. But I'm not saying you have to follow that path. But for me, it was like, I don't know, just didn't feel right, didn't fit. [00:34:27] Speaker A: Well, I think there's two things. I think as a parent, your kid needs to do what's best for them. [00:34:31] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:34:32] Speaker A: And number two, as a parent, it's an eight week season that doesn't stop. There's. There is no time to breathe. And for us, we're lucky, we're blessed at Wertig High School that does a great job every year. And I think there was a moment last year we had an invitation on a Saturday, a conference, like on a Monday, and then another invitational that Woodland puts on, which is a great invitational at Woodland Country Club on Wednesday and then another invitational on Saturday. [00:35:07] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:35:07] Speaker A: When does the kid have a time to take a break, breathe and be a kid? [00:35:12] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:35:13] Speaker A: They're not going to the high school stuff. They're playing more golf than you were on AJ GA at that moment. [00:35:18] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:35:19] Speaker A: So it's, I get it. It's a lot of time for a kid from both perspectives. And so I give you credit for being able to make a tough decision and not doing it. [00:35:30] Speaker B: Thank you. So, yeah. [00:35:32] Speaker A: You still got to experience it. And I think that's important too. [00:35:35] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I, I like to your point. It was, it was eight weeks, so it was very quick. And I was also playing. I remember my freshman year of high school playing in the AJGA Girls Championship in South Carolina and having to miss an invitational. So I was still, I mean, I was playing high school golf, but then playing in other tournaments too. So it, you're right. It just, it was very quick. Not a lot of time to have a social life. You know, you do golf and then you eat and go to sleep and you Repeat it for eight weeks after. [00:36:06] Speaker A: A seven hour, 18 hole round in high school. Right. You can play 36 at AJGA in 37 in seven hours. [00:36:13] Speaker B: So a whole different ball game. [00:36:15] Speaker A: Absolutely. Besides teaching your students, what else are you offering your students right now? [00:36:21] Speaker B: Yeah, so I'm offering those summer kids golf camps Like I mentioned, those seasonal kids golf camps. Excuse me. And then I'm also offering my college golf recruiting program. So my college golf recruiting program is basically me sitting down with you, discussing your goals, what schools you want to play for. And I put together tournament schedules for you. I help you contact coaches. I help be a liaison between the player and the coaches. A lot of college coaches recruited me and a lot of them are still at their respective schools. And so they know me and they're familiar with me. So that is something that I'm offering that I kind of started recently. And I have a couple kids that are working with me right now on that. And it's fun to build schedules for them and help them through the process and their parents as well. So it's been very fun and exciting. [00:37:07] Speaker A: Parents don't know what they don't know. And that's the number one thing I've learned over the last four years is we don't know what no one has shown us. And I think that's the key of why I'm doing this is how do I get other parents that direction. So what I want to make sure is if you want to give the best way to reach out to you, let's do that. And then I'll make sure to put that out there on all the media that we release for this. [00:37:33] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:37:34] Speaker A: So how do they get ahold of you? [00:37:35] Speaker B: Yeah, so you can email me, you can shoot me a text, send me a call. You can also go to the Southern Dunes website and I have a page for Claire Cameron Golf Academy. You can check out information there as well. I also have an Instagram account that I run. The handle is lacgolfacademy. So if you wanna check that out, it has some more information on it. But I'll give you my. My other information too, if you wanna share that. [00:38:00] Speaker A: Perfect. I appreciate your time. I think it's great with what we got to do with you today too, is recognize your career as a junior and talk about what you're doing for your students. And I think I'm pleased to see a young female instructor out there for the kids to look up to. I wish you're further north because if you're still a little further away from us. But yeah, I am pleased to see that. And I've already given your name to a couple of people that may be looking for a new instructor. [00:38:28] Speaker B: Thank you. [00:38:28] Speaker A: They have daughters and they're like, where do I go next? You know, our guys looking at retiring and I'm going, yeah, well, everyone's got a price range, where do you want to go and what do you want to spend? And I think that's key. So, yeah, hopefully they get a hold of you and if not, I'll make sure I keep giving your name out to different people. [00:38:45] Speaker B: Thank you. [00:38:46] Speaker A: Thanks again for your time. Claire. [00:38:48] Speaker B: Oh, thank you. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. [00:38:55] Speaker A: Thanks for listening to this episode of from the Card Path with your host, Trent Roberts. [00:39:00] Speaker B: Please be sure to like and subscribe. [00:39:02] Speaker A: On your favorite podcast platform so that you never miss an episode.