One-on-One with Golfer Shasta Averyhardt

By J. Coyden Palmer June 16, 2022

Since turning pro in 2010, Shasta Averyhardt has been one of the few Black women to play professional golf in recent years. Jcoydenreports interviewed her back in November as she was completing her season and asked her everything from Black legends of the sport to where the current tour is still falling short of serving the players. Averyhardt, 36, has a warm personality, heart-warming smile and is originally from Michigan. She played collegiately for Jackson State University and was a four-time individual winner of the Southwest Athletic Conference Championship (2005-2008). You can follow her on Twitter @IamSAveryhardt

Jcoyden: Shasta, we recently loss legendary golfer Lee Elders, who was the first Black man to play the Masters and Ryder Cup. What are your thoughts about Mr. Elders and other African American pioneers in professional golf?

Shasta: I didn’t get a chance to meet Mr. Elders unfortunately. It’s devastating on my end to not be able to meet a pioneer like him. I didn’t get a chance to meet Charlie Sifford either. It’s unfortunate when we lose these legends but you do know about them. When you think about the impact that these men had on golf, especially in the Black community, the names of Lee Elders, Tiger Woods, Charlie Sifford they all come up.  I have such a good relationship with Renee Powell who is also a pioneer on the female side of our community. It’s good to have a great foundation because you just never really know when people will leave us. We’ve lost a lot of people from our community in the past few years.

One of things I learned is that the PGA didn’t even allow Black people into tournaments until 1961.

Yeah, I mean it’s only been 60 years.

That’s on the men’s side. Talk to me a little bit about on the women’s side.

Althea Gibson was way before my time but she was a multi-sport athlete, most famous for tennis. But she was an excellent golfer. Renee Powell who is in Canton, Ohio is a living legend. She is just so warm and loving to all of us youngsters who are coming up. It’s good to know that she has our back. She is also right now running her father’s golf course. If you’re ever in Canton, Ohio area you have to visit the Clearview Golf Club. You will love it and you might get a chance to meet her as well. Then you have LaRae Sugg who played until 2001 on the LPGA tour. Just knowing our history is important because it gives you a reason to give back to it as well.

The Chicago Women’s Golf Club is right here on the South Side of Chicago and it is the oldest women’s golf club in the country. There is so much history with our people in sports. You are also a brand ambassador for DNA Vibe, which uses light wave technology to help boost recovery. How has this technology benefited you?

I had the opportunity to start using DNA when I was having lower back problems and the upper part of my gluet. So I started using it before I started posting about it. And it took about two weeks of using the product every day for 20 or 30 minutes and then I started feeling a difference. Once that happened, I felt more comfortable with posting about it and telling people about it because I was seeing healing and recovery myself. I think I was having trouble with my back because consistently working out when you are on the road can be a challenge. I usually work out about three days a week and if I don’t do that, my back starts to stiffen up on me because I’m not working my core. That’s when the DNA Vibe came in and I was sold.

For you as a pro golfer, how important is it for  you to have that flexibility in your muscles?

It’s so important because it really takes a toll on your swing because you are using so much torque everyday you are hitting hundreds of balls throughout the week and you still have to compete. So for me, like in the morning, its’ cold I’m stiff, I’m doing my dynaminc warmups and I’m loosening up my hips and my back and I don’t want to spend an hour and a half doing that. If I can get that down to 30 minutes I’m good and I can roll. I needed something that could help me, especially as I’m getting older. I mean I’m not 25 anymore, I can’t just hop out the car and start swinging (laughing).

What are some of the major muscle groups you use as a golfer?

Obviously a lot of your core muscles. Your abs, hip flexors, glutes, quads, hamstrings. Those are the major groups. You hit the ball from the ground up. It may look like you are using all arms, but it is actually the arms are last.

When did you get started in golf and when did you realize how good you were?

I started around the age of seven and my father got me into golf. It wasn’t until around when I was in high school when I started winning a lot of tournaments that I realized when I was playing a lot of the top girls in Michigan I was pretty good. I was beating a lot of older girls so it was kind of a done deal that I was going to get a scholarship. So, I started sending out a lot of packets so I could weigh my options. I had to leave the state of Michigan and go somewhere that I could play year-round.   

Steph Curry recently gave a lot of money to Hampton’s golf team. Did you ever consider going to any PWI’s (primary white institutions) before you chose Jackson State?

My dad is a University of Michigan alum so I did look at PWI’s. I didn’t grow up knowing a lot about HBCU’s being in Ann Arbor, all you know is Michigan and Michigan State. I had an offer from Eastern Michigan that was a really good offer. But during my visit to Jackson State, with me going to public school, I said “oh it’s just another school with a lot of black people that I want to go to.” It wasn’t until I got there and asked one of my teammates what they meant by HBCU and she told me that I said, “oh that makes a lot of sense,” (laughing). I said how do I not know this. It was a great experience and I had a lot of fun.

Deion Sanders is bringing a lot of money and attention to the programs at Jackson State. How important is it to have him right now as the face of JSU athletics?

Deion has already brought so many resources. The men’s basketball team is bringing in money too. I’m hoping that those monies can be used to bring back the golf program to JSU, which was a victim of the COVID pandemic.

I recently learned there is an LPGA and then another tour, which is the one you play on. Tell me about that and the differences between the two?

I took a break from playing for about three years and was working corporate. So when I left and came back to play on the LPGA Symetra tour (now Epson). Needless to say, we have really strong competition. Even the players that are bouncing between the LPGA and the other lower-level tours can all hit the ball about the same. It’s really just a matter of having a stronger short game and mental game. We have a lot of women out there who are really talented and competitive. One of the things that would really benefit us would be if we could get a streaming deal for some of our tournaments because we are shooting really low scores. These past few seasons of playing golf again I thought I would gain LPGA status and I haven’t so that has been a bit frustrating. I’m reevaluating things about my game and areas where I can improve, especially in the mental part. So, I’m getting out and trying to see how I can come out and hit a 66 and follow it up with a 67, instead of a 77 on the second day.

We talked earlier about college golf and how you played in high school. How can those who want a scholarship do so and be seen if their high school does not have a golf program?

The big thing is that it wasn’t my high school team that got me the scholarship. It’s about playing on the junior golf circuit. There are a number of tournaments and tours you can play on. For me, I played in a lot of tournaments in Michigan and was going to qualifying tournaments. It is through opportunities like that where you get seen.

Your packet is also important in order to be recruited. Do you remember putting your packet together?

It has evolved now in terms of how you can now send out your highlights. But at the time I was being recruited, my parents put together a DVD and a paper resume and just sent it off to see what kind of responses I could get. We started with D1’s and D2’s. Now it is different the way they do it. But I can tell you that you can’t be shooting in the 80’s and expect to be getting a scholarship. It doesn’t work like that. You need to be actually good (laughing). A good resource for our community is Jamie Taylor who runs blackgolfdirectory.com and McKenzie Mack who is an LPGA Certified Instructor. They can really help guide parents in terms getting their kids noticed and through the proper processes.

For amatuers and those who picked up the sport during the pandemic. How big of an aide is it now that we have so many groups on social media, like Black Golfers Association on Facebook, to help connect people from our community to resources and others in the golf community?

It’s helpful because everyone is on social media and the information and technology wave and so with these outlets providing information they can tell you which pro golfers to follow, advice on equipment, which brand to support. There are so many outlets that provide information for people who are new to golf. It’s great that they have such a strong presence on social media.

Are you surprised there are not more Black-owned golf courses?

Shasta: I’m not surprised. We are a bit behind. It’s not our fault. We’re starting to get more access and resources to a lot of spaces that have been withheld from us historically. It’s nice to know that it is going. It seems like a slow rate because there are only five but I’m sure there is a lot that goes into it in terms of being able to purchase a golf course or to purchase the land and build one. You have to really have a passion for golf and understand the game to be able to invest in that. Clearview Golf Club in Florida is one that I’ve played a lot. It’s nice to know we are making strides even if they are slow, they are happening.

At what age should our kids start playing golf?

When they are fresh out the womb!

(Laughing) You are serious aren’t you?

Yes! Because all jokes aside, it’s so hard to play good golf. The earlier they start the better. And I think the sport is easier for people who are athletic. Because you can train the muscles to give you a consistent swing. I think it is a struggle if you don’t have an athletic bone in your body. I’ve played on the course with a lot of people like that and they look at me for advice and I’m like, “I don’t know what to tell you.” I mean I really don’t know where to start with some people.

Are they making the clubs or balls different now? Because it seems like people are hitting the ball further and further and courses are adjusting to this by making the holes longer.

I think it is a factor. Getting that right combination of clubs and balls make a difference. Last summer I made a switch. I felt my clubs were too light for me because I had gained some muscle weight so I went to be fitted for the first time in a couple of years. I stuck with Calloway my equipment sponsor, and I noticed I was carrying my irons five to ten yards further. I know equipment is a factor in terms of the shafts, club heads and swing speed is the key to knowing the right combination.

So there is a difference with the balls you use too?

Yes. The ball I use is the Titleist Pro V1. It checks really well. It’s a softer outter layer. But if you are new and hitting the ball in the water, it doesn’t matter what you buy. So don’t buy a Pro V1 it’s like $50 for a box.

Do you recommend beginners get fitted for clubs before they even start or should they wait awhile?

I would say wait. Unless you are going to go on Youtube and learn how to swing. I would suggest waiting until you have somewhat of a foundation of the golf swing. Then you go and get the equipment that fits your swing, because everyone’s swing is different.

Are the challenges female golfers face on the pro tour similar to what female athletes in the WNBA and NWSL are going through in terms of pay equity?

I would say money is an issue. I definitely think pushing for more sponsors. On the LPGA, the purses are up like 60 percent because Chevron kicked in a lot of money. But we need more media exposure and the quality of the golf courses compared to the men sometimes are different. Sometimes the setup of the course is odd for us as well. I think the LPGA must do more to promote the entertainment side of the game like the men do where the tournaments are like a party atmosphere Thursday through Sunday. We have to get out of the mindset of taking what we can get instead of getting what we deserve.

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