Amaya Athill Creating our space in the world of golf

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

When you think about the game of golf, you think of it’s a game for White men. This is because the barrier of entry is high, and the techniques can typically only be sharpened with costly lessons over time. Although diversity within the sport is still questionable, more women are engaging in this activity and getting access to this secret world, and I am proud to say that one of our own is leading the pack.

Antiguan-born Canadian professional golfer Amaya Athill joined travel industry professionals for a day of fun on the links at this year’s Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA) Ontario Golf Tournament. On Thursday, July 13^th, 2023, at Royal Ontario Golf Club in Milton.

With a 10-year background in law, our Woman Empowered is one of the few Black women to become a PGA professional in Canada. Since moving to Canada, a year ago, Athill has worked on a number of initiatives to make golf more inclusive. In her role as Manager, First Tee – Ontario with Golf Canada she works on creating opportunities for access to golf for children from historically underrepresented and marginalized communities.

She is a contributor for ScoreGolf Magazine where she highlights DEI initiatives in golf Canada-wide. She is also the founder of Black Women Golfers, whose mission is to ensure Black women – from beginners to more advanced golfers – have a space and community in the sport. I am going to share my interview with her, and I know you are going to find it inspiring.

When we choose our Woman Empowered features, we look for women who are not the norm, the ones who challenge societal thought, and pave their own trails regardless of what others think of them. They push boundaries, break glass ceilings, fail, recover, restart, and recalibrate. I couldn’t be prouder than to formally introduce to you our Woman Empowered, Amaya Athill.

“Before we even start Simone,” Amaya said excitedly. “I am a proud product of the golfing community in Antigua and pleased to represent my island in the golfing space in Canada. It’s an honor to have been invited by the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority to support them in their mission to showcase all that Antigua and Barbuda has to offer to the travelling community. I really enjoyed myself.”

“So, Sis! You have to tell me how you got into golf. There is so much to your life resume, I am excited to hear it all. Where should we start?”

“Well, I was born and raised in Antigua, and I will admit. I travelled around a lot. I completed primary and high school in Antigua, and then went to the UK for University. At that time, my focus was school. I knew what I wanted to do, so I was determined. I started in law, 2011 and qualified as a barrister in the UK. I actually got to do six months of schooling in Jamaica and did the Antigua bar in 2012.

 I got a Fulbright Scholarship to Georgetown University Centre in Washington D.C. and studied there for a while. I moved back to Antigua in 2013 and started a position at Lake & Kentish Attorneys at Law. Kenny Ketish was phenomenal. He mentored me in civil litigation and believe me it was very taxing. Working alongside Kenny was an incredible experience; I felt nurtured in my growth. I did a lot of human rights, and this was for six and a half years.

I got a fellowship opportunity for one year in 2017. Interestingly enough, it was in Montreal, Canada. The fellowship brought together 12 leaders, dumped us in a mansion, and we talked about politics, governance and excellence. It was a wonderful year, wonderful experience.”

Amaya’s travels did not stop there. She moved back to Antigua in the summer of 2018, and worked at the Legal Aid and Advice Centre from 2018 -2019. She then moved back to England and worked at the Commonwealth Secretariat working in international law.

“It was an in-house counsel role until 2022, and then I moved to Canada last year,” Amaya tells me.

“All right Amaya! Let’s get into the juicy parts; tell me all about your golf genesis.”

“I started playing golf when I was five years old. My dad introduced me to the game, and he put me in the junior golf academy. I was part of a very robust program. I met a lot of friends, and I really loved it. We were able to travel to compete in various golf tournaments across the Caribbean. When it came time to university, we did not have the tools needed to get scholarships, so I gave up golf for 10 years.

The pandemic hit when I was working in the UK. I was stuck in the apartment for a year. It was terrible, and my mental health took a hit, so I turned back to golf. I bought golf clubs off the rack, went to my local golf course and started playing golf again.

This time, it was different; in Antigua everyone looked like me in the golf industry, but in the UK, I was the only woman of color. I felt isolated and kinda intimidated. I had to question myself; why was I feeling like this? I connected with the African Caribbean Golf Association, and finally, once a month I had a community that I could golf with, play with, and I could network with.

I started to do a taster session (intro to golf session). Women would get to try golf, and I would offer a get into golf package where you would do six weeks with me to get into the sport. It was a really cool time; you can check out my Instagram page golf_interrupted. I started that in 2021.

I had applied for permanent residency after my experience in Montreal and was successful. During my process of moving to Canada, I was also in the process of applying (taking exams to transition my qualifications) for the bar in Canada.

“During that time, I applied for a manager position with First Tee-Ontario (Golf Canada). I saw this role and I thought, I am doing this already. I could do this as a side hustle. At that time, I was also kinda jaded when it came to my law career, so I contacted the director via LinkedIn. The message was very simple, ‘This is who I am. I am interested in this role, can we chat?’ He was very open to the idea and took a chance on me. I had a job to come to when I came to Canada, so I felt secure when my husband and I moved here last April.”

When she started her position, Amaya recognized a common theme. Once again, she was the only African Caribbean woman playing the sport.

“This is why I found the Canadian Caribbean Golf Association and started playing with them regularly. I spent the last year growing in my role. I love getting underrepresented children in the sport.”

Amaya was very transparent about her challenges. I have to say that I really appreciated that.

“I am a good golfer, not a great competitor. When you are competing, you can get in your head a lot. All of your flaws can show up on the golf course. It can break you down. When I decided to turn pro, I had to take a Playing Ability Test. You have to shoot below a certain score, and I failed miserably. Believe me when I say that it was a humbling experience.

During this experience, I noticed that every pro that there was to work with was either a white man, or a white woman. I took the test again in May and passed. I am one of the few African-Caribbean women who is in the PGA. I also passed the bar in June.”

“Oh gosh! Congratulations Amaya! That is a lot that you accomplished in a short amount of time.”

“Thank you so much Simone. What I am really proud of is doing more for the sport by founding Black Women Golfers. We started meeting up in the off season and practiced golf together. My question was, how do we get more women in the sport?

We had an intro to golf session where 18 women came and were taught the basics of golf. Then there is a range meet up once a month and we practice together. Then once a month we have actual games. It is very new, we just started. We partnered with Brown Girl Outside World on this initiative; golf has been added to their calendar.”

What a sensational woman; she is everything that we want for our Women Empowered Feature. Amaya, keep being a light in this dark world.