“It makes me feel motivated and want to do it more when I know that I’ve done something good for some children and adults.”
Ellie Perks – tough love and second chances
Ellie Perks, one of EDGA’s growing group of Generation Z golfers, defies many of the character traits commonly associated with those born between 1995 and 2009. Sometimes called digital natives, the efficiency of how they surf, text, and interact with the online world is quite remarkable. Yet, Ellie spends hours upon hours helping others to find a game that has all too often been associated with much older participants and has been played for more than 300 years.
Ellie, who hails from Hagley in the West Midlands of England, is very much her own person, has a clear sense of mission and feeds off the social interaction she enjoys while helping others to savour the fresh air and open spaces found when playing the game she so dearly loves.
Dad, Martin was the catalyst that started Ellie’s journey into golf. “Well, first of all, I went to the golf club just to be with my Dad. The head professional, Gareth Snelgrove, came over to us and said that they had a charity called ‘Golf for Disabled Children,’ and would I like to give golf a try?” With these words, Ellie’s world would be forever changed. In a matter of days, Ellie was taking advantage of the free golf lessons offered by the charity under the guidance of Gareth. That was eight, almost nine years ago and so Ellie has played the game for half of her life, and what a difference it has made. “Golf is a huge thing in my life. Obviously, without the help from [young people’s charity] the Golf Foundation, and many others including Dad and Sharon Renhard, a former lady captain of the golf club, I would never be able to do the kinds of things that I do.”
Ellie is a person of short stature, and although golf has been supportive, the wider community has not always been quite so understanding. “I think with my generation at school, some try to put me down because I play a lot of golf and they don’t want me to be performing at a high standard and getting the recognition that I do.” Although Ellie is made of strong stuff, and even though she tries to ignore the bullying, she has to find ways to cope. “It’s easy to feel upset, to feel hurt, but that is just going to encourage them to do it even more. I just try to live my normal day, get my day done at school and then go home and play golf,…
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