Katrina Lazenby moved to the Sun City Peachtree community in 2019 and despite living right off the 10th hole, she never picked up a golf club even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But she took notice of the laughter and fun she could hear people having on the course each day.
A few years later Lazenby was finally ready to tackle golf and enter the world she had observed for so long — at 68 years old.
Like many beginners, it was a terrifying proposition to play with experienced players, and Lazenby worried her ignorance of even the simplest things would be embarrassing. Fortunately for Lazenby, she didn't have to look far for support.
The Fiver Program was created by the Senior Women's Golf Association of Sun City Peachtree Golf Club and specifically designed for those in Lazenby's position. One of Lazenby’s neighbors encouraged her to call Peggy Gardner, current president of the SWGA, to sign up for the program.
Lazenby followed that advice and before long, she had fallen in love with the game she'd spent years watching from a distance.
“I went to the first session, and it just felt right," Lazenby said. "I didn't even know where to get sand to put in the divots. I literally knew nothing about how to play."
For Gardner, the idea of the Fiver Program was simple; she wanted a “softer” introduction to golf for community members looking to try golf for the first time or get back into the game.
In April 2022 with the help of fellow SWGA member Stephanie Barrel, the Fiver Program was born behind the idea of participants playing only five holes and learning more about all aspects of the game without the pressure of being a beginner trying to keep up with more experienced players.
“At first, we were focusing on beginners,” Gardner said. “That’s who we wanted to try to feed into our organization. Our first three members were all beginners, but it wasn’t long before we started getting people who had played when they were younger and just wanted to clear the cobwebs.”
The Fiver Program meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays and begins with a quick discussion topic and practice drills.
Fivers is all about playing only five holes with a Helper who is a SWGA member. Helpers "encourage more than instruct" as they play alongside the Fivers sharing their knowledge and skills by tackling all sorts of topics such as choosing clubs, using a rangefinder, how to score, course management tips, and explaining rules.
The Fiver program is a way to ease new golfers into a game that can often be stereotyped as less friendly to new players.
“Anybody can go out and kind of whack at a pickle ball,” Jackie Reed, who joined the SWGA in 2022 as a Fiver, said. Reed graduated from the program and began volunteering as a Helper and is now part of the Fiver leadership team.
“But you can't do that so easily with golf," Reed added. "It's a complicated sport. So anytime you can make the entry a little less intimidating and a lot more friendly, it takes that edge off of the scary part. Just break it down, keep it simple. We teach them things in little bits. We don't try and overwhelm them. You learn that you can have fun, even when you aren't a great golfer.”
Gardner also wanted to ensure the program wasn’t just simply teaching how to swing the club or make a putt. She wanted an avenue to provide participants a way to learn other aspects of the game that only come with experience – etiquette, pace of play and basic knowledge of the rules. This is why the group has even created laminated cards for participants to reference during play.
"We tell the participants that when you play golf with someone, how good you are isn't as important as your etiquette and pace of play,” Gardner said. “Most players are more concerned about how they are playing, but where you will affect me is if you have bad etiquette, bad pace of play and you just don’t play by any of the rules. That’s what negatively affects other people."
The group meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays and each approximately two-hour session starts with 15 minutes of a discussion topic followed by practice drills before heading to the course.
On-course play may include simply playing from 70-100 yards on each hole, course management tips, rules, pace of play or even something as simple as cart etiquette.
“I like that they always have a plan,” Norma Shipley, who recently joined the program, said. “They have a lesson plan with the things they want to teach you when we go out. We either go to the practice area and may practice putting or chipping, but we also go over certain scenarios on the golf course. Here’s what to do if you need relief, or etiquette, and we also get some on-course instruction. It’s gotten me more comfortable on the course overall and introduced me to the other ladies, and now I have playing partners I can call.”
The Fiver Program is designed not only to create a supportive environment in which participants can develop their knowledge and skills, but for them to “graduate” and eventually play in SWGA’s regular weekly playdays.
Barbara Kennedy was one of the first three participants in the program in 2022, and she hasn’t forgotten how much the Fiver program helped during her golf journey.
“I’ve been involved with the program since day one and I still play with one of the two I started with," Kennedy, who graduated from the program and continues her involvement as a volunteer Helper, said. "There are six women who came along right after me and I play with them all the time. It becomes your community."
Word of mouth has served as the main driver behind the growth of the program during its four years of existence. The Fiver Program has served nearly 50 women from complete beginners to those looking for a re-entry to the game after years off or after recovering from a surgery.
That sense of community has been the program’s strong asset from the beginning.
“We keep calling SWGA a sisterhood and it really is,” Judy Matton, who volunteers as a Helper and has taught clinics for the Fivers. “And I think the 'Fivers' are quite the sisterhood because they are so supportive of each other and just so happy when a Fiver has moved on and graduated. It’s nice to have other people that are your age learning like you’re learning and doing what you’re doing. It is so important to have that.”
The Fiver Program will end the year with over a dozen current participants and leadership looks forward to continuing to spread their love for the game of golf, doing anything they can to help anyone play their own way.
“I’m very proud of this program and the SWGA members who have volunteered their personal time to help the Fivers have an educational but enjoyable time as they learn about golf," Gardner said. “We know the program is working when we hear someone say they couldn’t have found a better way to get into golf than this program. They appreciate how everyone is supportive and welcoming.
"It may have been too daunting for them to just jump right into the ladies association because I remember that’s what I went through. And they have this program to get them going and start in the game.
“Golf is a great sport to be able to play for a long time, and the Fiver Program is a way to get ladies introduced to golf to see if it is something they will enjoy long term. We think this is an approach that many clubs should take a serious look at implementing in their own environment and in their own way.”
For more information on the program or questions, contact Peggy Gardner at peggygardner00@gmail.com.
Main image from left to right: Judy Matton, Lynn Bruton, Darlene Evans, Nancy Gerson, Katrina Lazenby, Norma Shipley, Teri Woodford and Peggy Gardner.