Improving Your Golf Game with LPGA Professionals

We love good golf stories about women who are taking their excellence on the course and passing it on to inspire others in golf and in life. Female golfers are the future and they're inspiring thousands to play today.

Meet Jessica Reese Quayle and Rebecka Heinmert – former competitors who became friends and then business partners. They both played college golf before going pro and joining the LPGA tour. How do you go up from there? They then turned to the LPGA teaching division and discovered they had a similar teaching style. That’s when they founded the West Coast Women’s Golf School, designed for female golfers who want to play better. They help women golfers grow in their confidence and refine their skill, all in a safe space. They do it so well, in fact, Jessica was recently named LPGA Teacher of the Year for the Western Section.

Enjoy this interview and golf stories with Jessica and Rebecka.

What inspired you to get started in your field of work?

Jessica: As two female LPGA golf professionals, we wanted to create a school just for women’s golf. There are many schools out there for learning the game of golf, but not many that are devoted to women golfers. Both Rebecka and I have the same teaching style and passion for helping women of all golf levels learn to play golf better, so we formed this school to elevate women in golf. Golf has a business aspect to it, and we would love to see women feeling more comfortable playing business golf and more able to advance their careers by networking.

What is most important to you in your work?

Jessica: It’s most important to have a quality program that makes a difference for the women golfers who attend.

What do you enjoy most about the work?

Rebecka: The best part of my job is seeing female golfers not only improve their game, but also change their outlook on what they are capable of on the golf course. It comes through confidence and know-how.

Have you faced any pushback as a woman leader in your industry?

Jessica: Actually, it’s the exact opposite for me. I feel like my professional career has been a welcoming one. Overall, I have been embraced and supported by my coworkers and peers.

Being the only girl on a boys high school team, however, was a whole other situation. I had to prove my talents and hold my ground daily. That experience made me mentally tough and taught me to persevere.

How can we help elevate your work with women in golf?

Rebecka: Spread the word! Let women golfers know that we are out there for them.

Who inspired you to start playing golf?

Rebecka: I started playing with my dad, who brought me and my sister to the course. We didn’t particularly enjoy it. It was only after we started group lessons and saw other kids playing that we thought golf was an OK thing to do.

Jessica: I also started playing golf with my dad, and instantly fell in love with the game. I vividly remember hitting my first golf ball on a family vacation and understanding that I needed to make contact with the ground ahead of the ball. From then on, I was hooked.

What do you enjoy most about golf?

Rebecka: It’s the challenge of improving myself. I also love to practice. I also used to really enjoy winning: winning by practicing long after everyone else left the golf course and showing up for a tournament with a ton of confidence.

Jessica: I love knowing I am good at something that is difficult to master.

What’s your favorite course to play and why?

Rebecka: I love playing golf in the Monterey/Carmel area, and my favorite golf course would have to be Cypress Point.

Jessica: Mine is Merion. Not only do I have great memories there playing the USGA Girls Junior, but I love the history of the course. It’s where Bobby Jones won the Grand Slam and Ben Hogan won the US Open. Walking on the same fairways and greens as the best golfers in history is an amazing feeling.

Do you see or have you experienced barriers facing women in golf?

Jessica: Yes. Women do not have the same access to great coaches and the financial stability that comes with sponsorship and reasonable purses. I’d also say it is much tougher for women to balance having a family and being a tour player on the road.

You have so many achievements to celebrate. What's one that has particular meaning to you?

Rebecka: In 2019, I won LPGA Western Section Teacher of the Year. It felt like a milestone to be nominated by my peers and selected based on several criteria.

Jessica: One that I keep higher than others is making the LPGA Tour on the first attempt while finishing up my degree at the University of Texas. It was a stressful time, but I gained status and ended up playing for three years, with highlights of playing in the British Open in 2006.

Can you share any memorable golf fashion stories?

Jessica: In both high school and college, women’s golf clothing was non-existent. We wore men’s polos with the sleeves rolled up and unflattering pleated shorts. There was nothing feminine about it, golf attire has changed drastically for the better! I love wearing golf skorts and patterned tops, as well as feminine details that show off my curves. 

As a growing business, KINONA has faced pushback from portions of the industry. In fact, we've heard similar comments to the LPGA dress code changes. We've heard that we aren't traditional enough for some golfers and that's the purpose of KINONA - to inspire and reshape how we see traditional golf-attire for women. That's where KINONA's women's golf clothes are here to help. We're here to help you dress for the best game of your life and look so good, you won't care what anyone thinks. 

What is your favorite go-to golf outfit and why?

Rebecka: I exclusively wear  golf skorts, and I love them in pink, navy, gray and olive green. I also love wearing golf pants, and in the cooler weather months, definitely a vest with pockets.

Jessica: This year I have been wearing more golf dresses, which is a fun twist on the traditional skort/shirt combination. Most of the time, I like to layer with different pieces throughout the day.

What's some advice you can give women challenging the status quo in a historically male-dominated sport?

Jessica: Don’t take advice from dudes on the range! Be less judgmental of yourself – and take up space! A lot of women we meet are worried about holding people up and feel stressed. In reality, most golfers are much more concerned with their own game. So focus on having fun, and enjoying the people you are with.

Inspirational golf quote:

“A lot of women we meet are worried about holding people up and feel stressed. In reality, most golfers are much more concerned with their own game. “ - Jessica Reese Quayle

Follow Jessica and Rebecka on Instagram @wcwomensgolfschool for more inspiration and their website for information on their upcoming golf events.

Thanks for reading! If you have any inspirational golf stories to share we'd love to hear them! Send us an email at hello@kinonasport.com.