Today we’d like to introduce you to Alissa Kacar.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Alissa. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was raised in East Brunswick, NJ where I went to elementary school and high school. I was a good student, but not remarkable, although I was always driven and competitive, especially athletically. I love to be active and my determination to succeed athletically really showed up when I started playing soccer at age five. I played competitive soccer in high school, where we won a state championship with a teammate who would later go on to play for the US National Team and win World Cup titles and gold medals. I continued playing at the collegiate level and earned All-American honors in my final year at The College of New Jersey. That year also delivered me my greatest disappointment when we would end our season losing the NCAA National Championship Game. That was difficult for me, but it was an experience that I would never trade and I still draw from today.
After college, where I graduated with a degree in Business Administration and earned my teaching credential, I worked as a high school teacher at Oratory Prep, an all-boys school in NJ. I taught Business, Health & Nutrition, First Aid and Phys Ed. to some of the most amazing young men you can imagine. Good nutrition and having a healthy, active lifestyle is something that’s important for everyone, so having a job that allowed me to motivate young people to make it part of their daily routine was very rewarding. But after ten years, I was ready for a change and some new challenges!
I feel like a lot of people get out of school or college, get a job they like and then “we just do what we do.” It’s not surprising; it’s difficult to imagine completely changing tracks when things are generally pretty good. I really liked my job and my colleagues, but I desperately wanted to wake up every day to new and exciting things. I wanted to be challenged in new ways. So, I said goodbye to my school and my students and I bought a one-way ticket to sunny San Diego! That was 15 months ago.
As a teacher, I was used to having the summers off, so I spent my first few months in California getting settled into my new home and making new friends. It was these new friends that took me out on a golf course for the first time just over a year ago. When I took my first swing at a golf ball (and missed it wildly by the way), something told me that I had found a game that was about to become a new best friend. I didn’t realize at the time just how much fun and a part of my life the quest to master my new “beautiful game” would become!
Even having been involved in sports all my life, I didn’t know much about golf. It always seemed a bit exclusive and intimidating to me. Not something that could be so athletically challenging and mentally complex, but yet so social, welcoming and fun! I did recognize though that this was a sport I would be able to play for the rest of my life… if I could just figure out how to hit that little white ball!
I was lucky enough to get invited back to play another day, and I started to figure out the basics with the help of my gracious (and super patient) hosts. I was hooked! I just loved it. I started taking lessons and practicing at the driving range as regularly as I could. And being part of the social media generation, I documented my highs and lows via posts on Instagram, “A beginner’s journey to mastering golf.” Almost immediately, people started posting comments offering me encouragement and lots of helpful tips to improve my swing. It was awesome. The golf community was not the exclusive or intimidating group I had I thought; they were welcoming and supportive and nice! So much so, that I decided to create a new Instagram account (@NewLadyGolfer) where I continued to document my journey as a beginner golfer. I started out by posting pictures and stories of myself working on my swing and documenting my progress (or lack thereof). Over time I was able to share small achievements and some minor milestones that were all HUGE to me!
I’ve realized as my following on Instagram has grown just how much golfers of all ages, genders and capability can relate to someone picking up the game for the first time. Trying to get to that first level of proficiency is hard but they have all been through it! Like me, they have had to find the courage to walk out to that first tee knowing that there’s at least a 50% chance that we will completely whiff the first drive… and then we have to pick up our tee and walk to our ball (if we can find it) to try again. It makes your heart race! I would never have believed it unless I experienced it, and everyone that plays golf can empathize. It’s the most frustratingly wonderful game I’ve ever played!
It’s been just over a year since I started playing and I find it more exhilarating every day, in large part because everyone around me (on the course and online) is so incredibly encouraging and supportive of my golf journey. My following on Instagram continues to grow, and so does the level of positive engagement I get. It makes me even more motivated and inspired to want to improve my game. It has also become a mechanism for me to reach back to people that connect with me who are considering taking up golf; and I tell them all to absolutely do it!! Don’t be intimidated, this is an awesome game and a truly special community to become a part of!
As the first official Social Media Host of The Farmers Open at Torrey Pines in January 2020, I am hoping to help convince everyone from lifelong golfers to beginners to people that just want to experience a really great social day out, to get out on the golf course… it’s so beautiful out there! There’s lots of fun to be had while watching the pros play and raising money for some very worthy local charities in the process!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Without meaning to sound like a cliché; I think you have to expect that achieving something worthwhile is probably going to require a certain resilience and perseverance. The journey is inevitably going to take a few unexpected turns and there will be bumps along the way. So, I think it’s very important to assume that there will be challenges at the outset and to embrace those uncertainties. I try to see them as part of what makes change and taking on new challenges so exciting. Moving to a new city, venturing into the virtual unknown by throwing myself into something completely new wasn’t easy, but it has been an exhilarating experience. Whenever you make a decision to step off your established track to do something completely different, there will be some “noise” around you. People will question you, they may criticize you and even call you crazy. And they won’t always do it nicely or to your face but, at the end of the day, you have to remember that you’re the one living your best life. You have to follow your own heart and gut and, fortunately, there will be far more people that will jump 100% behind you and lift you up. I’ve received such an overwhelmingly positive response from my family, my closest friends and the many people that now follow me on Instagram. They have become some of my loudest and most consistent supporters. It’s pretty magical! With everyone’s support, I’ve been able to embrace the constant surprises and learn to really enjoy every single part of this journey.
I think one piece of advice I would share with other women thinking about doing something challenging and new would be to not get so exclusively focused on the end goal that you forget to embrace and enjoy everything along the way. Let’s be honest, we may or may not ultimately achieve all our goals, but no one will ever be able to take away or devalue the amazing experience we will get from all the successes (and failures) along the way. For me, they are already a part of who I am, and I will always like me more now whether I achieve 100% of my desired outcomes or not!
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I am a beginner golfer. I am working hard to learn and figure out how to play the game of golf. I already love this sport so much that I want to find a place to belong in the golfing world for the long term. I laughed recently when someone called me “the first professional beginner golfer”… but I also kinda liked it! I have a long way to go just to become decently proficient at golf, but I want nothing more than to make a positive contribution to this wonderful game. It feels so good when people tell me that they are going to start to play or pick up the game again because they are motivated by the progress they see in my posts on Instagram. When you consider that what they are mostly seeing there is someone struggling to master the basic fundamentals of the sport; it’s so inspiring to me! I grew up playing competitive team sports. My dad was a college athlete and he was my biggest supporter when I was playing soccer in high school and college. He will always be my biggest fan, but now he has been joined by a growing chorus of people that cheer me on every day. Golf may not look like a team sport, but these are my new teammates! Everyone that plays golf knows how difficult this game can be, so they genuinely empathize with my struggles. People who have never played golf may be intimidated by the prospect of trying it for the first time because it’s a natural human response to steer away from doing things that expose us to failure. In golf, like life in general, you will hit lots of bad shots and have a lot of bad rounds. So, if I can be even a small part of someone’s decision to overcome their apprehension and give it a try, that makes me very proud! And like all those college athletes in the NCAA TV ad say: there’s a whole community of us out here that will never go pro!
Who else deserves credit – have you had mentors, supporters, cheerleaders, advocates, clients or teammates that have played a big role in your success or the success of the business? If so –who are they and what role did they plan / how did they help.
l believe that the best mentors in life are people that already know who you really are. You just have to recognize who can play this critical role for you because identifying and getting adopted by a mentor when you are setting out in new directions is invaluable. It is helpful, but not critical, that your mentor has achieved success in the field you are now focused on. I think it’s far more important to work with a mentor that epitomizes the type of person you believe you really are, or can become doing whatever it is that you have set your mind to. They must genuinely believe in you as a person. It’s actually more important that they share your belief that you can achieve your goals and aspirations than it is that they agree with all your goals and aspirations. In fact, some of my best mentors have supported me in spite of the fact that they had their doubts about the direction I was going. Regardless, they gave me their time and, most importantly, they listened to my perspectives and were honest with me. Sometimes brutally so! It’s therefore good to have a mentor that you naturally look up to and respect because they will help shape how you think about things as you travel on your journey. Most of the time, you’ll take their lead and follow their advice, but you should also always maintain your own viewpoint and never be afraid to “go it alone”. A good mentor won’t have to be right all the time and won’t be judgmental; they will be there to help you get back on track when you get it wrong. For your part, you will have to be willing to put your ego aside, listen to them and take constructive criticism. Together, you will implement better strategies and shave a few miles off that will get you closer to your goals more quickly.
I’ve been very lucky to have great mentors who gently but constantly push me every day to execute my goals. My swing coach Mike Maggs is talented and so incredibly patient with me! He encourages me to keep going on the bad days and is responsible for making all those small adjustments that are needed to make big improvements. For the non-technical aspects of my golf journey, I have been lucky enough to have been adopted by a small group of amazing people who have great business minds but also understand how to balance working hard with having fun too. They constantly remind me not to be too hard on myself and to relax and enjoy each swing because neither golf nor life is played well stressed out. They have helped me learn not to postpone celebrating until all the goals have been achieved. I am enjoying and appreciating every part of the journey I am on which means I am one of the very lucky few that has already achieved the most important goal in life.
Networking is also important, and it takes practice! I used to overthink walking up to or reaching out to the people I wanted to connect with. I have gotten much better! These days I am much more comfortable asking for help or for someone’s perspective because people have almost always been so generous with their time and attention. They have made it so much easier than I ever imagined it would be to build a really effective network. I regularly send emails or DM people I come across that I want to connect within the golf world. When I travel, I look for golf-related events to attend, find different facilities I can visit and even contact golf professionals I would love to train or play with. As a result of having worked on my early inhibitions, I have gotten to meet some incredible people in the industry and I have been invited to play courses and have experiences I never thought I could have. I believe that if you’re nice and you are genuine, most people will be happy to connect with you and help you. I am always happy to reciprocate, so I guess what goes around really does come around! Because of my networking efforts, I recently got the most exciting opportunity yet when I was chosen to be the Social Media Host for the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in January 2020. It’s a dream opportunity for me. Not only do I get to be part of a really fun golf and lifestyle event in San Diego; I get to help spread the word about all the great charitable work the Century Club, Farmer’s Insurance and the PGA Tour does in our local communities. When I started on this journey a year ago, I honestly couldn’t have imagined doing all the amazing things I’m getting involved in today. I’m extremely grateful to everyone that has mentored me, followed me and extended me a helping hand along the way. I pinch myself every day!
Contact Info:
- Email: Newladygolfer@gmail.com
- Instagram: @newladygolfer
Image Credit:
Joe Damaso, Will Hunt
Suggest a story: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
