When Milan Waller’s mother was admitted to the intensive care unit for COVID-19 in 2020, she was scared.
Her mom’s condition was so dire that the 11-year-old had to stay with a family member for months.
As an only child to a single parent, it had always been just the two of them, so navigating her emotions around her mom’s hospitalization and adjusting to a new environment was challenging. Her grades were slipping and her anxiety was high.
Then she heard about a golfing team at her school and signed up at her mother’s urging.
“My mom was like, ‘I need you to go out there, blow off some steam and hit some balls,’” Waller remembers. “It turns out I didn’t hate it.”
In fact, she fell in love with it.
For the last three years, she’s continued to participate in a variety of golf programs and clinics even after her mom’s hospital release.
But it wasn’t until this year that she found one with a special niche. Her Shot, a free, six-week, summer golf program for young women of color ages 11-18, helped her hone her talent and find community.
“It’s another family,” says Waller, now 14. ”There are only so few Black golfers in Atlanta, so it’s nice to see girls who look like me.”
Created by media personality Bria Janelle, Her Shot is an extension of the Bria Janelle Foundation, which aims to expose young girls to a sport dominated by white men.
About 26% percent of on-course golfers are women, according to the National Golf Association. Only 3% of recreational golfers are Black and among competitive golfers that figure drops to 1.5%.
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
Janelle was exposed to golf at age 12 by her grandfather, an avid golfer who earned the coveted green jacket in the 1990s as a member of the elite Augusta National Golf Club. She knows her story is an anomaly.
“I didn’t see what I wanted to see, so I became her,” says Janelle, an emcee for professional sports teams like the Atlanta Dream. “I wanted to use my entertainment and sports background to give back to my community.”
For its pilot year, which began on Juneteenth and wrapped last month, she developed a comprehensive curriculum that incorporated golf fundamentals, life skills and personal branding strategies for the digital age.
She also secured partnerships with several brands, including Bridgestone Golf, Body Armor and PGA Reach Georgia, to cover the costs of golfing equipment, attire, PGA instructors and other swag.
And for the logo, she picked a stylish Black girl holding a golf club.
She then marketed the initiative through social media and word-of-mouth. After sifting through 60 application essays, she selected 25 girls.
For two hours every Monday between June and July, the group met at Stone Mountain Golf Course to learn the ins and outs of the game. They also heard from architects, designers and other golf industry professionals. They also met Black women golf stars like Shasta Averyhardt and Mariah Stackhouse, both LPGA tour players.
“When they showed up here, Milan was so nervous,” says Melissa Waller, Milan’s mother. “She said, ‘Mommy, this is one of the best days of my life.’ I’m like, ‘Girl, you’ve only been living for 14 years but OK.’”
It’s those unique experiences that attracted PGA Reach Georgia to the program, along with interactive social media challenges. One of which is the “Pass the Mic” segment, which invited participants to share positive affirmations about one another.
“They make it fun right off the bat,” says Scott Geary, the CEO of PGA Reach Georgia. “When it comes to DEI and intentionality, there’s not been a whole lot out there targeted expressly for young girls of color … So this program made all the sense in the world.”
During the parting ceremony, the girls were asked to shout out the words that best described their last six weeks.
“Transformative.”
“Motivational.”
“Amazing.”
The girls took dozens of selfies, hugged each other tight and promised to keep up with the group chat.
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
“The first week they came in shy, timid, anxious and nervous. They were quiet,” Janelle says. “By week six, they were crying, because they didn’t want to leave. Just seeing them break out of their shells, grow personally and form friendships is what it’s all about.”
Although the program has wrapped, Janelle is already thinking about the future of Her Golf. She’s researching in-door facilities to keep it going all year long.
She also wants to create chapters across the country with hopes of growing membership to 25,000 by 2030. A Her Shot PGA Junior League is also in the works.
“What happens when you eliminate costs and barriers to entry? You now create equal opportunity,” Janelle said. “Once they learn this game, you’ll never, ever be able to take it away from them.”
For Milan Waller, she doesn’t plan on putting down the golf club anytime soon. When it’s time for college, she’ll be pursuing academic and golf scholarships.
“I don’t want my mom to pay for anything else after those hospital bills,” she says.
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