Amanda Dixon working toward goals
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
For Hillsboro graduate Amanda Dixon, golf has been with her throughout many stages of her life, including today, as she competes in varying events in hopes of one day qualifying to play in LPGA events.
To earn the opportunity to play at the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) level, Dixon first is competing in events under the PGA Women’s banner of the Symetra Tour, where she recently competed in the Michigan Open as she been participating in various qualifiers since 2015. Dixon also played in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur in Indiana.
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Competing in various qualifiers and open events, Dixon has golfed in many venues across the country, as some of the states include Ohio, Arkansas, California, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, New Mexico, North and South Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas.
“I’ve played in about four tournaments last year, several state opens and some Symetra Tour tournaments and have about the same lined up for this year as well,” Dixon told The Highland County Press. “It’s a great experience. I always wondered if I could compete with them and go out there and do that, and I have. I’ve actually done fairly well at it. I’m going to try to keep going out and do better.
“They (the golfing tournaments) normally put [the courses] in tournament conditions, so they’re a lot tougher than normal, if you were just to go out and play a normal round.”
Dixon — who is a 2008 Hillsboro graduate — began golfing when she learned the game from her parents as golf became a family activity, saying she also golfed with her older brother.
“My parents always played golf, so they would always take me and my older brother with them when they would go. That’s kind of how I got into the game,” Dixon said. “It was just something kind of fun to do with the family. I always played growing up. I would play an occasional tournament every once in a while, but I never took it very seriously. I also played in high school, but I also did other sports like softball, and horse rodeo was my main sport. I was involved in FFA and 4-H as well.”
Keeping a busy schedule, Dixon went to college not only to play golf, but she was known for her abilities in the rodeo world. While at Wilmington College, she competed in rodeo for two years before transferring to Northwestern Oklahoma State University for golf.
“I went two years at Wilmington College and then transferred out to Northwestern Oklahoma State University for the other two,” she said. “Golf wasn’t really my main focus necessarily at the time. I did a lot of rodeos, and I was going to ropings every weekend back then. Northwestern actually tried to get me to be on the rodeo team back when I was in high school, so I thought it was kind of ironic that I actually went out there to be on their golf team, but it all worked out.”
Dixon has since backed off from the rodeo competitions — as some of her accomplishments included competing at the United States Team Roping Championships and in the National Team Roping League — gearing her total focus on her golf game and competing in the Michigan Open just a couple weekends ago. Dixon began this current journey in her golfing career following college, where her mother suggested she should try out for the aforementioned U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur back in 2015.
“My mom told me I should try to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur (after college), so I actually played in a qualifier for that and I made it,” Dixon said. “I was out there playing and I thought, ‘you know, this is actually kind of cool, and this is something I think I’d want to do again.’ So I started actually practicing and working on my golf game, and I started playing in some tournaments. Now I’m playing in state opens, and this will be my second year on the Symetra Tour this year.
“I’m a pretty competitive person. Playing at the high levels like (the Symetra Tour) is very difficult, especially to keep your composure and have a good round every day. I’ve been practicing really hard. I feel like all the practice kind of helps me to compete.”
As for her golf game, Dixon admitted she does have a lucky putter, but that is because it once saved her from injury at Snow Hill Golf Course, giving it a permanent spot in her golf bag.
“I carry 14 clubs, just like all the other (golfers) out there. It’s probably a little different setup than a lot of them have. I do like my putter, though. I call it my lucky putter as it did save my life one time,” Dixon said. “I had a friend and we were out there playing, and he was trying this fancy little flop shot on the green and he shanked it. It came right at me, and it hit the shaft of my putter square on. It saved me, so I call it my lucky putter now.”
Dixon said due to time constraints, she practices during her off time from work, making the most out of things. The Hillsboro native also spoke about loving the competitiveness of the sport. In terms of competitiveness, Dixon, who also had success in the sport of rodeo, said there are some comparisons to both sports on how she prepares for them mentally, though the sports have few other similarities.
“They’re actually two completely different sports – golf is fairly slow-paced, and rodeo is very fast,” Dixon said. “I seem to be pretty good at both, but I guess just the way I prepare mentally would be fairly similar to that. It kind of helps me in both of them that way.”
Saying that Jack Nicklaus is her favorite golfer, Dixon spoke about how she’ll keep working to achieve success in golf for as long as she is able to do so.
“When I moved back home, I knew this was going to be a difficult task, just in general and financially,” she said. “I’m just going to try to keep going as long as I can, and as long as I’m playing good, and as long as I keep getting better. If that’s something that’s in the future for me, I’d be happy with it. If it’s not, I know I have a higher calling as well.”
Dixon also thanked those who have helped her along the way as she works to achieve her ultimate goals in golf.
“I want to personally thank my parents, coach, family and friends and the local community for their support,” she said. “I want to say thank you to my good friends at Buckeye Hills Country Club, Snow Hill County Club and The Elks 797 Golf Club and Lodge for the use of their facilities. Also, I want to thank my friends in Alva, Oklahoma for their continued support along this journey.”
Dixon is planning to compete in the Kentucky Women’s Open later this month.
To earn the opportunity to play at the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) level, Dixon first is competing in events under the PGA Women’s banner of the Symetra Tour, where she recently competed in the Michigan Open as she been participating in various qualifiers since 2015. Dixon also played in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur in Indiana.
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Competing in various qualifiers and open events, Dixon has golfed in many venues across the country, as some of the states include Ohio, Arkansas, California, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, New Mexico, North and South Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas.
“I’ve played in about four tournaments last year, several state opens and some Symetra Tour tournaments and have about the same lined up for this year as well,” Dixon told The Highland County Press. “It’s a great experience. I always wondered if I could compete with them and go out there and do that, and I have. I’ve actually done fairly well at it. I’m going to try to keep going out and do better.
“They (the golfing tournaments) normally put [the courses] in tournament conditions, so they’re a lot tougher than normal, if you were just to go out and play a normal round.”
Dixon — who is a 2008 Hillsboro graduate — began golfing when she learned the game from her parents as golf became a family activity, saying she also golfed with her older brother.
“My parents always played golf, so they would always take me and my older brother with them when they would go. That’s kind of how I got into the game,” Dixon said. “It was just something kind of fun to do with the family. I always played growing up. I would play an occasional tournament every once in a while, but I never took it very seriously. I also played in high school, but I also did other sports like softball, and horse rodeo was my main sport. I was involved in FFA and 4-H as well.”
Keeping a busy schedule, Dixon went to college not only to play golf, but she was known for her abilities in the rodeo world. While at Wilmington College, she competed in rodeo for two years before transferring to Northwestern Oklahoma State University for golf.
“I went two years at Wilmington College and then transferred out to Northwestern Oklahoma State University for the other two,” she said. “Golf wasn’t really my main focus necessarily at the time. I did a lot of rodeos, and I was going to ropings every weekend back then. Northwestern actually tried to get me to be on the rodeo team back when I was in high school, so I thought it was kind of ironic that I actually went out there to be on their golf team, but it all worked out.”
Dixon has since backed off from the rodeo competitions — as some of her accomplishments included competing at the United States Team Roping Championships and in the National Team Roping League — gearing her total focus on her golf game and competing in the Michigan Open just a couple weekends ago. Dixon began this current journey in her golfing career following college, where her mother suggested she should try out for the aforementioned U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur back in 2015.
“My mom told me I should try to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur (after college), so I actually played in a qualifier for that and I made it,” Dixon said. “I was out there playing and I thought, ‘you know, this is actually kind of cool, and this is something I think I’d want to do again.’ So I started actually practicing and working on my golf game, and I started playing in some tournaments. Now I’m playing in state opens, and this will be my second year on the Symetra Tour this year.
“I’m a pretty competitive person. Playing at the high levels like (the Symetra Tour) is very difficult, especially to keep your composure and have a good round every day. I’ve been practicing really hard. I feel like all the practice kind of helps me to compete.”
As for her golf game, Dixon admitted she does have a lucky putter, but that is because it once saved her from injury at Snow Hill Golf Course, giving it a permanent spot in her golf bag.
“I carry 14 clubs, just like all the other (golfers) out there. It’s probably a little different setup than a lot of them have. I do like my putter, though. I call it my lucky putter as it did save my life one time,” Dixon said. “I had a friend and we were out there playing, and he was trying this fancy little flop shot on the green and he shanked it. It came right at me, and it hit the shaft of my putter square on. It saved me, so I call it my lucky putter now.”
Dixon said due to time constraints, she practices during her off time from work, making the most out of things. The Hillsboro native also spoke about loving the competitiveness of the sport. In terms of competitiveness, Dixon, who also had success in the sport of rodeo, said there are some comparisons to both sports on how she prepares for them mentally, though the sports have few other similarities.
“They’re actually two completely different sports – golf is fairly slow-paced, and rodeo is very fast,” Dixon said. “I seem to be pretty good at both, but I guess just the way I prepare mentally would be fairly similar to that. It kind of helps me in both of them that way.”
Saying that Jack Nicklaus is her favorite golfer, Dixon spoke about how she’ll keep working to achieve success in golf for as long as she is able to do so.
“When I moved back home, I knew this was going to be a difficult task, just in general and financially,” she said. “I’m just going to try to keep going as long as I can, and as long as I’m playing good, and as long as I keep getting better. If that’s something that’s in the future for me, I’d be happy with it. If it’s not, I know I have a higher calling as well.”
Dixon also thanked those who have helped her along the way as she works to achieve her ultimate goals in golf.
“I want to personally thank my parents, coach, family and friends and the local community for their support,” she said. “I want to say thank you to my good friends at Buckeye Hills Country Club, Snow Hill County Club and The Elks 797 Golf Club and Lodge for the use of their facilities. Also, I want to thank my friends in Alva, Oklahoma for their continued support along this journey.”
Dixon is planning to compete in the Kentucky Women’s Open later this month.