The best instructor in South Carolina honor by Golf Digest. What does it mean coming from your peers? "First of all, it was very surprising. I'm not a big marketer of myself. To have those people on that list vote for me, it's kind of scary. Two years ago, I was No. 10 on the list and I'd been on the best in state list in Georgia." What led you to become a golf instructor? "When I was at Georgia, I majored in psychology because it was something I was interested in. I thought I would either meet somebody and get married or I would walk right out on the LPGA Tour. Neither one of those things happened. My dad's big dream (her father is a PGA Life Member) was to have me be the next Jan Stephenson or Nancy Lopez or Laura Baugh. I grew up in the industry and loved to watch my father teach because he was so quick to find the root cause, to find the problem. It was fun to watch him help somebody learn to hit the ball better. After I realized I wasn't going to play for a living, teaching was something I always migrated to. I ended up being a head pro for two years at the City Club in Marietta. But I didn't like that. You wear too many hats." Has psychology helped you as an instructor? "It does. It's more about the psychology of the person and how to develop a rapport with them, how to communicate in a way they understand. It's not so much about the mental side and the strategy on the course. We have lots of seminars about that. It's about the behavior of people and making them feel relaxed in a non-threatening environment. I think that's important for a teacher." What's the most important thing for a golf instructor to remember? "To be patient and listen, to listen to their student. So many pros give too much information and the student gets overwhelmed. You have to listen to what they want." Who is easier to teach, men or women? "Everybody is their own unique individual. As a whole, if you look at the group I think men are programmed. If you give them one way, which is the best way, I think they're more driven to commit to that one way. Women, as multi-taskers, tend to have too much in their head and try too hard. It really boils down, regardless of male or female, who's more analytical and who's more right-brained." Kids versus older people? "Kids are like sponges. They can see something and they can hear something and they just do it. As a person gets older, they tend to over-analyze things and get bogged down with little parts and pieces that aren't that important." Did you watch the Hank Haney Project with Charles Barkley? "Bob (her husband, Bob Nitkewicz) and I briefly watched a small bit of it. Talk about mental. The motion is a mental issue with Charles Barkley. There's something in his head. I heard someone told him to pause at the top and now he's stuck. I've heard he hit somebody so he's afraid to pull the trigger. Your body does what your brain tells it to do, consciously or subconsciously." Are there people who simply should not play golf? "Yes. Some people get such a negative attitude toward the game they're not happy. And if you're not happy playing golf then don't play. But it's so simple to turn that attitude around. There are some people I've met who are not happy with the game. Don't play it. If this game can't make you happy, I don't know what can." What's the first lesson you remember giving? "Probably, it was a clinic my dad let me give the summer between my junior and senior year. I was so nervous. I didn't know much. You can learn to teach by experience, if you have the right information. I remember giving some lessons when I was in Florida and it was like I didn't have a clue. Anything you do a lot, you get better at but you have to have the educational background to understand what you're communicating." Where do golf instructors get that educational background to understand how to communicate? "The PGA and LPGA, when you become a member you are required to complete certain certifications ... I was a national evaluator for eight years for the LPGA. Our members going through the ranks would have to give three 30-minute lessons to three people they'd never met before in their life. We have an application criteria and a communication criteria based on points. For example, in communication in the first five minutes if you forget to ask a golfer if they have any physical limitations based on sports they played or any injuries or surgeries, how are you going to give them the proper information if you don't know their body can handle it? If you miss that section, you may not achieve enough points to meet the criteria." Do you work with any celebrities? "I gave Steve Spurrier a lesson. I put him in our biomechanical vest when he was here for our member-guest." You've done quick lessons for Golf Magazine. How about a quick mini-lesson for our readers? "I often ask students: 'There's only one thing you have to do with the golf club in order for the clubhead to make contact with the ball. What is it?' Most people can't think about what they're supposed to do with the golf club because they're overloaded with mechanics. It's swing the club. A lot of people bypass swinging and they get over the ball and they're trying to hit it. If you can keep your intentions 100 percent on what your body has to do in order to swing that club to the target, the ball will get in the way." What part of practice can a student get the most reward from that can be quantified by lowering their score? Is it iron play? Driving? Chipping? Putting? "It would depend on the student. Everyone has different goals. But to quantify? Score is the ultimate quantifier in the game, and if you want to lower your score you have to work on the short game as opposed to wanting to hit the ball farther. Distance is highly overrated." What's the best golf tip you've ever received? "My father was my hero and he is my teacher. But Gary Player gave me advice on my target hand, to get it more in the fingers. When that happened, I hit my first draw. It was a big ephiphany for me." Who's your fantasy foursome and where would you play? "It would have to be at St. Andrews, the Old Course. I would want somebody funny in the group, so it would have to be Bill Murray. Then I'd probably want Arnie (Arnold Palmer). That's hard one. Let me think." How often do you play a full round these days? "I probably play 18 holes once a month and nine holes once a month when I'm really busy and that stinks. Every year I say I'm going to play more golf. But if you're busy it's hard to get out there." What's your getaway from golf? "I like to work outside, to plant things, paint, do things with the house. I like old movies, westerns. I like Clint Eastwood. He would be in my fantasy foursome. I love to cook. Bob had all the (cooking) stuff because he's a good cook. It's therapeutic to make dinner, because with golf lessons you never know what's going to happen." Do you try to work your schedule around football games? "I've tried, but it hasn't worked out in a couple of years. The first year I came here in 2004, Buddy Darby (one of Kiawah Island Club's developers) and his wife and some of their kids invited Bob and me to fly to Athens. We got to fly over the stadium when we came in and went to a game. My two brothers have season tickets, but it's hard to get away." How about Georgia's A.J. Green? "I love A.J. Green. I've never met him. We just started a new, official Charleston chapter of the UGA Alumni Association, so we're hoping to get A.J. in his off time and be able to speak or something." You mentioned Spurrier earlier in the biomechanical vest. What did you learn? "He's an extremely athletic guy, especially since his knee has been blow out. He is so competitive, has so much fire to do well and win. He's got a pretty good swing, but he comes over the top because he has no stability in his right knee. He has to have good tempo and pause to let it drop more on plane. It's hard for a man like that, who wants to rip it every time. He was very nice to me. When we have our spring and fall member-guest, a lot of the people will wear button-down shirts. I have a white button-down with a beautiful, embroidered University of Georgia 'G' on it. I wore it specifically because I knew I was going to be working with Spurrier. He walked up and said, 'Got a little bird poop on your shirt?' " So, have we figured out that Fantasy Foursome? "Babe Zaharias. I'd have to play with her and we would play against Clint Eastwood and Bill Murray."

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