About YOW Golf

welcome

Promoting Women’s Golf In Ottawa

Yes Ottawa Women Golf is instructional programming for all levels of women golfers. We create a fun learning atmosphere by building foundational skills using certified PGA ‘A’ instructors to get you feeling confident with your favorite sport! Feel confident hitting the links all summer long.

YOW golf offers more than your typical day at the range or course. Learn golf with like-minded females, create new friends, share a laugh, learn from certified coaches, and tons more fun to be had! We have all sorts of ways to get you golfing with more confidence through our She Golfs Programming,  crash course clinics, group clinics, winter league, and corporate events.

Our mission is to offer a comfortable environment and community where women can connect and share their passion for learning the game of golf. Ultimately we want to encourage women to “trust the process” (life or golf). Golf is HARD! Let’s break down some of the barriers stopping women from joining golf.

meet our

Fully Qualified Instructors

Helping women improve and explore the game of golf in our gorgeous nation’s capital.

Rachel, Founder

The gal behind the scenes on a mission of getting more women introduced to golf and the many benefits it can offer. After moving back home to Ottawa – set out on a mission to keep learning the game of golf, in search of an instructional women’s league… and quickly realizing the need for a supportive fun women’s golf community in the Ottawa area- so she built it- the idea of Yes Ottawa Women Golf sprung to life. Knowing how intimidating and frustrating learning golf can be, she decided to take a spin and create a fun, inclusive, instructional golf community after noticing how many opportunities can become available through the game of golf amongst business, colleagues, friends, charity, or memorial tournaments.

Dawn Turner, PGA Class ‘A’ Professional Head Coach

I’m Coach Dawn and I am excited to be teaming up with YOW Golf to achieve our shared goals of encouraging more women to take up the wonderful sport of golf.

My sports background did not always involve golf. I spent 11 years dedicated to competitive diving where I became a provincial champion in synchro 3-meter springboard and was also ranked top 10 in Canada on platform. After retiring from diving at 16 years old due to spinal injuries, I decided to switch my focus to golf. Golf wasn’t something I truly considered doing full-time until after my injuries, before then I had only played golf during the…

summers occasionally with my family. Between the summer of 2012 and fall of 2014, I fell in love with the sport, competed a lot, and became the 3rd ranked junior female for the CJGA which earned me a golf scholarship to play for Indiana State University, a NCAA Division 1 school. After a wonderful four years of competing across the United States, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Recreation and Sport Management and returned home to Canada. In June of 2018, I turned pro and in November of 2021 I achieved my PGA Class ‘A’ Professional status.

Between the two sports I have accumulated over 14 years of coaching experience. Coaching has always been a passion of mine and I am looking forward to working with YOW to have every program participant fall in love with the sport of golf and discover a passion they might not have known they’ve had. Golf is a sport that can be played for a lifetime no matter a persons athletic/physical background which my mission for my own golf school ‘Coach Dawn’s Golf Academy’ which is to maximize each individuals’ natural abilities to develop a consistent
powerful golf swing.

As of May 2022, I am also a proud new mother of a beautiful baby girl named Zoey and have the role of Head Teaching Professional at GreyHawk Golf Club.

I am looking forward to the 2023 season with YOW Golf and meeting you soon!

Coach Sarah

Sarah, PGA Class ‘A’ Professional

Hi, I’m Coach Sarah and excited to be part of YOW Golf in the Ottawa region. I am originally from Montreal, I moved in the area to be the first female Head professional at Rivermead golf club since the beginning in 1910. I started golf at 15 years old and I didn’t quite like it at first, until the day that I outdrove my dad! Then, I became addicted to it and started to practice more seriously. My golf career as an amateur allowed me to travel around Canada and USA and I received a full scholarship at Arkansas State University,(NCAA division 1) where I was studying psychology as a major. I came back home to continue my studies at Université de Montréal, where I studied psychology, criminology and anthropology. I now specialized in child development.

At first I didn’t want to be a professional golfer and I tried many different things but somehow, it always brought me back to golf. My passion is people and I love helping others achieve their goals, especially golfing goals, for all group age.

I turned professional in 2018 after 10 years of competing and was fortunate enough to be able to coach at high school and university level during 6 years. I am still to this day, involved in coaching teenagers and young adults and I love it.

I was part of the Women in Coaching program offered by Team Canada in 2020. This is where I met coach Dawn. We reunited in 2022 as both were sponsored by Titleist Canada. Through Rachel and Dawn, I was invited to join the YOW Golf program and I am thrilled to be involved in such an organization and surrounded by these passionate women. I will be able to provide English and French teaching for Ottawa region ladies and I can’t wait to meet you!

Katie Walker, PGA Class ‘A’ Professional

I am excited to be teaming up with YOW Golf to grow the game of golf. I have been actively involved in competitive sports all my life. I was a competitive gymnast for over ten years. I represented Canada in world competitions for power tumbling and trampoline. I first became interested in golf while bartending at the Royal Regina Golf club. I had a gentlemen come in every day after his round of golf and try toconvince me to play the game. I thought the game of golf was only for older men. Finally, one afternoon I went to the driving range, it was then that I realized how much I loved the game.

I continued to pursue my love of golf and completed my Professional Golf Management Business Diploma from Lethbridge Community College. After completing my diploma, I did my apprenticeship at the Calgary Golf and Country Club, where I passed my playing ability test and started teaching. I have been providing private and group golf lessons for the past 17 years. 

I have been a certified Class “A“ Professional since 2015. I am also a certified personal trainer. I received my certification through free form fitness in Ottawa and have been providing personal training for 6 years.

I have worked at golf clubs across Canada. I started my career in Calgary then moved to North Bay and opened an indoor Golf center. I designed, organized, and ran golf programs for ages five and up. I moved to Ottawa in 2008 started working at Ottawa Hunt Club as an assistant professional. Here I started my girls and boys club. Over the past 10 years I have focused on teaching and growing the game. I have provided lessons at a variety of golf clubs across Ottawa and Gatineau. Currently I am teaching at Camelot Golf & Country Club.

I love teaching golf and seeing my students improve. Over the past 6 years I have wanted to make a bigger change in my students’ golf game by adding golf specific fitness routines to help improve their game. Seeing my students enjoy the game is very rewarding.

Karianne, Instructor

Hi, my name is Karianne and I love golf! When I was quite young, I played golf for fun and gradually became more serious about it. In 2015 – 2016, I became a member of the GAO regional development team and began competing as a junior golfer in a variety of events. In 2016, I had the pleasure of competing in the Ontario summer games where I got my first hole-in-one. In 2017, I played in the Canadian Junior Girls Championship and in 2018, I had the opportunity to compete in the Ontario summer games for a second time. Today, I am a student at the University of Ottawa and a member of its Women’s Golf team as well as a strong supporter of women’s golf. Golf has provided me with a variety of opportunities. It has enabled me to meet new people and grow my network all while doing something I really enjoy. It’s also allowed me to travel, see new places and enjoy a variety of different golf courses. All this being said, I encourage everyone to try golf, regardless of their skill level, as it is so much more than just an “old man” sport.

Shelby Raven, YOW Coordinator

Hi I’m Shelby! I’ve been a participant of YOW Golf clinics since the summer of 2022 and I am now excited to be part of the team as a YOW Coordinator. My sports background is primarily soccer but now I can confidentially include golf as well. I played soccer my entire life including at the university level but hung up my cleats in 2022 due to chronic knee issues. I have been playing golf consistently for the past 3 summers while playing soccer however golf is now my primary outlet for physical and mental health, means of socialization and a new found sense of community.

I am thankful that YOW Golf has already provided me with a network of women golfers and I am excited to see the growth of women’s golf in the Ottawa area in the years to come.