As most Yellowknifers know, the local golf course has no grass. That’s part of the appeal for golf pro Kylie Frederick, who will join the city’s club this summer if Covid-19 restrictions ease.
Frederick is from Parksville, British Columbia. She spoke with Cabin Radio from her home on Vancouver Island, where she is waiting out the pandemic.
“I played a lot of sports growing up: soccer, basketball, baseball, you name it. And then I just fell in love with golf when I was seven years old,” she began.
“My dad took me out and started getting me into the game really early on, and he thought I’d be pretty good right away because I was a southpaw, which is pretty rare.
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“I’m grateful that I was able to have parents that would drive me to the course every day so that I could invest my time into the game, so that I could be decent enough to still hit it straight now.”
Frederick began playing competitively when she was 13. By 15 she had dropped her other sports to focus on golf. She received a golf scholarship to Oklahoma City University after high school, where she competed on the number-one ranked team in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
After graduation, at 22 years old, she got her pro card with the Professional Golfers’ Association of Canada (CPGA).
As she approaches her 10th anniversary as a pro, she’ll be working for the Yellowknife Golf Club helping to teach golf. The club said Frederick will be the first female golf professional in its history.
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“I just love being in the [golf] environment and also love coaching and teaching the game, as well as growing the game, which is huge to me,” said Frederick.
When she saw the posting for the Yellowknife gig, she said “something about it felt right.”
“It’s so unique. How can you say no to something like that?
“The cool thing about being a CPGA pro is that we get opportunities to be able to travel and see new places. And I’m just super excited for the opportunity to get up there, and get work, and meet amazing new people. It sounds like it’s going be a great team.”
Frederick was supposed to arrive in the NWT on April 15, but due to Covid-19 her start date has been pushed back. It has yet to be rescheduled.
