Meet Paige Spiranac, a former pro golfer turned Instagram and YouTube influencer. In a recent appearance in an episode of the Playing A-Round podcast, Paige opened up about her past experiences with guys using her to get free lessons on the golf course from her.
Paige Wasn’t Always Into Golf
As a child, Paige was very much into gymnastics, but a severe knee injury she got when she was 12 killed all hopes of her ever competing professionally. Not only that, but she was also bullied at school and struggled to make friends. She was a pretty lonely kid. That’s when she found golf as it helped her find solace in its isolative nature.
Complete Dedication to the Sport
After she gradually recovered from the injury, Paige threw herself into golf and even began getting homeschooled so she could completely dedicate her time to training. When she started college, she started competing in golf tournaments. In 2015, she turned pro. She played professionally in the 2016 season, including the Omega Dubai Ladies Classic. Paige missed the cut, but she gained great exposure, and many endorsement deals in the process.
Life After Golf
Throughout her years in the spotlight, Paige has become a sort of an Instagram and YouTube influencer and is currently trying to grow her own brand. She has over 2.4 million followers on Instagram and about 120,000 on YouTube. Talk about an impressive following.
However, her success in sports and social media didn’t mean she would find her prince charming right away. It was quite the opposite. She was very insecure about herself and thought guys would think she was cool because she played golf. So she agreed to go on many “golf course” dates where she’d just teach guys the ins and outs for free. She’d also provide free equipment and course entry for them. It took a while for Paige to realize how they were just using her.
Luckily, the days of men using Paige for free lessons are over because she’s happily engaged and off the dating market!