Christina Lecuyer, a former pro golfer from Edmonton, started golf at 18 and won a local Ladies Open around 2000. She earned a scholarship to University of Central Arkansas as a four-time All-American, then pursued professional golf through Q school and Golf Channel reality shows before transitioning to executive coaching for female leaders.
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All right, welcome back to Bullpen Sessions. My name is Andy Neary, and this is episode 25. I am excited as hell for this interview for a couple reasons. Number one, I consider this top female friend a confidant, but she's also badass. She is a former LPGA professional golfer turned executive coach to top females. With that being said, Christina, welcome aboard.
What's up? Thank you so much.
How are you?
I'm so excited.
This is gonna be fun. If you're listening to this right now, you might need to turn the sound down just a little bit. She's gonna light you up. But get your pen and pencil out or pen and paper out. You're gonna be taking a lot of notes. So, Christina, today we're gonna talk about a very hot topic that you and I both know well as former athletes, and that is the topic of.
But before we get there, for the audience who has no idea who you are, take us back. Tell us a little bit about who you are. Of course, you live in the heart America's heartland right now, but you don't come from the United States. You were born north of the border. So tell us a little bit about your childhood.
Yeah, absolutely. So I'm Christina Lacure. I'm a former professional athlete, former professional golfer. Grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Greg up in a golfing family. Didn't take up the sport until later in life, actually. I was. Worked at a golf course basically since I was in diapers. My dad was a professional. He was a professional hockey player for a really long time, and then he trans. After his hockey career was over, he went into golf. Him and his brothers, they were all into the exact same thing. So I grew up in that family. At about the age of 13 or 14, I ended up starting working at a golf course that wasn't my dad's, and. And from there, I, you know, I scrubbed golf clubs, washed golf carts. I was the first female ever to work in the back shop, they call it, at a private country club in Edmonton, where I'm from. You know, I wore the men's slacks and the men's size small shirt because they refused to allow me to wear, like, a female outfit because everyone had to wear the same thing. For, like, two years. I wore men's pants and men's shirt. But when I was about 6, it was almost right before I was turned 18, I was like, okay, I love these guys that I get to work with on a daily basis, but they all get to go play golf after work, and I don't play golf because I was like, I held out. My dad told me I needed to play and I was like, ah, hell no. So I started playing when I was 18 and I got really, really good really fast. To be honest with you. I broke 190 and 80 in the same summer. And right before I started playing golf, I actually went backpacking through New Zealand. I came home and I looked pretty good. And then I got really good at GOL all in the same summer. And from there, honestly, it kind of took off for me in the fact that I quote unquote became someone in my town. I won or city, I guess, million something people. I won the ladies Open championship and I think back in 2000. Yeah, it was 2000, I think. And from there on I got a college scholarship. I went to the University of Central Arkansas where I still live here in Arkansas. I was a former four time all American, athletic and academic all American. And then I turned professional shortly after college and did a couple reality shows on Golf Channel. Went to the final stage of Q school. A lot happened in that time, but basically my golf career was very fast.
So let's dive into that a little bit now. Being a sports fanatic that I am, if you didn't hear what she said, she grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Yep.
I'm guessing during your father was a former pro hockey player.
Yeah, my dad and my uncle both.
You grew up during the time the Edmonton Oilers were the greatest team ever.
Okay, this, we got a cut right here because this story you need to hear. Your people are gonna love this. When I was growing up, all the kids that were on my grandma's fridge, you know, the magnets on grandma's fridge was all her grandchildren and Wayne Gretzky's kids.
Oh, yeah, that's where I grew up, is where Wayne Gretzky was. God. And my grandma had our photos and Wayne Gretzky's children on her fridge. Hockey was like heaven up there.
Wow. And it was during a time period when again we could any, any NHL fans listening to this, those were probably the great, some of the greatest hockey teams the NHL has ever seen. Ever. And so the other, the other little known fact about Christina you may have caught, she went to this central Arkansas home. The NBA fans of Scottie Pippen.
Wow. You know, very few people know that. Good for you.
Well, my little story, I think I've shared this with you, Christina. When I was about 12, 12 years old, I think we played in the National AAU tournament for baseball and the national tournament just so happened that year to be in Conway, Arkansas. So we got to stay in the dorms of central Arkansas.
Oh my gosh. What the smallest world ever. I didn't even know where Arkansas was on the map when I came here. And that is a true statement known.
For its underrated beauty.
It's gorgeous here. I actually sit on the state board. We're getting way too far ahead, but I actually sit on the state board for tourism here in Arkansas for the Arkansas Golf Trail. And Arkansas is actually considered the natural state. It is absolutely gorgeous here. And I wouldn't live anywhere else. I've been here 18 years now.
That's awesome. So let's, let's dive in then to go. I'm going to take you back. You had said when you were 18, which this is so interesting, when somebody hears you played professional golf, they assume that you've had a golf club in your hand since age 4. Kind of like Tiger woods, right? But you didn't really pick up the Sport until age 18 and you had instant success.
Did that impact you in any way that you pick up a sport? Granted, you'd been around it for years, but you pick it up and you just have instant success in it. Do you think that impacted you in any way from a self worth, how you valued yourself compared to your brothers? What impact did that have on you?
Oh, my gosh. Where do we start? Absolutely. So like I said, when I was 18, I got really good at golf and I was actually, I came home from a backpacking trip and, you know, it's that time.
