USGTF MEMBER PROFILE – ZARINA YESTEMESSOVA

I moved to Tokyo, Japan, from my native Almaty, Kazakhstan, to work as a professional sportswear model.  I was introduced to golf by my friends, and found that I not only had a natural talent for it, but also a passion.  I gave up my modeling career and pursued golf.   First, I began practicing in Japan.  Then, I continued at the International Golf Academia, Gold Coast and Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.   On June 10, 2004, Terry Wilson, a golf writer for the Gold Coast Bulletin, published an article about me titled “Exotic Flavour to the Classic.”   In part, it said, “In the seven months after arriving, she got her handicap down to 15.  She won the long drive on all three days of the SP Open – and added a nearest-the-pin – on day one.”  I continued working hard to polish my game.   Returning to Japan, I began working towards becoming a touring golf professional.  Towards this end I combined practice and work.  My first teaching job was at a golf course in Niigata.  I lived on the grounds working and playing seven days a week.  To get in all my practice and discharge my work responsibilities, I started my day at 4:30 a.m.   To take a break from this routine, I decided to pepper my passport with lots of visa stamps, checking out golf courses in other countries.  My international travels included China, Hong Kong SAR, Korea, Thailand, and, of course, my native Kazakhstan.  I also traveled extensively in Japan, taking every opportunity to play on different courses and enter competitions.   Wanting to play year-round, I decided to leave Niigata for Ibarake, where there is no snow.  I continued teaching and playing seven days a week until my golf course was literally consumed by the earthquake of 2011.  Needless to say, this was a terrible experience.  My home was destroyed, and I spent the first night in the car with my dog.  This brought me to the US, where I had the wonderful opportunity to obtain my Level III USTGF certification in March, 2012.  Next year I will get my Level IV Master certification.   I have incorporated discipline, physical fitness, good nutrition, and basically a healthy lifestyle into my golf training regimen, and I teach my students to do the same.  I understand the frustrations of learning the game, and am good at instilling confidence in my students.   As I speak Russian, Japanese, and English, my future may find me playing and teaching in Kazakhstan, Russia, Japan, and the United States.  Time will tell.