Parks Chose Golf

Sadena Parks could have been a cat-quick Division I basketball point guard or a track sprinter in the Olympic Games. Instead, the individual focus of golf and the love her father had for the game won out.

“I was playing all these sports in high school and it was too much,” Parks said. “When I started playing golf more seriously, I figured it was more advantageous to me and would be a better career. At that point, I felt like I was pretty good, that it was a gift. I wanted to pursue this game and help take women’s golf to another level.”

Her father, Washington Parks, introduced her to golf at age 9 as a way to bond with his young daughter a couple years after they moved from North Carolina to the West Coast. He taught her the game starting from the putting green to the longer clubs. By high school, golf became the No. 1 priority with two state championships, even though basketball is still a passion.

“He has always created a huge support group for me,” said Parks, 23, whose father now manages a Social Security office in Juneau, Alaska, far from her home base in Arizona. “I learned the drive and how to fight from him. Growing up, every once in a while you are defeated. My first golf tournament I finished dead last. We continue to be huge inspirations for each other.”

Parks’ notoriety extends over multiple avenues:

She is one of four Epson Tour players who are participating in the Golf Channel’s “Big Break Florida” series, all sworn to secrecy on the outcome until its completion in May. The increased exposure for Parks, Renee Skidmore, Jackie Spoetling and Mary Narzisi has been palatable.

“Sometimes when I play on the Epson Tour, people just stare and look,” Parks said. “I’m starting to notice that recognition. Growing up in Washington with not a lot of money, not being able to play in American Junior Golf Association events – I was the local kid who had potential. It’s kind of cool to get that notoriety.”

Parks is one of the longest drivers on the Epson Tour. Despite her 5-foot-3 stature, Parks’ flexibility and athleticism have allowed her to average 260.9 yards last year on the Epson Tour (ranked sixth) and 265.1 this year (currently seventh). She has also had to learn when to be aggressive or conservative.

“People ask me how I hit it so far, and I honestly don’t know,” Parks said. “I’m naturally very quick through the hitting zone for one thing. Actually, I had a problem with distance in that I didn’t know how to dial it down. Distance, I’ve always had. Accuracy and the short game and putting are things I’m really focused on now. I know if I get better there, my scores will drop.”

As one of the few African-American women playing professionally, Parks has had to overcome the self-induced pressure to make it. She was the first African-American golfer at the University of Washington.

“I used to feel like I needed to work harder and practice harder than the other girls just because I was African-American, not because I wanted to just be a great player,” Parks said. “I finally realized we’re all just human. I’m just another girl out there trying to make it. I just want to get on the LPGA and make a difference. I know I attract a different crowd because of my race and have a lot of support from African-American groups. If I just focus on golf, the other things will come.”

This week is all about Sadena Parks

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