{"id":27,"date":"2026-09-12T18:57:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T18:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/?p=27"},"modified":"2026-09-12T18:57:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T18:57:09","slug":"golf-women-minorities-who-says-you-dont-belong-at-the-golf-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/golf-women-minorities-who-says-you-dont-belong-at-the-golf-course\/","title":{"rendered":"Golf, Women, Minorities: Who Says You Don&#8217;t Belong at the Golf Course?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Golf, Women, &amp; Minorities: Who Says You Don&amp;apos;t Belong at the Golf Course?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iWUeT1Grsek?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learn the Game: Golf, Access, and the Rooms You Think You Don\u2019t Belong In<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m a Chinese-American woman who immigrated to the United States in 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I had to learn English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Later, I learned something else that turned out to be surprisingly useful:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Golf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve worked at three golf courses\u2014Tustin Ranch, Dove Canyon, and Marbella. Recently, I even won the under-40 putting contest at a Newport Beach Chamber event and walked away with a round at Pelican Hill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, I\u2019m bragging a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But there\u2019s a bigger reason I care about golf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Golf taught me something about <strong>access<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Golf Is More Than a Sport<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People joke that golf is an old white man\u2019s game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then learn it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If certain industries, relationships, conversations, and opportunities are happening on golf courses, why voluntarily exclude yourself from them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This applies especially to women, minorities, immigrants, first-generation professionals, and anyone else who walks into a room and immediately wonders:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cAm I supposed to be here?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My answer is increasingly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Who decided you weren&#8217;t?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes the fastest way to expand your life is simply to enter environments you haven&#8217;t experienced before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Take the golf lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Attend the business event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Visit the country club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Understand finance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn accounting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Walk into the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You don&#8217;t have to become somebody else. You are simply expanding the number of environments in which you know how to operate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don&#8217;t Confuse Discomfort With Danger<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Years ago, I attended a dinner at a yacht club in Orange County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The event was publicly advertised. I paid the approximately $50 admission and showed up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At some point, a man said something to me along the lines of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cYou know you don&#8217;t belong here, right?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That comment stayed with me much longer than it should have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I wasn&#8217;t from a yacht-club family. I didn&#8217;t grow up around that world. And because I didn&#8217;t have much context, one person&#8217;s behavior started shaping my opinion of the entire environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking back, I think I gave that person too much power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe that club wasn&#8217;t for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are other clubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe one person didn&#8217;t want me there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are millions of other people in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One uncomfortable experience shouldn&#8217;t determine the boundaries of your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sometimes You Need to Stay in the Room<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ve also learned something important from difficult conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When somebody tells you about an experience involving race, gender, culture, class, religion, or identity, you don&#8217;t necessarily have to agree with every conclusion they draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But sometimes it is worth simply <strong>staying in the room<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ask questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Get curious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every one of us has blind spots because every one of us has only lived one life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I know what it feels like to move through America as me. I don&#8217;t know what it feels like to move through America as somebody else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And somebody else doesn&#8217;t know exactly what my experience feels like either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s why diverse relationships matter\u2014not because everyone needs to think alike, but because people who are different from you can see things you cannot see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If everyone around you has the same background, worldview, social circle, and experiences, your network may be comfortable\u2014but it may also contain enormous blind spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Understand the System\u2014and Then Decide What to Do With It<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The world is not perfectly fair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s hardly breaking news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are historical inequalities. There are biases. There are old boys&#8217; clubs. There are advantages some people inherit and others don&#8217;t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But recognizing those things is only step one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eventually I have to ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What am I going to do with that information?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I can spend my entire life cataloging the ways the game is unfair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Or I can learn how the game works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Better yet, I can build a new game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If golf has historically been dominated by men, women can learn golf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If technology is creating enormous economic opportunities, learn technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If AI is changing business, learn AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If wealthy people congregate in certain places, become curious about those environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If an existing organization genuinely doesn&#8217;t want you, maybe the answer isn&#8217;t spending years begging for admission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Build your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Your Environment Changes You<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of my teachers once made an observation that stayed with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She noticed that students from different racial backgrounds often separated themselves socially\u2014but among affluent students, those divisions sometimes seemed less pronounced because they shared another identity: socioeconomic status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I don&#8217;t think money magically eliminates prejudice. It doesn&#8217;t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the observation taught me something broader:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Shared goals can sometimes become stronger than the categories separating us.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Business does this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sports do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Entrepreneurship does this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Building something together does this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s part of why I&#8217;m interested in rooms where ambitious people gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want to become wealthy, spend some time understanding people who successfully create wealth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want to become an entrepreneur, surround yourself with builders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want to become technically capable, spend time with engineers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your environment quietly teaches you what is normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Choose your normal carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Access Without Discernment Is Not the Goal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is another side to this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I don&#8217;t believe you should desperately chase every exclusive room just because powerful people are inside it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Access isn&#8217;t the ultimate goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Discernment is.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ask yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Are these people responsible?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do they keep their commitments?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When something goes wrong, do they take responsibility\u2014or immediately blame someone else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do they build people up?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do they operate with integrity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do you actually want to become more like them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Getting into the room means very little if it&#8217;s the wrong room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The goal isn&#8217;t proximity to status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The goal is proximity to people, knowledge, opportunities, and environments that help you become who you are capable of becoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You Can Be the Person Who Changes the Room<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe golf has historically looked like an old white man&#8217;s sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then make it an Asian woman&#8217;s sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Make it a Black woman&#8217;s sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Make it a Latina entrepreneur&#8217;s sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Make it a first-generation immigrant&#8217;s sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You don&#8217;t have to destroy the room to change the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes you simply have to enter it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And sometimes after entering it, you realize:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>I can build something better.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s been one of the biggest lessons of my entrepreneurial journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not every room is meant for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not every invitation deserves a yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not every rejection deserves my energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But I also refuse to reject myself before anybody else gets the opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Create Your Own Unfair Advantage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Legacy Launcher Labs is ultimately about exactly that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Creating access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learning things you weren&#8217;t taught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meeting people outside your usual circles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trying technology that initially intimidates you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Building the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Launching the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recording the podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learning golf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Entering the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And eventually, creating rooms of your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The world may never become perfectly fair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But you can become more capable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can become more connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can become more discerning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can become harder to exclude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And you can create opportunities for the people coming behind you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So if there&#8217;s a room you&#8217;ve been telling yourself you don&#8217;t belong in, maybe it&#8217;s time to reconsider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Take the lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Show up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stay curious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if you discover that the existing game isn&#8217;t worth playing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Build your own.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn more and build your legacy at <strong>LegacyLauncherLabs.com<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn the Game: Golf, Access, and the Rooms You Think You Don\u2019t Belong In I\u2019m a Chinese-American woman who immigrated to the United States in 2000. I had to learn English. Later, I learned something else that turned out to be surprisingly useful: Golf. I\u2019ve worked at three golf courses\u2014Tustin Ranch, Dove Canyon, and Marbella. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28,"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27\/revisions\/28"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legacylauncherlabs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}