An Interview With BATCADDY Community Member, Cecelia Purvis

Welcome back to Walk-Around with BATCADDY. In this issue we walk with BATCADDY Community member, Cecelia Purvis, who at 61, plays three days a week, competes in pro-am's and local tournaments, and has the energy and mindset you can't help but be inspired by. A BATCADDY member since 2021, Cecelia is an advocate of walking golf and swears by the fact that if you walk "you'll never buy a tee again!" Introducing community member with a character of gold, Cecelia!

How long have you been playing golf?
I've been playing since '95.

Were you hooked immediately?
More or less! Both of my parents played but when I was younger, I'm 61 now, girls in Greenwood, South Carolina didn't play much golf. So, until I was thirty five I never really played, then I got into it and loved it. I played a lot of softball after college, but you get tired of running to first so here comes golf and thank goodness it did.

"I played a lot of softball after college, but you get tired of running to first so here comes golf and thank goodness it did."

Have you always been active from a lifestyle standpoint?
Yes. A little hyper as they say.

And what sports did you play?
Softball, gymnastics mainly in high school and cheerleading in college. Never played basketball, didn't run track but that's about it. Tried just about anything fun.

Today - How many rounds do you play per week?
At least three. I work for a golf company so I get twenty one golf courses to play at my leisure.

That's fantastic! Did you always walk golf?
I did both, but I always walked a lot, especially during Covid. Where I play most of the time is Pine Lakes Country Club, which is the oldest golf course in Myrtle Beach, and the backside of that is very hilly, especially for a beach course, so when you get to eighteen you look up at it say, oh god! Which got me thinking, why not get an electric push cart? So my friend and I did some research and ended up buying a BatCaddy. And now four more people at my club have bought one and two more are looking at them!

How would you compare walking to riding?
Everybody is always asking that question. You play better walking and it's more fun. When you're walking, you're naturally envisioning that next shot, and when your partners are walking, it's great camaraderie. And I don't care what anyone else says, you play faster.

"And I don't care what anyone else says, you play faster."

You mention speed of play. Can you elaborate?
When riding a cart you drive up, sit and wait for the next shot. When walking, you hit your shot and continue moving, chit chatting, and carrying on, even having BatCaddy races down the fairway. It's a lot of fun.

So you're getting a workout along the way?
Definitely. It's not a workout for me. It's fun. You're doing something you love and you get stronger all around. You're breathing the fresh air, building your core, and getting in some cardio.

And while staying fit, you're still competing today?
Yes.

When is your next tournament?
I'm going to Pinehurst and Bermuda in April, and I'll play in a few ladies tournaments before then.

That's great! Best of luck! Anything you would like to close with?
Yeah – If you walk you'll never buy another tee again! When you're walking from the tee box forward you'll find tee's like crazy!

"If you walk, you'll never buy another tee again!"