Claire Rogers took a significant flip in her profession path, going from aspiring little one psychologist to operating social media for a golf outlet. Alongside the way in which, she has emerged as one of many golf neighborhood’s most entertaining voices.
It took a little bit of bravery from the psychology main out of Boston School to contact the journal she had been a fan of for years, Golf Digest. Now at Golf.com, she’s working one of the inventive, fulfilling jobs she may ask for, touring to golf tournaments and assembly individuals from everywhere in the world.
Like most children, Rogers wasn’t hooked on golf immediately.
“We had junior golf each Tuesday morning rising up. I might stroll to the course proper throughout the road, and I hated it as a result of we needed to be there at 8 a.m,” Rogers recalled with amusing.
To not point out, the male-to-female ratio was skewed.
“It was a reasonably large program for Rhode Island,” stated Rogers, referring to her house state. “I might say 40 youngsters confirmed up and it was most likely 28 guys and 12 women.”
Golf continued to play a task within the Rogers family when Claire’s dad and mom began internet hosting golfers for the Northeast Beginner, a males’s beginner occasion held yearly at their house course of Wannamoisett Nation Membership in Rumford, Rhode Island. Claire was skeptical when one of many gamers they hosted urged they arrive out and watch.
“I used to be like, ‘Why would I wish to go observe 18 holes? That sounds horrible,’ ” Rogers recalled.
However after watching a couple of rounds of the match, she began inching her means towards what’s now a deep love for the sport.
“It was enjoyable to observe the trajectory of somebody who would win at this native course after which see them on TV years later,” she stated.
In 2006, the Roger household would host a golfer that may make nationwide tv for a few years to come back. Dustin Johnson walked into their house carrying exercise garments, flip flops and frosted ideas in his hair. Johnson didn’t win that 12 months however would go on to win two years later in 2008.
No matter his match success, Johnson developed a particular familial bond with Claire, her dad and mom and Claire’s three siblings, who had been all between 5 and 14 years previous on the time.
The 2-time main champion gave Claire’s dad and older brother, Tim, Masters tickets in 2011. After they confirmed as much as the vary, Johnson noticed them and walked over to catch up.
“He has all the time remembered my household and it’s been so enjoyable to see him succeed through the years,” stated Rogers. “To be working within the golf area now makes it even higher.”
Along with following Johnson’s profession by social media, Rogers discovered herself gravitating in the direction of Instagram and different media shops to observe skilled golfers.
“I bear in mind when Rickie Fowler acquired Instagram and it was cool since you’re studying the non-public facet about these individuals who you see on TV,” she stated. “In highschool, I might spend weekends watching golf with my dad. All all through school, I adopted golf extraordinarily intently simply because I actually appreciated it.”
A renewed love for golf started to affect her profession selections by junior 12 months of faculty. Rogers was a devoted Golf Digest reader, which ended up being the primary and solely firm she reached out to in hopes of working there.
“I simply emailed the individuals at Golf Digest and requested, ‘How can I give you the results you want?’ I didn’t even know their emails,” Rogers stated. “I simply sort of guessed that it was most likely first name-dot-last identify at GolfDigest.com, and it labored.
“At first, all of this felt like mind surgical procedure. … I believe it was actually arduous in the beginning to sort of really feel assured, however the extra you journey or the extra you do something, you simply get extra assured.” – Claire Rogers
“It wasn’t like I had a aim of moving into golf social media, as a result of that’s so particular. However I interned there for 2 years and was simply doing no matter they wanted. Then once I graduated, Hally Leadbetter and I, who was additionally working for Golf Digest, acquired in contact once they had been hiring a social individual. So it was simply excellent, and I labored there for about two years.”
Rogers went from editorial researcher at Golf Digest in 2016 to social media coordinator in 2018. Two years later, she transitioned to Golf.com to work as their social media supervisor. Rogers was only recently promoted in April as their senior social media supervisor.
“I’ve transitioned to overseeing the day-to-day stuff of scheduling of articles, working with writers and our social media accounts,” she stated. “At first, all of this felt like mind surgical procedure. I’ve positively improved within the graphic area and writing and issues like that, however it wasn’t what I went to high school for. So I believe it was actually arduous in the beginning to sort of really feel assured, however the extra you journey or the extra you do something, you simply get extra assured. The optimistic suggestions from bosses or critiques from bosses about how we are able to do higher has been very useful.”
The “Golf Twitter” neighborhood has taken specific discover of Rogers, who has practically 47,000 followers on the platform. Earlier this 12 months, whereas standing on the sixteenth tee throughout a apply spherical through the Waste Administration Phoenix Open, Rory McIlroy sought her out within the crowd and launched himself out of the blue.
“I like your work. It’s very humorous,” McIlroy stated.
“Thanks! I like your golf,” Rogers stated again, hardly in a position to include her pleasure.
That sums up the place Rogers has in golf’s social media ecosystem. She travels about two weeks every month to all the most important golf occasions, together with majors, to create written and video content material for Golf.com, typically creating viral tweets alongside the way in which. She has began a collection referred to as “The Scoop” the place she interviews gamers and caddies whereas Rogers and her visitor eat ice cream.
“I’m an ice cream gal,” Rogers stated. “I’ve a rating listing on my cellphone of golf programs with ice cream. I’ve most likely 30 spots. I had this concept about interviewing gamers over ice cream and couldn’t inform if it was a dumb thought or not, so I simply messaged my boss. He was on board and thought it could be actually enjoyable.”
On “The Scoop,” Rogers has interviewed Justin Thomas’ caddie, Jim “Bones” Mackay, and LPGA rookie Rose Zhang on the Mizuho Open, the place she ended up profitable her LPGA debut. She lately interviewed Fred {Couples} and Xander Schauffele.
“My co-worker got here up with the identify ‘The Scoop’, which I believe was excellent,” Rogers stated. “I prefer it as a result of it’s completely different from a walk-and-talk, and consuming ice cream is a very relaxed setting. I simply needed to create an area the place I might ask a query after which the one who I used to be interviewing would converse 90 % of the time.”
This interview format will get to the center of why Rogers loves her business. The individuals she’s met alongside the way in which are inspiring and enjoyable. She most likely would have by no means met them if it wasn’t for golf.
“I met Amanda Renner on the Genesis final 12 months,” stated Rogers, referring to CBS’s golf reporter. “I nonetheless bear in mind her interview with Dustin Johnson when he gained the autumn Masters in 2020 and he acquired all choked up. She actually waited for him till he was prepared to talk as a substitute of making an attempt to fill the silence. I’ve discovered a lot from her about what query appears to be like like and easy methods to be OK with silence. Kira Ok. Dixon has all the time been so useful. Hally Leadbetter acquired me my first job in golf. The social group on the PGA Tour are a few of my favourite individuals to get dinner with once I’m on the street.”
And to assume, she didn’t research journalism in class. However she beloved golf, was author and was keen to study one thing new.
“I really feel so fortunate as a result of I believe for lots of people, your social circles begin to shrink slightly bit as you become old,” Rogers stated. “In golf, we now have all these associates from all ages and backgrounds, however we now have this related curiosity in golf. After I get to a match and stroll into the media middle, it looks like recess at college the place you’re with all your mates and hang around all day.
“I believe that’s the most effective half. Assembly these actually fascinating individuals in golf who’ve completely completely different tales, whether or not they’re designing footwear for Adidas, or are a participant, a caddie or journalist.”
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