Local

Pittsburgh business making golf more welcoming for women and rookies

By Jenna Harner, Channel 11 Sports
By Jenna Harner, Channel 11 Sports

PITTSBURGH — It can be incredibly nerve-wracking for someone with little or no experience to play a round of golf for the first time. At OnPar Now in the Strip, they’re taking away the intimidation factor as they try to get more women, especially, out on the course.

“I just wanted to create a space where everyone -- men love the technology that I have, state of the art, but a space where women don’t feel intimidated,” said Jan Receski, owner and CEO of OnPar Now

Receski knows firsthand that women can sometimes feel “outside the circle” when it comes to golfing in the corporate world.

“I might get invited a few times,” Receski said. “But typically it was, ‘hey, Jan, Jeff, can’t make it. Can you fill in?’ And the next time you could make it, and I was not included.”

So, she quit her own corporate job and started OnPar Now, a space where everyone, no matter their skill level, especially women who have no idea where to start, feels welcome.

“Give them that confidence to get in the game, to embrace the sport,” said Receski.

She teaches with Trackman technology

“When I teach, there are 12 metrics that are on the screen that I can talk to you about,” said Karen Bennett, an instructor at OnPar Now. “How far your ball is going, how high it goes, how fast it’s traveling.”

Along with their putting green that moves to change the lie of the ball, the indoor sand trap and chipping area. OnPar’s motto is simple: a place where you can learn, practice and play

“When you come in here and you kind of have your own world where you can practice by yourself,” said Bennett. “No one’s gonna look at you and judge you and how your swing is.”

They aim to take away the intimidation factor of picking up a club for the first time.

“In my opinion, the only way you can embarrass yourself is if you show up to the golf course in purple plaid shorts and in orange polka top,” said Bennett.

And the impact they’re making is truly hard to put into words.

“They actually get emotional,” said Receski. “They get to the course and say ‘I never would have had this opportunity if it hadn’t been for this.’ And that is so motivating and satisfying for me to be able to get them out on the course.”

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

It can be incredibly nerve-wracking for someone with little or no experience to play a round of golf for the first time. At OnPar Now in the Strip, they're taking away the intimidation factor as they try to get more women especially out on the course. "I just wanted to create a space where everyone -- men love the technology that I have state of the art, but a space where women don't feel intimidated," said Jan Receski, owner and CEO of OnPar Now Receski knows firsthand women can sometimes feel “outside the circle” when it comes to golfing in the corporate world. "I might get invited a few times," Receski said. "But typically it was, 'hey, Jan, Jeff, can't make it. Can you fill in?' And the next time you could make it, and I was not included." So, she quit her own corporate job and started OnPar Now, a space where everyone, no matter their skill level, especially women who have no idea where to start feels welcome. Give them that confidence to get in the game, to embrace the sport," said Receski. Teaching with their Trackman technology "When I teach, there's 12 metrics that are on the screen that I can talk to you about," said Karen Bennett, an instructor at OnPar Now. "How far your ball is going, how high it goes, how fast it's traveling." Along with their putting green that moves to change the lie of the ball, the indoor sand trap and chipping area. OnPar’s motto is simple: a place where you can learn, practice and play "When you come in here and you kind of have your own world where you can practice by yourself," said Bennett. "No one's gonna look at you and judge you and how your swing is." They aim to take away the intimidation factor of picking up a club for the first time. "In my opinion, the only way you can embarrass yourself is if you show up to the golf course in purple plaid shorts and in orange polka top," said Bennett. And the impact they’re making is truly hard to put into words. "They actually get emotional," said Receski. "They get to the course and say 'I never would have had this opportunity if it hadn't been for this.' And that is so motivating and satisfying for me to be able to get them out on the course."

                                                   

TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS

©2025 Cox Media Group

0

Most Read