From playing golf competitively as soon as 7 years old to being on a D1 college team, golf coach Amelia McKee dreamed of her life as a golfer. The young homeschooled girl spent her youth golfing persistently, whether she was spending time with her dad or playing in tournaments. At just 15 years old, McKee committed to Baylor University and thought it was the place she had been dreaming of, the team she had wished for. She soon found that this place wasn’t her dream at all, and that it would change the course of her life forever.
Panther Press: When and why did you start playing golf in the first place?
McKee: I started playing competitively when I was 7. I wanted to be with my dad all the time. My dad liked to play golf so that was the simplest answer to spending time with him.
Panther Press: What made you stay in golf throughout high school?
McKee: I loved it from the very beginning. I was homeschooled before coming to Oak and always wanted to play on a team. I got to do that here. Coach Smith and Coach Vickers were like a second family to me, still are. I had the best time playing for them, making them proud. One of their favorite parts of coaching was the state championship. I told myself I was going to take them there every year, and I went as an individual every year I was at Oak.
Panther Press: Did you experience any types of challenges playing golf in college?
McKee: I’d say so. I left my first university [Baylor] because my coach was extremely abusive. I committed to play golf there on a full ride scholarship when I was 15. That was a hard pill to swallow in itself, letting go of that dream. On top of everything it took to get through my time there and heal afterwards. I still have severe PTSD, but we are always getting better. Then, having 11 days to move off campus, pick a new school and move to a new state was crazy.
Panther Press: Can you describe the moment you realized you had to let go of that dream?
McKee: My dad was really really sick, so I didn’t tell my parents for almost a whole year. I didn’t want to put more stress on them. I went to the school for help and they lied to me. They told him I “tattled” and it got worse. They put me in school-mandated therapy and they told me I was crazy. I was all alone. And I got mad. I turned into an angry person. I didn’t think I would ever get out. I was depressed. That was scary. My roommate called my parents, and they came to get me. That is when everything came out. We fought him and lost. I was not safe there.
Panther Press: What made you want to start coaching?
McKee: I love Oak. I love Mr. Hensley and Vickers. I loved my time here as a student and a player. I wanted to give back. I wanted to be a person that protected these kids. I learned quickly that not all coaches are there for the kids, to help them, or be somewhere they can feel safe. I wanted to be that [coach] if I could. I also didn’t feel like anyone I spoke to about picking a college told me what to ask or look out for to avoid what I went through. I can be that for these kids. I know what is possible. I know I can be tough on y’all sometimes…that is only because I want you to be the best you can be.
Panther Press: What goals do you have in life?
McKee: Honestly, I don’t know. I’m 26 but I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I wanted to be a college athlete. I did that. I wanted to be a professional athlete. I did that. I wanted to be a coach…here I am. I think my biggest goal right now is to be the best at the phase of life I’m in right now: to be a good coach, to be a good mom to my sweet boy, and to be a good wife. I don’t know if that’s the “end” for me. But I’m happy where I am if it ended up that way.
