GOLF needs to move away from its elitist mindset and focus on attracting a younger audience, according to rising star Paris Hilinski.
Aged just 19, Hilinski has bold plans for golf, both in terms of her own aspirations and how she wants to see the sport grow in the future.
Hilinski, who hails from California, USA started playing golf aged just 12 before quickly moving on to win her first amateur tournament at the 2018 LoneStar Girls Invitational.
In 2019, she qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship before taking part in sectional qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open in Pittsburgh, where she finished as first alternate.
She focuses on brand exposure and social media as her avenues to grow her brand and golf, all the while working on her own game to achieve her dream of being the best in the world.
Speaking on the Par 3 Podcast, Hilinski said: "I’m not against anybody, but I’m trying to actually grow the game.
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"I feel like a lot of times these organisations are very focused on trying to preserve this very tight-knit group of elitism that’s been in the game for so long.
"They act like they go against it but they’re not from my perspective. I’m trying to see other ways the game can grow that you guys aren’t trying."
Hilinski has amassed over 82,000 followers on Instagram and over 164,000 on TikTok.
This is dwarfed by another prominent golf figure; Paige Spiranac, who has 3.7million followers on Instagram alone.
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9Spiranac is often the subject of backlash because of the raunchy content she posts.
However, Hilinski believes golf influencers such as Paige are "cool", and slammed those who try belittle the scene.
She said: "I’m not really in the same lane (content style) as Paige but I don’t understand all the hate towards her.
"Paige played College golf at San Diego State, she almost won a national title.
"I don’t know where this misconception comes from that these girls all of a sudden can’t play golf because they’re in a different lane to professional golf.
"I like a lot of them, they’re really cool people. They’re just in their own world.
"They’re not trying to play pro golf they’re just doing they’re doing their own thing which is cool."
Regardless, Hilinski believes women's golf has a long way to go to achieve its potential, starting with a change in mentality of many female golfers.
On her experience as a member of the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association), she added: "I’m a member and I know what some people get paid and it’s not a lot…
"In order for things to change you need to fight with what you want especially in women’s golf.
"There’s a lot of women content with where they are, but I’m not cause I think there’s so much more out there for women playing golf."
Hilinski also revealed she had not heard about any LIV Golf women's tour, but admitted she was open to the idea.
Her new wave of ideas has seen Hilinski land a role as a creative director for LA Golf, who make "technologically advanced" golfing products including Putters, Shafts and Golf balls.
"It's amazing," she said when asked about her role with them.
"They actually reached out to me, it was a very new company, like the first Putter had not even come out yet.
"The CEO knew Claude (Harmon III – her trainer). They gave me the whole LA golf spiel and I ran off with like 25 different ideas and ranted to him (the CEO) on the phone for a long time.
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"[I] Flew out here to meet them and a couple of months later they called me and said we’d love to make you part of the company.
"And they named me creative director, so I just help out with everything."
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