Gef’s 30 Under 30 Winners: Q&A with Ana Dawson

Ten categories. Thirty young visionaries making their mark on the Isle of Man. Introducing the all-new #Gef30Under30 winners: the next generation of our island’s leaders.

From promotions to pro golf to NASA, the UCM Achievement winners are out of this world.

What is your name and age?

Ana Dawson, age 22.

Job title or role in the community?

Professional Golfer with the Ladies European Tour.

How did you start your career or role in the community?

Golf was something that I took up with both of my younger sisters when I was 9 years old. My family already played the sport which made it something we could all do together. I quickly started to enjoy the game and would pester my dad to take me to Peel Golf Club all the time! I started going off-island to compete when I was 12 and only started to enjoy it more! I spent a lot of time as a junior up at Peel Golf Club, which had an amazing junior section. Tuesday evenings were junior club nights and it was something I used to really look forward to when I first took up the game; now, 12 years later, Peel is still my home golf club.

In one sentence, summarise your journey so far as a young and successful person under 30.

I feel extremely grateful for the experiences golf has given me; I have seen so many different parts of the world and met so many amazing people. There are plenty of ups and downs in sport, but golf has given me so much more than just a hobby.

Have you experienced any hurdles in your career or community efforts and if so, how did you overcome them?

After Covid, I found it really hard to get back into the routine of playing competitive golf. I didn’t play college golf for over a year and even once we started again as I spent most of the semester in quarantine. In the summer of 2021, I began playing competitively again in the UK. Initially I really struggled with nerves at tournaments. After having so long away from tournament golf, I felt so out of my comfort zone again and it wasn’t an easy transition back into playing. It wasn’t until spring 2022 that I gained any confidence back. It was hard to put myself through teeing it up in tournaments and not shooting anywhere near the scores I wanted to, but I knew it was something I had to do if I wanted to get back to feeling comfortable on the golf course again. After playing a lot of competitive rounds, travelling and getting used to having a card in my hand again, I began to feel more comfortable, which ultimately brought better results.

Tell us about why you think you won the category you did?

Coming from such a small island can make it harder to compete as there is always the added element of travel which takes time and money, which can definitely put you on the back foot when you are trying to get started. I was very fortunate as I had a family who were willing to do anything to help me overcome these obstacles and show me it is still possible to compete at any level, regardless of how hard it can be to get there. I am fortunate enough to have carried this mentality with me as I have gotten older and stayed focused on what I wanted to achieve, which has sometimes meant making quite a few sacrifices.

Who are your role models, either on-island or off, in your sector or outside of it?

My role model would be my dad; he did so much to help me get to where I am now, and I probably wouldn’t have even ever tried golf if he didn’t introduce me to it. I spent a lot of time travelling to the UK to play tournaments with my dad when I was younger and he taught me so much on and off the golf course. But it wasn’t until I got older and started to travel and book tournaments on my own that I realised just how much time and effort he put into getting me to where I wanted to be.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t be afraid to fail. It can be so disheartening when you don’t get the result you want, but it really does make it so much better when you finally achieve it. Failing is a massive part of succeeding. If you never fail, you can never succeed.

What do you wish you knew when you were getting started in your career?

I wish I knew how hard it can be, especially with the impact of social media. It can be easy to think that everything everyone does is perfect, which it obviously isn’t. But there are so many more factors that come into play than I realised when I first said I wanted to become a professional golfer. Obviously I knew about having a bad week on the course and missing a cut, but there’s also the stress of planning travel, delayed/cancelled flights, injuries, cost, loneliness and living out of a suitcase. If I was more aware of these things when I was younger, it still wouldn’t have put me off, but it would have been a lot easier to prepare for.

What are your plans for the future?

I hope to earn full playing rights on the Ladies European Tour in the near future, with the ultimate goal of playing on the LPGA a little bit further down the line. These have both always been goals of mine and it makes it so much more exciting now I am so close to achieving them!

What changes do you hope to see in your sector or community in the coming years?

I hope that in the coming years women’s sport continues to grow and be on a similar level to men’s sports. Since turning professional it is something that has been eye opening to me, as I thought the women’s game had come so much further than it has. Unfortunately now playing on tour I have found that the men’s and women’s game is still being played in different worlds! With most professional women on tour, struggling to get clothing/club/ball deals and having to pay for a lot more to use facilities at tournaments (which men don’t have to). Unfortunately, I know this isn’t only the case in golf, so I hope across all sports women continue to get the recognition they deserve.

What, for you, are the benefits of staying on or moving back to the island for young people under 30?

I think there are so many benefits to living on the Isle of Man. After travelling to so many different places, I have never found anywhere with the same community that the Isle of Man has. I can’t believe the amount of support I have received from the island to help me pursue my dreams and this is down to the amazing community we have. It isn’t the same in the U.K. – there are so many more people, so it’s hard to get the recognition or support from your local area. I have been overwhelmed by how many people are willing to support me on the island and this gives me so much more motivation to do well and fills me with so much pride to represent the Manx flag.