She didn’t grow up with golf. But now the game is her future | News

Twenty-year-old Anna La grew up in Georgia without significant exposure to golf. Today, the University of Georgia senior is planning a career in the game.

She made her unlikely path thanks in large part to a three-month social media internship with Callaway last summer — an opportunity sponsored by the USGA’s Pathways Launch, a program that offers 24 participants summer gigs at 10 organizations across the golf industry.

Pathways Launch, which just completed its first year, is designed for graduate and undergraduate students looking to work in golf or sports. The paid internships are funded jointly by the USGA and participating organizations, which include the LPGA, PGA of America and PGA Tour, Dick’s Sporting Goods/Golf Galaxy, Golf Pride, Pebble Beach Company and Pinehurst Resort & Country Club. Each organization offers positions that emphasize on-the-job skill development, mentorship, and leadership training.

The goal is to expand the pipeline of golf’s next generation workforce by providing opportunities to individuals with backgrounds that are largely underrepresented in the sport.

Young people like Anna La.

La’s family immigrated to the United States from Vietnam when she was 5 years old. Growing up in Dalton, Ga., about 90 miles north of Atlanta, Anna loved sports, but golf was never considered.

“My family was always busy, so I never really had the opportunity to try golf or go to lessons, or just have the resources to actually be able to try golf,” he said. “We all grew up with this idea that golf is only for, like, rich families. So, they never really thought that they would have the opportunity to try golf or be exposed to it.”

That changed when La met her boyfriend in college. His family was into golf, and La began accompanying him to the course.

“When I first met him, we were always on the golf course,” he said. “I picked up some of the golf language, learning different terms, just being on the course. I really, really enjoyed it.”

She had a long background in sports photography, digital content and website design, and had moved to Georgia for their sports-media program. But she had not yet landed on a sport in which she had a particular interest. Now he had one.

“I knew I wanted to intern in sports,” he said. “I knew I wanted to look specifically for golf, and (Pathways Launch) was just the perfect opportunity. I was like, I’ll give this a shot. I decided, you know what, I really want to work in the golf industry, and I miss all the chances that I don’t take, so I went and I applied and it was so incredible that I had the experience of going through the program.”

She moved to Carlsbad, Calif., to work at Callaway, where she created content both on-site and off-site, reviewed how it performed, edited video and learned new digital platforms.

“One of my favorite things about being here was definitely the environment,” he said. “It really felt like a close-knit family, because everyone was constantly collaborating. Everyone was always bouncing ideas off, like, ‘Hey, I like this, I don’t like this, maybe we should take this direction’ — just that environment where it’s very communicative.”

“I felt like a part of that team. I never felt like I wasn’t.”

She returned to Georgia this fall to continue pursuing her master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a concentration in Emerging Media, as well as to serve as a USGA College Ambassador, with the goal of sharing her Pathways Launch experience with others on campus.

“I didn’t grow up with the game,” La said. “But I found this passion for this internship. I had exposure to the careers that exist in it that I did not know before, and I found that I have a passion for it. I hope to continue working in golf in the future.”

Several other Pathways Launch participants are also returning to college this fall, but some have already received job offers. Of the initial group, one was hired full-time by the organization where they completed their internship, and another received a similar offer. Two other participants found employment through connections they made during the program. The USGA reported that 100 percent of participants surveyed said they feel better prepared for the workforce, would recommend Pathways Launch to other students and are interested in serving as future ambassadors for the program, and more than 90 percent of participants said the experience encouraged them to pursue a career in golf.

La’s golf-media journey is already ready to continue on its upward trajectory, since she was recently awarded the Golf Writers Association of America scholarship for 2026-27, which will allow her to work alongside golf-media professionals in a brand event in 2027.

“You don’t have to know everything about golf,” La said. “Anybody can have a career in golf if they really want to give it a shot.”

Applications for the 2027 Pathways Launch internship program are currently being accepted. You can learn more here.