Kat Gerrish
Founder / Head Golf Pro
Beaverton, OR
My Role
6 years ago, I exited my role as a Partner at Canary Marketing where I started and ran the Portland office of 30 people, and helped lead the sales and marketing efforts for the organization which is a premier promotional products agency focusing on global brands. Some of my direct clients were Google, Meta, Salesforce, MTV, Capital One.
After leaving Canary, I focused on a commercial development project in Beaverton, restoring the historic buildings at the corner of Hall and Broadway in Old Town Beaverton. Transforming a local landmark into a thriving, multi-use destination hub which includes tennants: Canard, Binary Brewing, Teriyaki Moto, Deadstock Coffee.
My current project is Cottage Golf which is a golf studio and social club focused on welcoming more women into the game. We are breaking down barriers of intimidation and disrupting the traditional way Golf is learned, viewed and played. To do this, I *boldly* entered the PGA PGM program at age 45 to become a PGA Professional. (to put this in context, most my program peers are in their 20's and 96% of them are men)
What I love most about my role
The best part of my job is all the incredible women I get to spend time with in the studio. People tend to come to golf at transition points in their lives: new job, new relationship, newly singled/widowed, empty-nester, etc. And they are looking for community, connection, a challenge, or a healthy hobby. I love that I get to be part of that journey with them.
How I define success
In my current role, I define success as that moment I see the spark ignite in a student/clients' eyes after hitting a sweet golf shot, or when they tell me the stories about how golf is opening things up for them in their lives, relationships, or careers. In my own life, I like to think about success as a new level "unlocked" - when I feel the most successful, I have lots of exciting new challenges ahead of me, or levels unlocked.
The best piece of business advice I ever received was
"There isn't a starting line-up in the world that can't be replaced" - as in, "go for it" and also..."stay sharp".
I started a list of qualities I admired in my successful mentors at a young age, and they included: a good pair or rose-colored glasses, high energy, and good health habits.
What would I tell my younger self
I would just tell her she's doing a great job - and maybe tell her to buy some Google stock...
What 2B Bolder mean to me
2B Bolder, to me, means taking the risk, unlocking the challenge, and lighting the path for others to follow.
Years of Experience
28
I recommend you focus on developing these 3 skills to succeed in a role like mine
Leadership, Creativity and Brand Development, Golf Coaching