Janie Reese wants to encourage more women to play golf and she has a mission as a professional golf mentor to make the game more fun and less intimidating through her business Kiss My Putt.

“I want to take the fear out of golf, remove the intimidation and inspire people with confidence to play and enjoy the game.”

Janie’s personal love of golf combined with her background in tourism marketing motivated her to set up Kiss My Putt on her move to Queenstown a year ago. 

“I am very passionate about this area and used to work for Destination Queenstown in Australia marketing the resort so it was an obvious fit to launch my golf mentoring business.”

Janie, who is a former Canterbury representative golfer and plays on a single figure handicap, says there is a definite gap for her skills.

“I am not a golf pro and will often suggest that clients take a lesson to learn the swing mechanics and other basics, then after that I teach them all the stuff they will never learn on the driving range. I take them out on the golf course and help with what clubs to select for different situations and so much more. It is important to give people confidence to hit the shots they are scared of.”  

“In addition to private mentoring I offer Rookie Retreats, which are an excellent way for a group of friends to come to Queenstown for a four-day experience not only on the golf course but also to soak up some of Queenstown’s finest food, wine and bespoke activities while staying at beautiful lakeside accommodation. I can tailor any itineraries to what clients want.”

“The main thing is to have fun on the golf course and I think Kiss My Putt implies just that – it’s a fun name, memorable and slightly risqué.”