‘I want young girls to know that they can make it in this industry’

Michelle Penney has been breaking boundaries in golf ever since she became the first female engineer at Taylormade. Her fingerprints can be seen on almost every club they’ve produced over the last decade, and it’s earned her the reputation as one of the best in the business.

I’ve been a Product Development Engineer at Taylormade for 14 years, before that I designed Nissan and Honda cars. At Taylormade I do lots of computer-aided design (CAD), I’m responsible for the performance of the clubs we produce. I make CAD models of the tech coming in from our advanced design and industrial design teams, and my aim is to meet the performance targets set by our product creation group. I’m a funnel for lots of things, I’ll look at the sound and feel of products as well as how shots launch into the air.

I was a studious kid at school, but smart girls were told they’d become doctors, there was never mention of going into engineering. At college I realised I hated biology, it just wasn’t my calling, but I was good at physics. So when a school counsellor asked what I’d like to do, I spoke of my love of cars. She reckoned engineering could be something to aim at. I ended up having five years’ experience working for Nissan in San Diego and Honda in Los Angeles before switching to golf. I’d never picked up a golf ball before, yet Taylormade contacted me and invited me to an interview.

I knew nothing about golf, but the game ignited a spark within me. There’s lots of things that translate from the automotive industry to golf really well. I got hired in 2008 and got tickets for the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines – that was the first live golf I’d watched. I remember Tiger using two irons as crutches, and I lost a shoe as we ran to see him make the final putt at 18. I was like OMG, I get to design products for people doing this!? It was such a cool thing for me. It set the bar high, but I was all in with golf, I wanted to learn the game and get good at it. And I’ve loved golf ever since.

The nerds are tucked away downstairs at the Taylormade HQ in Carlsbad, California. It’s like working at NASA, we’re tucked away behind a door which requires two key cards to access. On my induction the recruiter couldn’t even take me through the door, that’s how secretive the stuff we work on is. We love breaking stuff, tinkering and cranking away at different projects in R&D. Taylormade are the technical epicentre of the golf industry.

One year I will work on premium drivers, the next maybe a family of rescues or women’s product. It’s important for us as designers and engineers not to become bored by just looking after one category, so we switch it up every year.

Back when Taylormade were owned by adidas,

I and 100 male employees attended a presentation about the apparel to be launched the following season. The representative explained all about the materials, but everything, even down to the imagery, was focused at men.

I asked what was being done for women, the response was, “We’re focusing on serious golfers right now”. Everyone in the room knew that wasn’t the right answer. Everyone knows that women can be just as serious as men about the game.

I’m happy being someone who has pushed my way through the industry and helped make a difference. When we hire women now it’s much less daunting to be a female. I’d love to let young girls know that this is an industry you can get passionate about, and the more women involved in the industry will only make the game better.

Having taken up golf late by tour standards at the age of 19, Iona Stephen’s talent and determination saw her go from total beginner to a +4 handicap in just three years. Injury ultimately put paid to her dreams of making it on tour, but that hasn’t stopped her from forging a new path as one of the most popular and relatable broadcasters in the sport.

I was an international field hockey player, but at that time it was very difficult to make a living playing hockey. At 19, I was looking around at other sports that as a woman I could play professionally, and I went to the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie and volunteered as a scoreboard holder. I saw all these women playing this game and I thought, ‘This game is the one.’ A few days later, I ran off to find a golf club I could hit, and the rest is history.

I transferred to the University of St Andrews because I wanted to immerse myself in golf. My first handicap was 19, but within 12 months I was playing golf for the county, and after three years I played off +4. I’d moved to Wentworth on a golf scholarship and was on a trajectory for making my dream of being a professional golfer a reality.

Around the time I turned pro, I started getting a pain in my right wrist. I was determined not to let anything stop me making it as a pro, so I kept playing through the pain and hoping it would go away. It didn’t. I started changing my technique, compensating for the pain I was experiencing at impact, but I couldn’t play a round of golf without 10 rolls of tape on my wrist. Eventually I went to see a specialist and had a serious operation on it, but even after 12 months of rehab my wrist felt worse than ever. At that point I was told I would never swing a club again.

I had a pretty dark period of feeling sorry for myself, but once I decided I’d had enough of that, I decided to channel my energy into recovery, fitness and health. I got my personal training qualification and studied for a diploma in sports nutrition. I went in that direction for a while and was using social media to document it. It was through my Instagram that IMG saw me talking to the camera – aka my phone – and invited me to a screen test for a presenting role on an anonymous TV programme. A week later I got a call offering me the job as presenter of Golfing World.

I now work for Sky as an interviewer, on-course commentator and presenter. I’m also part of the BBC golf commentary team and I have my own Youtube channel called On the Road with Iona, which allows me to play golf and chat with interesting individuals about the role golf has played in their life. I’m also a health and wellness ambassador for the R&A, helping to spread the message about the profound impact golf can have, both physically and mentally.

Interviewing Cam Smith this year as the first live interview after becoming the Champion Golfer of the Year, at the 150th Open, in my hometown of St Andrews, with my family there… that will be a moment I remember for a very long time.

Below On-course in the new job, interviewing the legendary Annika Sorenstam.

I do get nervous. I’d say live television is very comparable in terms of emotions and feelings to performance sport. Interviewing is definitely the most highpressure, because you’ve got so many different things to consider. You’ve got your producer and director in your ear, you’ve got to make sure you’re listening to them and coming in at the right time, and you’ve got the person standing in front of you, so you’re trying to make sure they feel welcome and engaged. And then you’ve got to remember what to ask!

I’ve had a few mishaps along the way. One of the first winner’s interviews I did was at the Saudi International. All week I just couldn’t stop calling it the Saudi Invitational. I had to interview Dustin Johnson when he won, and I had my producer telling me I needed to include the name of the tournament in the interview. I was in such a panic about the fact I couldn’t remember the correct name of the blimmin’ tournament that I called DJ ‘Justin Dohnson’. His face was a picture and I just about swallowed my own tongue. I’ve never felt so embarrassed. It still haunts me to this day.

I think growing the women’s game is about exposure. We live in this digital age where everyone can share on social media and I think these platforms are really important, because when you see someone you can relate to doing it, you think, ‘Oh, maybe I could do that’. That’s what happened in the beginning of my journey at the Women’s Open.

Golf has given me everything. On a personal level, it’s given me sanctuary. On a professional level, it’s given me my career. And, most importantly, it’s given me friendship and a feeling of belonging to something bigger than myself. Nowadays, my wrist has recovered to a point where I can play golf again. I can’t really practise and hit balls, but I can still knock it round and enjoy it. I still have my professional status, but I probably play to around a scratch handicap.

I still have a dream to play in the AIG Women’s Open. That was the tournament I watched at the very beginning of my golf story and thought, ‘One day I will play in this’. I think next year I’ll try to qualify for it, just purely for my love and joy of it, and to see if I can actually make it.