Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
New pro brings new program to Tanyard
BELLA VISTA — The new golf pro at Tanyard Creek brought along a new program for people who want to improve their golf game. Hannah Hellyer ran Operation 36 at First Tee in Lowell and is enthusiastic about using the program in Bella Vista.
As a female golf professional, Hannah teaches golf to many women. It’s possible, she said, that woman feel more comfortable learning from a female pro, but really only half of her students are female. She teaches many men as well.
“I love Operation 36,” she said. She believes it makes learning the skills needed for golf both easier and more fun.
It’s set up like karate, she explained. As golfers progress they earn colors beginning with orange and progressing, eventually, to black. To earn a color, a player must learn specific skills as they play a shorter version of the game.
“If you’re playing golf and on your first hole they have you playing a 300-yard hole — that’s about three football fields long,” she explained. “This program starts at 25 yards so it’s super friendly and it’s meant to let people understand how the game is supposed to be played.”
It’s an eight-week session that includes both classes and nine-hole matches. Each golfer progresses at their own rate. Many will return to the program for another session.
“Ideally, you might take a break and restart again. You want to keep people interested and you want to keep people engaged,” she said.
The last color, black, represents a 250-yard hole. Most people can enjoy a typical golf course when they reach green or blue, she said.
“You can play nine holes in less than an hour,” she said about the early stages of the program. It’s less intimidating and, “It gets people back to basics.”
Hellyer started playing golf when she was 7 years old, but at that time she wasn’t planning a career as a golf pro. She wanted to play hockey and wore her Montreal Canadians hockey jersey each time she played. Eventually, she realized golf might be a better option.
She started as golf pro at St. George’s in Toronto and played in the Canadian Open as a club pro.
She moved to Illinois and earned a Master’s Degree in Business.
She’s played as part of the Epson Tour and came to Bella Vista to play in the WAPT tournament. She also played in one LPGA tournament and is hoping to qualify this year when the LPGA comes to Rogers. It was her husband’s job as the hockey coach at University of Arkansas that brought them to Arkansas.
“I really enjoy living in Arkansas,” she said, “The people are friendly.” She also likes the weather here compared to Ontario.
She manages Tanyard Creek and organizes the fitting events when manufacturers of golf clubs visit. She also gives golf lessons. All of the golf pros working in Bella Vista give lessons when they have the time, she explained. It harder for them to find the time when the courses are busy in the summer, she warned.
She’s happy to get the word out about Operation 36 so more people can learn to enjoy golf.
“You can play nine holes in less than an hour,” she said about the early stages of the program. It’s less intimidating and “It gets people back to basics.” — Hannah Hellyer Golf pro