By Jonathan Charlton
jonathan@peicanada.com

A Vernon River resident wants winter to be over before it’s barely started so she can get back to the greens.
Angela Drane, 24, has spent the last six years grabbing her clubs and golfing anytime of the year as she went to university and worked in the southern US. But she’s back on the Island now and said it’s going to be a long winter.
“This is all new to me.
“I’ve already got the golfer’s itch,” she said.
Ms Drane, who started golfing when she was 14, was PEI’s amateur ladies champ in July 2011.
Amateur play has left her with some exciting memories.
Ms Drane won the New Brunswick Amateur three years in a row and is the only Islander to win it once after PEI’s Canadian premier golfer Lorie Kane.
In amateur play, she got to meet many different people.
“My favourite experience was playing university golf.
“That was the most memorable.
“I got to meet a lot of teammates from different countries," Ms Drane said.
Even though she misses those days, she said she knows there are exciting experiences on the horizon.
This past summer brought an opportunity for Ms Drane to go pro and she spent that time on the circuit in Sweden where she competed in four professional events.
It was certainly a step up from amateur play, she said.
“The courses are different in terms of layout.
“Different types of grass make a big difference in breaking the ball,” she said.
Professional play has a little more stress to it too, she said
“You are looked at by the public and the fans a little differently.
“You are put out there a little more,” she said.
Despite that, Ms Drane said Sweden was an experience she will never forget.
She made the cut in two of the four tournaments she played in with a low score of 71 in both.
Her best finish in Sweden was tying for 28th place in a field of 78.
She hopes to use that experience back here in North America in the future.
Ms Drane said she would like to play professionally closer to home, but the sport doesn’t get as much play as it could here on the east coast.
“Ontario and west are where the events are in Canada.
“It’s too bad we don’t get the attention we deserve in the east,” she said.
As for the sport itself, Ms Drane said it came natural to her when she first started.
“I like how it’s an individual sport.
“The outcome is based on my performance and all the pressure is on me,” she said.
And whether she continues on the professional route or turns to coaching, Ms Drane said she knows golf will always be a part of the equation.
“It’s a lifetime sport where you can pick it up and play through your whole lifetime,” she said.