Taylor Cole - Golf Always Finds Its Way Back to Me
For actress Taylor Cole, golf, much like acting, isn’t just a passion, it’s a way of life. “I fell in love with golf before I fell in love with acting, although I found both by accident,” says Cole. “I grew up with my dad, so when I was little, I asked for a Barbie, but he instead got me golf clubs.”
It wasn’t long before Cole had forgotten about the dollhouse and found herself in the clubhouse. “Everyone said I had a natural swing and when I went to golf camp I discovered I thrived in the competition based games. Closest to the pin, chipping and putting contests. I was hooked.” At least for a little while, but soon golf, like many activities for multi-talented teens, became as neglected as a dusty 7 wood. “I was more interested in working on my golf cart driving skills over my swing skills. I was also playing competitive volleyball and traveling the world for modeling. But when I tore my ACL in preseason of my senior year, I moved to New York City to focus on my modeling career fulltime and soon after that, while visiting my mom in Los Angeles I landed my first television show, SUMMERLAND.”
It was at this point that Cole’s acting career really took off starring in tv shows like Supernatural, The Event, CSI: MIAMI, and The Originals. “Unfortunately for my game, I was acting so much, I just didn’t have the time for golf. I also had out-grown my kid-clubs so I’d have to rent which always makes playing more of a challenge.” But a fateful visit back home to Texas led to a trip to the driving range where her dad surprised her with a new set of Mizuno clubs. “I fell in love with the lightweight of the graphite shaft paired with the weighted club head. Clubs had come a long way from when I was a kid. I’d forgotten how satisfying the sweet kiss of a good shot could be.”
Still even with the new set of sticks, Cole says she only played a handful of times over the next few years. “It wasn’t until I started acting regularly in Hallmark Channel movies that I even thought about playing more golf. I was meeting so many people that played, the desire to hit the links was building in me like crazy, but my access was limited.”
That all changed when Cole moved to Lake Tahoe in 2019. “I moved to Tahoe to be more in nature, and I am always enamored by how jaw-dropping a backdrop the Lake Tahoe/Truckee, Reno, and Carson Valley region is no matter the club you play. There are so many courses in the area and they all display a vast variety of stunning landscapes, it just made me want to be outside and play more than I ever had before. When I’m out on the links, surrounded by everything I love, there isn’t an amount of bad shots that can ruin my round or my day. It’s just a great way to get outside, meet new people, and travel as well.”
Since she’s moved to Tahoe, she’s also made it her mission to see as many golf courses in the area as possible, from beginner to private members only clubs. “Some of the most memorable I’ve played are Grays Crossing, Schaffer’s Mill, Old Brockway, Tahoe City Golf Course, Lake Tahoe Golf Course, Edgewood Tahoe, Clear Creek Tahoe, Genoa Lakes, Toiyabe Golf Club to name a few.”
In fact this renewed enthusiasm for the game has led Cole to play in a few influencer and media golf tours. It’s even inspired a few story lines in her movie mystery series, THE RUBY HERRING MYSTERIES on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel.
“I was posting so many pictures and writing about things to do while visiting Tahoe, it caught the eye Ruby Herring’s creator and Dateline’s own, Andrea Canning. Actually it was her husband, who’s an avid golfer, who convinced her to add in the golfing storyline, but I’m so glad she did. I hope it brings in a new fan-base to the sport and the movie, and someday I’d love to do a fully golf-themed film. So fun to share my love of the sport on and off the screen!” Once again it seems golf had found its way not only into Cole’s personal life but her work life as well!
