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Horst named to Pa. Sports Hall of Fame
By Greg Caldwell
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Dec 25, 2006

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - A long, distinguished career on the links both playing and teaching golf has led to enshrinement for one local woman.Lisa Ann Horst, a local Class A golf professional at Leisure Lanes Golf Center and Groff’s Farm Golf Club, was named to the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Scranton Oct. 22. The induction came in recognition of the last 25 years she has spent actively involved in the game on more than one level.

“I did not know in advance I was going to be enshrined as you have to be voted in by the members,” Horst said. “I was hoping for it. It is a great honor to be recognized as an athlete.”

This award came as Horst was finishing up her seventh year as a teaching pro at Groff’s Farm, 16th year at Leisure Lanes, and her 17th year overall as a teacher. When she started in this position, she mostly taught men to play the game as it was not very popular with women. Now, thanks to the emergence of younger, athletic women playing the game, Horst is teaching more women.

“Women used to play because their husbands wanted them to join them on the course. Now, many women do it for themselves and wind up being very good at the game,” Horst said.

Horst started playing at age 8. She said she used to go out and play with her parents and older brothers, but realized early on how much she enjoyed the various aspects of play. She started to play small local events, but her father noticed she needed better competition to really improve her overall skills.

“I was lucky to have parents who fully supported me in my game. They saw my potential and worked with me to improve my game,” Horst said.

Horst, who lives in Manheim Township with her husband, meteorologist Eric Horst, and their two kids, played in more tournaments in preparation for high school and college play. She was captain of the boys’ team at Scranton Area High School in 1982-83, winning various tournaments and serving as an integral part of the team’s PIAA District Two championship four consecutive years. She also was runner-up at the 1981 state championship and earned a scholarship to play at Penn State.

She was a three-time varsity letter winner in college while also winning the NCAA putting contest in 1985. When she finished college, she thought of trying out for the professional tour, but realized her aspirations of being a mother would be put on hold indefinitely and the time commitment would make it next to impossible to start a family.

“I decided the best option for me was to be a club pro. I was dedicated to the game, but chose to use my dedication as a teacher. It is my forte and I love it and I can still raise my family.”

Though Horst said she still enters a few competitions, she said ages 13 to 20 were the best years for her game. “At that point, I was one of the best athletes around. I am not a big person, so I made up for my difference in size with skills. I tried out for the boys’ golf team in high school and the coach not only let me try out, but he made me an integral part of the team,” Horst said. “I only wish there were more girls’ teams in schools across the country.”

Horst said so many girls are interested in the game today and many start playing at a young age, but it is harder to keep them involved in the game when other interests become important in their everyday lives.

Golf is one of those games, Horst explained, where muscle and strength are nice to have, but these attributes can be offset if a person has the proper technique and consistency. “These two factors are more important than all the strength in the world. This is allowing more petite girls to stay involved in the sport.”

Despite these accomplishments, Horst said one of her proudest moments came when she published her first book, “Golf Training: The Secrets to Effective Practice and a Lower Score,” in 2004. In the book, she explains to readers in fairly simple terms how to train to be a better golfer, “You need to train your body physically, mentally and nutritionally,” Horst said. “The swing is not complicated, but putting everything together is the key. If you want your score to go down, you need to break the game into different parts and understand how to practice them all together.”

She said her advice to newer players is to keep working at the game by focusing on conditioning. “If you have better flexibility and better conditioning, you will play better and hit the ball a further distance.”

The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization founded to perpetuate the memory of male and female athletes who have brought fame and recognition to the state of Pennsylvania.

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