It was shortly after college, playing with her dad and uncle, on a non-descript afternoon at DeSoto Golf Club in Hot Springs Village. It was on this random Saturday afternoon that Julie Robinson played the best round of golf in her life.

She’s still got the scorecard tucked away in a box at her parent’s house. She shot a 66. No pressure was attached to the round, no overthinking or stressing about her swing from shot to shot. It was this round that reminded her how much she loves this game.

Growing up with a house full of golfers, it was only natural that Julie would pick up a club for the first time at the age of four. The game has taken her around the state of Arkansas as a youth, and even into the collegiate ranks. Like anyone else who plays it, golf brings thrill and awe, anxiety and frustration, mental focus, toughness, and an absolute evolving respect for the game. It’s a time commitment beyond your typical hobby, but the thrill of that perfect shot brings Julie back, and will for many, many years to come.

“That afternoon, I hadn’t played in a while, and when that’s the case you aren’t thinking too much about your swing,” Julie recalls. “I didn’t feel any pressure to perform, and everything just came together. I was out there having fun.”

The Game started early for Julie.

Julie’s father was a golf coach, so he took on the role of her coach when she picked up her first clubs. By the time she was eight, Julie was playing competitively.

“We have an organization called the Arkansas State Golf Association, and we would go to different tournaments around the state,” Julie said. “From age 11 to around 17, we were probably averaging 13 to 15 tournaments a summer. So your Thursdays through Saturdays most every week were spent at the course.”

By the time she was 13, Julie began to realize that she had a special talent. She was playing with other girls who would go on to play at LSU, the University of Missouri, the University of Arkansas, and more; as she began hoisting trophies and playing alongside the best in the state, Julie only gained confidence.

“I really started believing,” Julie said. “At that same time, I always knew I wasn’t going to make a career out of it just because of the stress factor.”

The Game was too much at one point…but she returned.

After high school, she admits she was a bit burnt out with the sport. Julie earned a number of scholarships to play golf at the next level (even her beloved Alabama), but she committed to Henderson State University, where she could achieve a higher golf/life balance. She joined a sorority and prioritized her education and her social life more than she had in her youth.

“Growing up we were always on the golf course, and I didn’t want golf to be my complete life,” Julie said. “Henderson let me do that. We still practiced every day. I didn’t miss a golf tournament… I also had a sports therapist who helped me through a lot of mental challenges.”

Overcoming the mental hurdles of the game is a big challenge for anyone who stays in the sport long enough.

“You just have to realize that you can control what you can control. Everyone hits a bad shot, no one plays a perfect game. It’s one hole. It’s one shot. I’ve learned over time… you just have to let it go.”

In doing so, she’s found love in the game again. She looks forward to playing with her father and uncle soon. She looks back at the pressure she endured, the many hours spent on the course, the lessons, the travel and all the friends made along the way, and she can’t help but have a greater respect for the game.

"I’m getting back into it. I have a love for the game again,” Julie said.

The Game will last long into her life.

It’s hard to put into words what the “perfect shot” feels like. Needless to say, that feeling never gets old.

"When you hit a long putt, or you have that perfect tee shot, it’s like ‘all my hard work has paid off.’ You can’t describe it,” Julie said.

It’s that. It’s her family. It’s the friends she made when she was 8 that she still texts every day. There are a lot of things bring culminate into her passion for the sport, and she doesn’t see that going away anytime soon.

“As I’ve gotten older and looking back at what I accomplished, I realize that golf is one of the hardest sports out there…It’s a game I want to continue to play with my dad as long as he is able. I’m planning on getting a new pair of clubs soon…I definitely appreciate it more than I believe I used to.”

And maybe someday soon, whether she’s playing with her father or just a friend, she’ll recreate that magical day at Hot Springs Village. When everything clicked, when the Tiger Woods fist pump was in full display. When the game actually felt easy.

It’s part of what keeps golfers like Julie coming back, Saturday after Saturday, year after year, long after other similar hobbies have come and gone.