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Martha has played just about every round ball there is. Yellow ball, brown ball, black and white ball, and then, the white small dimpled ball. That’s tennis, basketball, soccer and golf, of course.
During this time in Lafayette, she met Buffy and Alice Mayerstein who became very important to her through her junior golf experiences. "All junior golfers need adults for guidance and support." "They have continued to be good friends, like parents," she said fondly. Although Martha initially was supposed to play basketball in high school, she earned a full scholarship in golf to SMU. "It was far away from home, which I needed," she said. "I had a great coach, Earl Stewart, Jr., from Texas. He was crusty, expected a lot, and was perfect for me. He was like a grandparent, a coach, and a mentor. The experience was awesome." In college, Faulconer finished second in the NCAA in her sophomore year (1984). After tying for 7th place in the Mayflower Classic she was encouraged to play on the LPGA tour, but she felt she wasn’t ready. At Q-School, Martha qualified at her first attempt and played on the Tour from 1987-1995, playing in the United States, Japan, and Canada, where she made great friends while staying in private homes. While on Tour, she met her future husband, J. B. Faulconer, who was caddying for Myra Van Hoose Blackwelder. Faulconer’s family was from Lexington: his father was well known in the horse industry; his brother Frank, a radio personality. In 1991, they married and went to Puerto Rico for four years. While living there, they saw a lot of the people she knew from her touring days. Martha has been at public, private and resort golf clubs. She said, "The membership here at Lexington Country Club is great and lots of fun. As a golf pro, I don’t do the same thing all the time." She enjoys the business of golf, and the multitasking required: the people, the outside, and even the inside paper work on occasion. As her eyes light up, you can tell Martha has a passion for what she does. Lexington Country Club is home to one of the most prestigious women’s tournaments, The Marion Miley. She is excited about the addition of a junior division for girls ages 17 and under. When you play in The Miley, you’ll see some changes including the driving range that is being expanded. Although Martha has not competed since coming to Lexington Country Club, she is planning to play in several of the PGA Kentucky Section Women’s Division events this year. Mondays are her sacred days for being in the yard, cleaning, etc. so she will be selective about the tournaments she chooses. Q: For the beginning of the season what kind of golf tip do you recommend? A: It’s really important, and I’m sure everybody hears it over and over again, to prepare your body. Exercise it and strengthen it so that your muscles are flexible, and your core is strong so that you don’t have injuries. The better players that you see nowadays on tour are physically fit. They have bodies that are prepared for work. Plus, when the days get long and there is bad weather in tournaments it’s very important to be in shape because your mind is going to have to work overtime. Taking care of yourself physically will definitely help your golf game. Your body is more functional when it’s in a better, stronger physical shape. When I was on tour I did a fair amount of aerobic work, but I didn’t lift a lot of weights. I know now that nutrition is also an important part. When my sweet tooth kicks in my body reacts in a much different way because it’s kind of a foreign substance. They’re all inter-related. Other players are beginning to catch up to Tiger’s level. They see what he can do with what he’s doing with himself. They think, I can do it, too, but I have to change some of my habits. Annika’s done that on the girl’s side. Her body’s really changed in the last few years and she’s just more prepared. Q: What is a tip for a beginning golfer? A: If you can at least hold the club properly you can make contact with the ball and create some good habits. That’s what you are trying to do - create habits that are going to last. If you can see the ball go up in the air that gives you the confidence to keep you going at it. I think getting good instruction from the start is important. It’s not like you have to take a bunch of lessons. Find someone you enjoy spending time with, and you can afford the price that they’re offering. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on lessons or clubs, but you do need good instruction. Q: What about the mid-handicapper? A: Work on your short game! Mid-handicappers can fairly decently hit the ball, but when they get in the "100 yard and in" range they 2 and 3-putt. For everybody the short game is so important, but the middle handicapper can really lessen the handicap if the person would work on the short game and even not necessarily 100 yards in, but just around the green. When you do not hit the green in regulation, but you hit it up by the green and make a chip and a 1-putt you’ve saved yourself a lot of strokes when you multiply that times 18 holes. Q: And the low-handicapper? A: A low handicapper has a swing that is probably pretty well consistent. The good player needs to really focus on their driver, wedge, short game, shots around the green, and practice. Q: On the Lexington Country Club course, what is the most important strategy? A: Well, on our course, you need to keep it in the fairway. Right now in the spring the grass is pretty healthy, very heavy. Our superintendent is trying his best to keep it fairly under wraps, but it grows quickly especially with these little rain spurts. Stay below the hole because our greens are pitched a little bit, and you have no chance if you are above the hole. You have a chance if you stay below it. contact Martha at:
from Ladies Golf Journey - Jul/Aug 2004
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After starting out as a tennis player in Indiana, and playing many sports, Martha and her parents moved where she was introduced to golf at age 13. Her father was self-employed and could take her to play golf at the club during the day. Martha found golf was a game where she did not need a partner. She played in club events and thought, "this is really cool." "Golf is really cool." At 14, she played in the USGA National Junior tournament.