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By Kendall Capps
Senior Editor - Contributor
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In recent years, America has seen the rise of influencers in all types of verticals. Golf is no exception. Paige Spiranac or even the Bryan Bros. might be top of mind. But there is another emerging star that has taken the golf space by storm: Grace Charis.
Charis already has 3.7 million followers on Instagram, 3 million on TikTok, 1.5 million on YouTube and another million on X. Suffice it to say, she is quite popular.
She posts a wide variety of content, ranging from videos of her morning stretching routines, travel content, and footage from the course, among other things.
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But she has been busy both on and off of the course.
On Monday, Charis announced her new apparel brand, Dialed Golf.
The new clothing and apparel line features hats, hoodies, polos and a wide variety of eye-catching t-shirts. One in particular, her Masters-themed t-shirt, is sure to catch your eye.
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You likely noticed a couple of things that stood out. That is because some of her content is rather, well, aggressive for lack of a better word.
If you follow the 24-year-old, you have seen some of her content with sexual overtones. But I am here to tell you, this young woman is far more than a pretty face posting content on social media.
I recently met up with Charis at SoHo House in West Hollywood for an exclusive and came away thoroughly impressed.
Grace Charis - Athletically Gifted
Grace is originally from Newport Beach, California but moved to Dallas, Texas three years ago. Not many people leave Newport, but she did so knowing there were more golfing opportunities there.
But before playing golf, she dabbled in several sports.
"I grew up horse riding," she said. "That was the first sport I did."
"Then I picked up ballet, then surfing, and then rowing, and then I finally landed on golf. But I landed on golf during COVID so I was never really able to be on a team or compete. So, it was more just recreationally."
Going into this interview, I knew she was a good golfer. Turns out, she is a 3.2 handicap. But it was enlightening and eye-opening to hear that she didn't even pick up clubs until the summer of 2021.
I've been playing for 21 years and can still barely crack 90.
But I digress.
There are conflicting reports about the influencer's background in golf. Some websites have her studying in Singapore (wrong). Others have her starting the game at the age of seven (wrong). So, it was nice to put all of that to bed and hear it straight from the source.
The California native then provided some insight as to where much of her skill on the course comes from.
"I think a lot of the discipline in ballet has shaped --- there is a lot of correlation between that and golf for me. The repetitive things of doing the same move over and over, your body and how you move with each part being connected in the world of golf has helped me improve my swing."
"I think that background in ballet has helped me for sure," Charis said.
Charis non-committal on Golf future
Grace Charis is obviously talented. But it was interesting to learn of her laid-back approach to her playing career.
She recently began playing in tournaments after being a 'range rat' for her first couple of years.
"It is a little early for me to decide [on trying to go pro]," Charis said.
"I just started playing amateur tournaments. I love the competitive aspect of that and being around other women who are really good. They are way better than me. So, being around that has definitely helped me under pressure."
"But having that vision of going pro now, like, let's just see what happens," she said nonchalantly.
She plans to continue playing tournaments. If she finds the winner's circle time and again, maybe going professional will be on the table. But it was clear that is not a focused goal at this time.
But with her brand growing, and content creation taking as much time as it does, that would certainly be difficult.
Grace Reveals Other Side
As mentioned earlier, some of Charis' content has a bit of a burlesque feel to it.
Her use of slo-mo videos is captivating to many fans, of course.
But maybe that is what surprised me the most during my time spent with Grace. The amount of thought and tact put into her craft of creating content goes against her nature.
"I think I have an aura. If you look at my Instagram, I look like I go around and have fun. I really don't leave the house. I am just hanging with my cats and am pretty introverted for sure.
"Getting me to go out and drink is hard. I don't think it [social media presence] matches my personality."
I find it to be one thing if an outgoing person utilizes their looks, skills and social media savvy to build a brand for themselves. It is another entirely when that person has to consciously break from who they are naturally.
Anyone that follows Charis would have no clue how relatively introverted she is.
I find it refreshing.
Hopefully her game will continue to improve, her tournament play leads to victories, and golf fans can enjoy Charis on the course as much as on social media.
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