Q & A  With TRUDY DUFAULT

       Ocean State Golf

     If there is anyone in Rhode Island who can’t get enough of the game of golf, it’s Trudy. She seems to thrive on the game 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 12 months of the year.

     And she didn’t take up the game until she was 35 and did so only because, she says, she didn’t want to become a golf widow. Her husband, Russell, you see, was also a golf fanatic.

      Trudy says she became obsessed with the game and wanted to become good at it. She’s been a member of Montaup for over 25 years and has been club champion a number of times.

     Along the way, however, Trudy also became obsessed with getting more women from the public sector involved in the game so she and the late Natalie Price co-founded the Ocean State Women’s Golf Association in 1995. It now has 350 members. Over the years, Trudy has served as the organization’s executive director, president and tournament director. She also is an OSWGA Senior State champion. Prior to OSWGA, Trudy belonged to the Massachusetts Women’s Golf Association for a number of years.

       Back surgery has slowed down her playing time, but she still remains very active. Ocean State Golf caught up with Trudy recently after she had spent a long day as director of another OSWGA tournament. We wanted to find out her thoughts about the game of golf and also pry into some of her other interests.

What is it about the game you love? “I love the game because it’s such an individual sport. It’s like you are always competing against yourself and trying to make yourself better.”

What is it about golf that you don’t like? “There really isn’t anything about the game I don’t like. I live, eat and sleep golf.”  

 The club I’m never afraid to pull out of my bag. “My 8-iron. I’m real comfortable with that club.”

 The one club I’m not crazy about. “My 3-wood.” 

Worst moment on the golf course?  “Oh, this goes back a number of years but it was during a Public Links event at Triggs. I was on this hole, I can’t remember which one, but I do remember the green had bunkers on each side and I kept going from trap to trap and wound up with an 11 on the hole. That wasn’t much fun.”  

Last book read. Look, I don’t read many books. I think the last book type I read was actually ‘The Rules of Golf’. Of course, I do read Ocean State Golf’s every issue and I mean that.”

Favorite activity other than golf.  “I do some gardening, but, really, my life is all about golf.”

Favorite TV show? “Jeopardy. I even get some of the questions.”

The people who I would love to have lunch with. “I think, probably, Annika Sorenstam because I admired her stamina and how well she played. I also would like to talk with Tiger Woods for pretty much the same reasons as Annika.”

Favorite PGA player and LPGA player “Tiger and now that Annika has retired, I follow Lorena Ochoa on the LPGA Tour.”        

Favorite place to play golf  I have to say it’s a course in Scottsdale, Az called Taravita C.C. It was such a beautiful place to play. It’s been about 10 years since we played there.”