Tina Dittrich

first vice president, n.h. women's golf association

By Suzanne D'Amato
NH Mirror Contributor

Anyone who knows Tina Dittrich well knows the two words that describe her “to a tee”: competitive athlete. As a board member of the New Hampshire Women’s Golf Association, golf is one of her passions.

“I didn’t start playing until age 35,” she said. “Before that, I played all kinds of sports my whole life.”

As an adult, Dittrich played softball competitively. However, she said, “It was starting to become a bit much playing at my level,” with the risk of injuries and the expenses of long-distance game travel.

About 13 years ago, she exchanged her bat and glove for golf clubs and never looked back. Dittrich, who lives in Goffstown, joined nearby Stonebridge Country Club and met other golfers to play with.

“I’m a competitive athlete,” she said. “That’s the way I am, so I wanted to play golf really well.” When she was eligible, she joined the NHWGA, and “everything blossomed from there.”

Established in 1922, the NHWGA promotes golf for women throughout the state by organizing tournaments and championships, and holding scholarship programs each year.

Dittrich’s role as first vice president includes coordinating the association’s nearly 90 member clubs and organizing the annual Tri-State Tournament for New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont golfers.

She also works with the state’s chapter of The First Tee, a national program that teaches children game skills, golf etiquette and character education.

“The NHWGA positions are purely volunteer,” said Dittrich, who is “on sabbatical” – as she calls it – from her 10-year career as a customer-service manager to immerse herself in all things golf.

As part of her thirst for athletic exploration, Dittrich played ice hockey for a recreational league several years ago – even though she had never played the game before. However, the ice times eventually tempered her enthusiasm – and her sleep.

“Although hockey is fun, at this point in my life, golf is a huge focus for me. It lets me be competitive at my age and not lose my athletic ability.

“What’s great about golf,” she added, “is that you can be competitive, or you can just fool around and have fun.”

To learn more about the New Hampshire Women’s Golf Association, visit www.nhwga.org.

If you could spend time with anyone – past or present – whom would it be?
Thomas Jefferson. What really interests me is his perspective. When I read about things that happened in the past when I was alive, sometimes there is a discrepancy between what actually happened and what I remember. So Thomas Jefferson could explain what things meant during his era.

If you could be doing anything without regard to financial, professional or personal obligations, what would it be?
A teacher – of what, I’m not sure. I’ve been a coach before, and the intriguing part of teaching is not only teaching what you know, but also what you learn from your students in return.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
Going to a pricey vacation resort that provides the little perks we all enjoy and playing golf on a very nice course. Being pampered on a golf course is really pretty cool!