A coffee with Ivee

Hi Ivee, welcome to the journal! Can you tell us a bit about yourself? 

Hi! I’m Ivee, I'm based in New York City. I'm a marketer, a creative, an always-curious explorer, and I love pushing my creative boundaries. I also love golf. I started NYC's first and largest girls' golf community, now over 700 members in the city, a community that brings together design, culture, and golf to reimagine what women's golf looks like.

Where did you grow up, and where do you currently call home? 

I grew up in Vancouver, Canada, where my love for the outdoors started — lots of winter sports, being outside, and playing golf for fun. Now I live in New York City, and I love it. It's also where everything started for Cherry Golf Club. Ironically, it's not exactly a golf city, which honestly makes it more fun. 

Was there a specific moment that sparked the idea for Cherry Golf Club? 

It wasn't one big lightbulb moment. Everything naturally led from one thing to another. When I started playing more golf in the city, I wanted to play with other girls, but I didn't know anyone. So I made this kind of impulsive TikTok, just a simple "do any girls in New York want to play golf together?" Hundreds of girls responded. I was genuinely shocked. I had no idea there was this huge community of women who wanted to play but didn't have a way in. I wanted to include all of them, so I immediately started hosting meetups. 

I quickly noticed there was growing demand for larger events too since my event signups were filling up within minutes and the waitlists kept growing. So, we started hosting bigger socials and events. It's gone from weekly driving range sessions, to scramble tournaments on a course, to parties on a rooftop, with over a hundred people attending. 

You started as a community. How did you get into creating products as well?

As the community grew, a lot of girls started voicing their opinions on golf equipment, especially since many of them were beginners just getting into the sport. Many expressed they had trouble finding equipment purposefully designed for women, or anything that matched their taste. So I thought, "what if we could design something together to fix that?"

I sketched out some prototypes with my talented friend Yoojin (who’s also a member of our club), asked the Cherry community for their input on the designs, and launched our first collection last month. That's how we got into products. They were made with love from a collective group of girls who wanted to create equipment for women. 

Your first product drop sold out within a few hours. How do you feel, and what's next?

Honestly, it was surreal. If you had asked me six months ago, I wouldn't have expected this at all. Now, we’re more motivated than ever to help build for the women’s community after witnessing how many girls around the world feel the same way as the girls in Cherry Golf Club do and how big the need really is for the girls' golf community worldwide for more inclusivity in the sport.

Women are the fastest-growing segment in golf, but the products, especially equipment, haven't caught up. I want to fix this gap. My dream is to build a full equipment line for women, collaborate with brands who value this growth, and invite girls from other creative spaces, like artists and designers, to contribute to the culture.

What does it look like when you’re a member of the Cherry Golf Club? 

It looks different for everyone, and that's the point. Some of our members are picking up a club for the very first time. Others are former collegiate players. But, the common thread is that everyone feels welcome. Girls are helping each other learn new tips and tricks. There's no judgment, no pretension.

And on the product side, our members actually help shape what we make. They've pitched colorways, voted on packaging, given feedback at every step. So it's not just a club you join, it's something you're a part of building. 

And of course, having a really fun time. 

What has been your favorite moment or event with the community so far? 

My favorite moments are the small ones, like hearing girls’ stories on how excited they are to take the subway for over an hour just to hit balls together at the driving range. That's pretty special.

I’d love for Amelia, our Community/Marketing Lead, to chime in on this one too. 

Amelia: “There’s a lot of great moments, but my favorites are when girls are introducing themselves at our events and making new friends. I love seeing strangers from our events become actual friends outside of golf (or even roommates). And when someone tells us that they went golfing for the first time because of Cherry and feel inspired to play more, because that is what our community is all about. We love the first cheers when a girl is able to hit the ball for the first time, or moments when we hold an event and we can’t believe how many people showed up — Cherry is community first.”

What does your perfect day look like in New York City (and please tell us your go-to cafe rec!)? 

My perfect day is starting off the day at a cafe. My current go-to is Buddy Buddy or Gem Home. In the afternoon, walking around stores in Soho or West Village or popping by a park for a picnic. At night, grabbing a drink at Heytea and strolling to Caffe Panna for the best ice cream in the city, then playing board games (like Catan) with friends.

What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you? 

Instead of golfing growing up, I grew up competing in figure skating and I was on my college’s figure skating team! It taught me a lot of valuable life lessons I still carry with me today.

And of course, the Lepelclub classic: How do you take your coffee? 

I love trying fun, sweeter lattes — no specific favorite, I'm always exploring new flavors. I'm also currently really into matcha americanos!