Gracie, a nine-year-old, was just practicing on the driving range at St. Andrews when Charley Hull walked up behind her. The 9-year-old from Ainsdale in Southport had just said that Hull was her favorite female golfer and that she also looks up to Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Tommy Fleetwood.

The surprise was planned by The R&A in August 2024, but Gracie had no idea about it. Seeing Hull in person was the last thing she would have ever expected. But what was probably more unexpected was that Hull wasted no time in challenging the youngster.

"Hey, Gracie, I've heard that you've been on the range," Charley Hull said. "I want to see you hit a few balls."

Gracie was hitting a six-iron and playing off a handicap of 31; Hull watched her swing, liked it, and told her so. They started chatting easily. Hull said she had also played at St. Andrews when she was about the same age and that she started golf at just two years old. That really surprised Gracie.

Then Charley Hull asked her to come and play the first hole on the Old Course together. Before they left, Hull set up a closest-to-the-flag challenge on the range and hit the first shot. "Oh no, that was bad; you could easily beat that one," Hull said after her shot. Gracie did. On the first hole, things got worse for Hull, and Gracie beat her by two shots.

"You actually beat me; that was very embarrassing," Hull said, laughing. "I've just been beat by a 9-year-old on one hole by two shots." Hull closed out the visit by handing Gracie tickets to the AIG Women's Open at St. Andrews. "I really hope you enjoy it," Hull told her, before imparting some knowledge on improvement.

What Charley Hull Told Gracie About Getting Better at Golf

Hull left Gracie with more than just a good memory. When Gracie mentioned she was working on her balance and finish, Hull gave her a straight answer.

"You can hit it as hard as you can, because when you're older, you can rein back on that," Charley Hull told her at St. Andrews in August 2024.

She also spoke about growing up without girls to practice with, playing alongside boys instead.

"I had no girls around me when I was younger," Charley Hull said. "I used to play with the boys, and I used to try hitting it as hard as I could to outdrive them. When you outdrive the boys, they don't like it, but it's good fun."

For Gracie, that's the kind of advice that's hard to get in a regular junior golf session. Hull lived it, and on a Tuesday afternoon at St. Andrews, she passed it on.

Charley Hull losing to a 9-year-old on the first hole. Did that make your day? Let us know in the comments below!

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Shraabona Sengupta