Why Did Amanda Balionis Renner Quit Playing Golf and Never Turned Pro?

Published 02/19/2024, 2:44 AM HKT

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The world of sports almost naturally blossomed into Amanda Balionis Renner’s life. The thriving American sports journalist has had an eventful life, switching from one sport to another. Interestingly enough, her curiosity and the fact that she was born into a golf-loving family also led her to play the holistic sport for some time.

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Balionis’s relationship with golf started when she was 9 and has gone through multiple stages of metamorphosis since. The CBS announcer’s love for golf initially translated into her playing junior golf, but eventually, she stopped. With her decision to stay outside the ropes, came another decision! That was to report the happenings from the sidelines.

The younger version of the now-38-year-old sports media personality preferred swimming over carrying her bag through the long stretches of the golf course. She told GolfDigest.com, “I played junior golf for a few years; my parents loved playing with me, but the minute I had to carry my own bag and walk nine holes by myself, I was like, ‘Eh, you know what, I’m going to go join the swim team.” 

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Her verdict on golf? “Golf is a weird sport.” Why? Well, she does not seem to like the social presumption that comes with being in the field; most assume that if she covers the game, she might as well be very competitive with it. However, that’s not the case with her. Apart from golf, she also covers college football and the NFL. Other than being a passionate sports spokesperson, Renner is also a philanthropic entrepreneur and an animal lover.

What are Balionis’s other ventures?

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Apart from pursuing her love for writing, Mrs. Balionis-Renner is also a well-trained yoga instructor. She also works with a charity known as ‘K9 for Warriors.’ The aforementioned charity is dedicated to training dogs to become service animals for post-9/11 military veterans with PTSD.

Her love for animals does not end here. She is also the founder of  ‘Puppies and Golf,’ a well-known organization for “supporting and promoting shelters across the country with a focus on connecting humans and dogs for a lifetime of purpose and companionship.”

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All in all, even though Balionis did not choose to continue competitive golfing into adulthood, her love for the game is apparent in her present career choices.

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Written by:

Daiemah Malik

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Daiemah Malik is a Senior Golf Writer at EssentiallySports. Thanks to many evenings on the course, driving and putting alongside her family, Daiemah is able to give her loyal readers a perspective of both a player and a writer. Her area of expertise is technical core sport pieces like analyzing golfers’ performances or predicting how weather will affect an event and those playing.
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Edited by:

Riya Singhal

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