Charlotte and Sophia Perkins are a real sister act!
Queens of the green from St Patrick’s College at Sutherland are two of the Top 5 golfers in NSW for their age groups driving towards careers as professionals.
Charlotte, 14, plays off just 2.5 and Sophia, 13, off 7 and both hope to attend golfing colleges in America after they complete the HSC.
Having so much golfing talent in two female siblings is relatively rare – with very few sisters playing at an elite level either amateur or professional golf in the world.
Equally unique is that one of the girls is right-handed and the other left, proving no handicap for their overall results.
Spending about 20 hours a week either training, playing or thinking about their sport can prove challenging with school work and other commitments. But both agree the golf course is where they want to be.
The perks of the golfing pair’s passion
Most weekends are spent competing in tournaments or undergoing gruelling training schedules at their individual clubs with Charlotte a member at the prestigious Australian Golf Club and Sophia at Cronulla Golf Club.
Travel has become one of the many highlights of their sporting success with Charlotte representing Jack Newton Junior Golf in Hawaii in the 2019 Pearl Junior Open in July and Sophia competing in the World Association of Left Handed Golfers in Paris in 2020.
And despite their busy lives, both agree it’s nice to come home and share the highs and lows of the sport they both love.
“It is hard work and you have to be committed but at the end of the day it’s nice that Sophia understands all of the stresses and strains of our sport and understands how I feel,” Charlotte said.
“Everything we do is about golf, the golf course is our second home and it’s where we are most comfortable.
“If we aren’t on the golf course we’re thinking about it, so together we do make a good pair.”
Sister Sophia agreed saying sharing a sport with her sibling is very special.
“While we are sisters only a year apart, we are also quite different. But at the end of the day, golf is our passion,” she said.
“It makes it very expensive for my parents, as we can’t share anything as I’m a left-hander. But what started as something for my older sister to do with dad as he loved his golf has turned into a potential career for us both and we are incredibly lucky.”
Veteran Coach sees great potential
Veteran coach and professional at Woolooware Golf Club Barry Bent said both girls have incredible talent and are well on their way to golfing success.
With almost 50 years’ experience coaching some of the game’s top players, he said they both have the talent and mental toughness to be the best.
“Not only are the girls very talented but they are both so focused on what needs to be done to achieve their best which can be a little unusual at this young age,” he said.
“They are different in so many ways, one is left handed and the other right, one is quiet and reserved and the other outgoing and confident and their style of play is completely different. But one thing they share is their commitment to the game.
“Form fluctuates but talent doesn’t and while they may go through times when they are out of form, they know at the end of the day, they have the talent to succeed.”