Cascade grad Skidmore is part of cast on golf realty TV show

Being a professional in golf’s minor leagues can be a long, difficult and uncertain trek. By the summer of 2013, Renee Skidmore had already invested five years and was still waiting for her big break.

Or, as it turned, “The Big Break.”

Last summer, Skidmore and 11 other young women (including three other golfers from the state of Washington) — all of them golfers, all of them still on the outskirts of professional stardom — were chosen as contestants for the reality television program “The Big Break Florida.” In October, and behind a cloak of secrecy that would have made the CIA proud, the dozen golfers were joined by producers, cameramen, on-air hosts and other Golf Channel personnel at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort in Amelia Island, Fla., for two weeks of golf competitions, all of it filmed and later edited into an upcoming 11-week program.

Beginning next week, golf fans around the country and right here in Snohomish County will be able to watch Skidmore and her rivals bid for more than $175,000 in cash and prizes, including a winner’s package that includes $65,000, exempt status with paid entry fees for the 2014 Symetra Tour (formerly the LPGA Futures Tour), an exemption to an LPGA Tour tournament in June, and an assortment of other cash and prizes, all of it totaling upward of $100,000.

“I’m very, very thankful that I was selected to be a part of the show,” said the 27-year-old Skidmore, a 2004 graduate of Everett’s Cascade High School. “It was an amazing opportunity. I knew that it would be a great opportunity before I even went on the show, and I think I’m realizing that even more now after having been on the show.”

The first “Big Break” was televised in October of 2003, and there have been 20 other seasons over the years at scenic golf destinations around the world. According to Jeremy Friedman, a Golf Channel spokesman, “there are hundreds of applicants a year for ‘The Big Break.’ We’re always looking for, one, professional golfers who have a terrific golf game because that’s first and foremost. And, two, diverse personalities because that’s what makes for great television.

“We want those personalities to show themselves during the show … and Renee has a great personality,” he said.

Skidmore had actually been a candidate two other times — in 2010 for “The Big Break Sandals Resort” and last year for “The Big Break Mexico,” when she ended up as the first alternate.

“The third time was the charm, I guess, because I got selected,” she said.

The program involves three challenges per episode, all of them related to golf skills. There might be a long-drive contest or a closest-to-the-pin chipping contest, but there might also be challenge where contestants try to smash a pane of glass with a golf shot. One episode is filmed each day, and at the end of the day the contestant with the lowest score is eliminated.

Skidmore is not a big fan of reality television — “I don’t watch a lot of TV,” she admitted — but says being on the program was interesting, challenging and, at times, nerve wracking.

“It was definitely unlike anything I’d ever experienced before,” she said. “I didn’t mind people watching me (on the golf course). In fact, I feel like I play better when people are watching me. So the cameras didn’t bother me that much. But what was more difficult was being miked up all the time. People are listening and recording everything you say, so you need to be careful about what’s coming out of your mouth.

“I think everyone had moments of saying something (they regret). … Because when you’re miked up and the cameras are on so much, something is bound to slip at some point.”

Because the contestants were together most of every day, “and because you’re putting different personalities together, you can pretty much bank on what happens when the opposites clash,” she said. “With 12 girls competing for money, there’s going to be cattiness. There’s definitely going to be drama, there’s definitely going to be conflicts, and there’s going to be some waterworks flowing.”

Skidmore was chosen for the show last summer, but was only able to share that information with close family and friends until the entire cast was announced by the network last month. But like other reality TV shows — think of “The Bachelor,” as an example — Skidmore and the other contestants are bound by a legal contract not to reveal anything about the show, including the eventual winner.

But even if Skidmore knows the outcome, she does not know what film clips and sounds bites will be used. “I haven’t seen anything, so I have no idea,” she said. “I’ll be just like everyone else. And I’m really looking forward to watching.”

For Skidmore, of course, the whole point of being on the program is to further her golf career. She played last season on the Symetra Tour and made eight cuts, earning $3,724 to finish 97th on the tour’s money list. She is currently living in Jupiter, Fla., where she rents a condo, and she is training with her coach in preparation for the new season.

“My dream is to earn my LPGA Tour card,” said Skidmore, who has been to the LPGA Tour qualifying school three times. “I’m looking to do that for the 2015 season, to play full-time and then looking for my first win on the LPGA Tour.”

Competitive golf can sometimes seem like a heartless career, “and there are definitely moments when I question whether this is what I want to be doing,” she admitted. “But competing on the LPGA Tour is my end-all dream and I’m going to do whatever it takes to get there.

“Everybody has their highs and lows, and it’s just a matter of being patient, of preparing yourself properly, of believing in yourself, and then embracing the journey.”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Sports

Dennis Williams, head coach and GM of the Everett Silvertips, shakes hands with an assistant coach at the end of a season opening victory over the Vancouver Giants on Saturday, Sep. 24, 2022, at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Coach, GM Williams leaving Silvertips for Bowling Green State

After seven successful season leading Everett, Dennis Williams is heading back to his alma mater. He’ll stay with the Tips through the WHL playoffs.

Everett’s Alana Washington poses for a photo at Everett High School on March 24, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
The Herald’s 2023-24 Girls Basketball Player of the Year: Alana Washington

The Everett senior upped her game in the postseason to help the Seagulls overcome injuries and claim their first state trophy in 41 years.

Left to right, Arlington’s Samara Morrow, Kamiak’s Bella Hasan, Everett’s Alana Washington, Lake Steven’s Nisa Ellis, Lynnwood’s Aniya Hooker, and Meadowdale’s Gia Powell, pose for a photo at Everett High School on March 24, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
The Herald’s 2023-24 All-Area girls basketball teams

A look at the top prep girls basketball players in the area from the 2023-24 season.

Silvertips players celebrate during a game between the Everett Silvertips and Tri-City Americans at the Angel of the Winds Arena on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024. The Silvertips won, 5-3. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Silvertips land No. 1 pick, chance to draft generational talent

Landon DuPont is the consensus top pick in next WHL prospects draft. Everett chief operating officer Zoran Rajcic said the team intends to select him.

Mountlake Terrace’s Jaxon Dubiel talks with head coach Nalin Sood during the 3A boys state basketball game against Todd Beamer on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024 in Tacoma, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘It was just time’: Mountlake Terrace basketball coach Sood steps down

Nalin Sood guided his alma mater to 381 wins and 15 state berths in 24 seasons as head coach. He spent over four decades with the program.

Stanwood High School student athletes during their signing day ceremony. (Courtesy of Stanwood High School)
Local class of 2024 athletes who have signed to play in college

A running list of 2024 high school athletes who are set to compete at the next level.

X
Prep roundup for Tuesday, March 26

Prep roundup for Tuesday, March 26: (Note for coaches/scorekeepers: To report results… Continue reading

Silvertips’ Kaden Hammell (47) enters the rink during a game between the Everett Silvertips and the Tri-City Americans at the Angel of the Winds Arena on Sunday, March 24, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Patterson: Overachieving Silvertips had season worth celebrating

In a season when some thought the team’s playoff streak could end, Everett put together one of its greatest campaigns.

Washington State athletic director Pat Chun, center, watches players on the first day of NCAA college football practice, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, in Pullman, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Washington hires AD Chun away from rival Washington State

UW quickly targeted its in-state rival’s athletic director after Troy Dannen’s sudden departure.

Seattle Mariners' Mitch Haniger hits a single against the San Diego Padres during the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game Monday, March 11, 2024, in Peoria, Ariz. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Why the Mariners could win the AL West, and what could hold them back

Starting pitching, a renovated offense and regression in the AL West are in Seattle’s favor, but injury issues, bullpen concerns and the Houston Astros could be a problem.

X
Vote for The Herald’s Prep Athlete of the Week for March 18-24

The Athlete of the Week nominees for March 18-24. Voting closes at… Continue reading

X
Prep roundup for Wednesday, March 27

Prep roundup for Wednesday, March 27: (Note for coaches/scorekeepers: To report results… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.