Batista, Claire Ann
| Claire Ann Batista – (2004) |
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Most people who are familiar with Claire Batista would imagine the sport in which she has made her career, golf, would account for her athletic notoriety. Her trail blazing high school performance on the men’s golf team could explain that limited impression. For those who know Claire, memories of her outstanding athletic achievements while excelling in three sports at Lorain Catholic High School paint the complete picture.
Immediately upon her arrival on the high school sports scene, Claire made a positive impact on LCHS sports. She garnered 12 varsity letters: four each in basketball, softball and golf. Her outstanding athletic ability and leadership qualities soon brought her much recognition from her teammates, the Erie Coast Conference, and the Lorain community.
Claire immediately became the Spartan’s varsity point guard her freshmen year and was named to the All Erie Coast Conference Second Team. In each of her remaining three years, she earned first team All-Conference honors. It should be noted that during her first two seasons she was dishing the ball to, among others, Spartan basketball standout and older sister, Cheri. She was later elected by her teammates and coaches as co-MVP in1981 and co-captain for her 1982 senior season.
During her four years as the starting catcher on the softball team, she earned four letters and was named to the All-Conference First Team in 1980, 1981, and 1982. The absence of a women’s golf team at LCHS did not deter Claire. She joined the men’s golf team and went on to become one of its most prolific members. She led the team to the 1981 Ohio High School Athletic Association State finals in her junior season and was named the team’s MVP each of her last two seasons. She was elected the team’s captain in 1982. In addition to her four varsity letters, Claire Batista garnered a page indelibly written into the rich sports annuls of Lorain Catholic High School.
Upon graduation, Claire advanced her passion for golf by accepting a golf scholarship to play for NCAA Division I Bowling Green State University. Winning varsity letters in each of her four years, she led her team as co-captain her junior and senior seasons. She graduated from BGSU in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in Education.
Upon graduation, Claire held golf professional positions in Ohio, Florida and Michigan. She achieved Class A teaching status in both the PGA and LPGA in 1993.
During the winter months, Claire developed her professional playing career competing successfully on the Central Florida Golf Mini-tour for seven years, starting in 1989. She won the CFC Team Tournament in Orlando, Florida in 1989.
When the University of Toledo elected to start a women’s golf team, they tapped Claire as their first head coach. Under her skillful guidance, the NCAA Division I Rockets posted 45 top-six finishes, including 14 tournament titles. The Rockets brought home the 1997-98 Mid-American Conference Invitational title. Additional honors her teams have achieved are 7 runner-up team finishes, 6 third-place team finishes, 9 individual medalists, 10 individual second-place finishes, and 8 individual third-place finishes. During her nine years of coaching, she has had eleven student-athletes receive the National Golf Coaches Academic Award for earning a 3.5 GPA or better.
Claire began her current position as the Director of Instruction and Head Golf Professional at The Legacy by Arthur Hills in Ottawa Lake, Michigan in 1998. She opened the Claire Batista Golf Academy at The Legacy in 2003.
In the 2002 spring issue of Golf for Women, a Golf Digest publication, Claire was named as one of the top 50 women golf instructors in the United States. This honor was inaugurated in 2001 to recognize teaching professionals holding PGA or LPGA credentials. Criteria includes those with 10 years teaching experience, teach 10 lessons per week; and, nominated by students satisfied that their instruction has taken their game to the next level.
