Stacey Soans of Toronto Explores Why Golf is a Game of Decisions
Stacey Soans is a Toronto, Canada-based published author, Human Resources Business Partner, professional model, and professional golfer. Her work across business, fashion, media, and professional sport has established her as a multifaceted professional with expertise spanning several industries.
Toronto professional golfer Stacey Soans views golf as far more than a game of hitting a ball toward a hole. For Stacey Soans, golf is a game of decisions, where strategy, course management, shot selection and performance all play an important role in determining the outcome of a round.
As a Toronto-based professional golfer and author, Stacey Soans has developed a strong connection to the game and its culture. Through her experience in professional golf and women's golf, Stacey Soans has become particularly interested in the strategic decisions that take place throughout an 18-hole round.
Golf requires a combination of technical ability and strategic thinking. For Stacey Soans, that combination is what makes golf such a challenging and compelling sport.
Stacey Soans on the strategy behind golf
When Stacey Soans looks at golf strategically, one of the most important lessons is that every shot is connected to the next.
A golfer is not simply deciding where to hit the ball. They are also deciding where they want the ball to finish, what type of shot they want to face next and how much risk they are willing to accept.
This is where golf strategy and course management become essential.
According to Stacey Soans, understanding the course can be just as important as understanding your swing. A golfer who recognizes where the hazards are, understands the shape of the hole and considers the best position for the next shot can make better decisions throughout a round.
For Stacey Soans, strong golf performance is therefore not only about how well a golfer hits the ball. It is also about how effectively that golfer manages the course.
Why Stacey Soans believes course management matters
Course management in golf is about making decisions that maximize opportunities while minimizing unnecessary mistakes.
Stacey Soans believes that golfers can sometimes become too focused on distance. While hitting a long drive can certainly create an advantage, distance alone does not determine whether a shot was strategically successful.
A well-positioned golf shot can create a much easier approach. Conversely, a technically impressive shot that finishes behind a hazard, in deep rough or in another difficult position can make the next shot significantly harder.
For Stacey Soans, this is one of the most fascinating aspects of golf: the best golf decision is not always the most aggressive golf decision.
Stacey Soans on making better decisions on the course
Every golf hole presents a different set of circumstances.
Distance, wind, terrain, hazards, pin position and the golfer's lie can all influence the appropriate strategy. Stacey Soans believes that strong golfers learn to evaluate those factors before committing to a shot.
That can mean asking simple but important questions:
Where is the safest place to miss?
What is the highest-percentage shot?
What will the next shot look like?
Is the potential reward worth the risk?
These decisions may seem small individually, but over 18 holes, they can have a significant impact on golf performance.
For Stacey Soans, learning to make these decisions is an important part of becoming a more strategic golfer.
Golf strategy is not about playing it safe
Strategic golf does not mean avoiding every difficult shot.
Stacey Soans emphasizes that there are situations where taking an aggressive line can make sense. The difference is whether the risk is calculated.
A golfer may have a favourable lie, the right distance and a good angle toward the green. In that situation, attacking can be a smart decision. The problem comes when aggression becomes automatic.
For Stacey Soans, golf strategy is about knowing when to attack and when to manage the course. That balance can separate a thoughtful round from one filled with unnecessary mistakes.
Stacey Soans on the importance of adapting to the course
One reason Stacey Soans finds golf so challenging is that the game constantly changes.
Weather conditions can change. Wind direction can change. Pin positions can change. Course conditions can change.
Even when playing the same golf course repeatedly, a golfer can encounter an entirely different challenge. That means successful golf course management requires adaptability.
Stacey Soans believes golfers should be willing to adjust their strategy based on the conditions they actually encounter rather than relying entirely on a predetermined plan.
The ability to adapt can be particularly important when playing challenging courses or dealing with changing conditions.
The mental decisions behind golf performance
For Stacey Soans, the strategic side of golf also highlights the mental demands of the sport.
Golfers make decisions constantly. After every shot, another decision follows.
What happened?
Where is the ball?
What is the best option?
How much risk is appropriate?
What club should be selected?
Where should the next shot finish?
This continuous decision-making process is one reason golf performance cannot be measured solely by physical technique.
A golfer may have the ability to hit a difficult shot but still need to determine whether attempting that shot is the right decision.
Stacey Soans believes that learning to assess the situation, select a strategy and commit to the shot is an important part of developing as a golfer.
Stacey Soans on playing the course, not just the scorecard
The final score is obviously an important part of golf, but Stacey Soans believes there is value in examining the decisions that produced that score.
A golfer can look back at a round and identify where strategic decisions helped and where unnecessary risks created problems. That type of analysis can help golfers understand their own games more effectively.
For Stacey Soans, asking why a particular shot or decision produced a certain result can be more useful than simply looking at the number on the scorecard.
Over time, that approach can help develop stronger golf strategy, course management and decision-making skills.
Why Stacey Soans continues to be drawn to golf
Golf combines athletic ability, technical skill, strategy, patience and decision-making in a way that makes every round different.
For Toronto professional golfer Stacey Soans, the strategic element of the game is one of its most compelling qualities.
Golf challenges players to think several shots ahead while simultaneously responding to what is happening in the moment. That combination makes golf both challenging and rewarding.
Stacey Soans' experience in professional golf and women's golf has also influenced her appreciation for the broader culture and lifestyle surrounding the sport. Her work as an author further reflects that connection through Fairways & Femininity, which explores women's golf, golf culture and lifestyle.
Stacey Soans: Golf, strategy and performance
For Stacey Soans, becoming a better golfer is not simply about hitting the ball farther or making a technically perfect swing.
It is about understanding the course, making informed decisions, managing risk and adapting to the situation.
Stacey Soans believes that golf is ultimately a game of decisions. Every shot presents an opportunity to make a strategic choice, and those choices accumulate throughout a round.
From golf strategy and course management to shot selection and performance, Stacey Soans continues to explore the many elements that make golf such a challenging and distinctive sport.
Read more from Stacey Soans
Stacey Soans, HR Leader, Golfer, Professional Model and Published Author
Stacey Soans is a Toronto, Canada-based published author, Human Resources Business Partner, professional model, and professional golfer. She works across business, media, fashion, and sport, bringing a multifaceted perspective shaped by diverse professional experience. Her career spans corporate environments and creative industries, with a strong foundation in organizational practice and performance-driven disciplines. She contributes written work informed by her experience across these fields.
