To Kathryn Crimp, golf is quite literally family, as well as an outlet to hone an unwavering work ethic. 

Born and raised in the Kittitas Valley town of Ellensburg, Wash., Kathryn’s surname is deeply rooted in that area. She is the daughter and niece of Frank and Keith Crimp, respectively, the 75-year-old twin brothers who have owned Ellensburg Golf & Country Club since 1985, a span of time that completely envelops Kathryn’s life. Frank has been the club’s longtime PGA head professional, and Keith would eventually do much of the renovations to the course while also winning four WA Golf championships and one PNGA title. 

Accordingly, Kathryn, now 24, picked up the game at the age of three and has hardly looked back since. She is a graduate of the Saint Martin’s University women’s team in Lacey, across the Cascades in the South Sound area. Since graduating, she’s continued competing through local Pro-Ams and WA Golf championships. She recently entered the PGA program through the Central Washington Chapter PGA affiliation, signing on as an assistant pro at the course where she has never, ever been a stranger. 

“My earliest memories are of going out to the golf course with my parents,” Kathryn recalled. “They would hit their drives out there to like the 150-yard marker, and I would play the hole in from there.” 

Growing up together, both Kathryn and her brother, Robert, continued to play and compete in junior golf tournaments, experiences they both still value greatly. The close parental guidance they received was just a bonus. 

“My dad was essentially my coach,” Kathryn said. “He was the one who, if I ever had a problem or issue with my swing, I went straight to him, and we would work through things together.” 

While giving her all to golf, Kathryn did the same toward her academics. She studied secondary education and mathematics at Saint Martin’s, areas she initially chose for her lifelong knack and limitless resolve for learning. 

“I enjoyed doing all the boring tasks no one else wanted to do, like homework, taking notes, giving presentations, and taking quizzes,” she said of her early school days. “So that drive translated to college as well.” 

Indeed, by the time she graduated in 2023, Kathryn had won the individual women’s title of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships in 2021 among other conference accolades. She was the Saint Martin’s valedictorian for her senior 2022-23 academic year, throughout which time she adhered to an hour-by-hour schedule that balanced golf, student teaching, school prep and just about anything else that required her full attention. 

“If a job or assignment was given to me, I would try to get it done ASAP, I wouldn’t wait until the deadline,” she said of how she worked, adding that she was honored to eventually deliver the valedictorian speech. 

Once capped and gowned, Kathryn returned home to Ellensburg and spent some time substituting at Ellensburg High School before settling into her assistant pro role at the family business. 

In addition to her own presence on the staff, Kathryn’s cousin, Matt, is the superintendent, with whom Robert stays on to help with maintenance. As much as their schedules allow, Kathryn and her brother still try to be players on the course, but any time spent on the premises is family time regardless. 

“It’s all centered around golf,” Kathryn said of the daily cycle. “My dad is working there five days a week, my mom works across the patio from him in the restaurant, and my brother is on the course, mowing the greens.” 

Ellensburg truly is home, too, in ways that transcend golf. Keith and Frank are originally from there, and both Kathryn and the Crimp family still eagerly await local festivities each year, like the Ellensburg Rodeo each Labor Day weekend.  

“The more time I spent away from home, the more I realized how much I missed it,” she said of her college days. “I have a stronger appreciation for it.” 

Always continuing her hard work through golf, Kathryn strives to find where her game can improve, through goals big or small.  

As her dad and uncle continue to operate the golf course in addition to fulfilling any other obligations, Kathryn’s happy to be right there with them both all the while, with her last name on her back. 

“I’m just really excited to help out the family business, my dad and uncle, alleviate some of that pressure,” she explained. “I’m really excited to be at the golf course more often and keep that family legacy.”