⛳0️⃣5️⃣1️⃣ Robynne Pendariès
By Robynne Pendariès
Meet Robynne Pendariès, an American who discovered different aspects of France via golf as a manager, wife, and parent of golfers, writing new chapters into what it takes to navigate the transatlantic elite, professional, and collegiate sports worlds.
I was raised in Philadelphia in the 1970s. We were a “tennis family,” and I had never even SEEN a golf course before meeting my husband, Marc Pendariès! I do remember watching golf on television though when I was a kid, and thinking that it was even more boring than watching paint dry! So I never could have imagined moving to France to live with a professional golf player and being immersed in the life of a professional athlete …that said, golf in France in the 1990s was extremely low-key.
Robynne’s Story
I moved to Paris after graduation from Tufts University, focused on the fashion world. But then I met Marc (my then-boyfriend, now-husband) and suddenly sports were part of everyday life. I will never forget family dinners with Marc, where everyone talked about golf and only golf – it was very unsettling, akin to learning a foreign language from scratch.
Robynne with Adrien and Léa. Photo: Robynne Pendariès.
In the beginning I felt very much like a foreigner in every way, but eventually I found my way. This was mostly thanks to both of my children, Adrien and Léa, who played competitive golf from a very young age.
I definitely felt that the golf world in French country clubs was a reflection of the importance which French people attach to their “codes”: what is proper, what is acceptable, how to carry oneself.
Also, since I majored in child psychology in college, I took particular interest in the relationships between parents and children during sports competition. Often, parents would pick my brain about how to raise well-rounded kids who are not spoiled, or how to best invest in their children’s golf “career” to obtain the coveted “college golf scholarship” in the States.
The Sports Diplomacy Connection
I think you could fairly label all four of my family members as “sports diplomats,” each in our own individual way. We have all spent countless hours on both continents, modeling the French “way” when in the United States, and the American “way” when in France. We have dedicated a lot of energy to facilitate French junior golfers in their quest to play in the States, and to advise American golfers on how to navigate the French and European golf landscape.
I never thought that my life would take this turn when I met my husband at 19 years old, but I can truly say that it has been (and continues to be) a privilege to keep the France-USA sports connection for golf going strong!
The Pendariès Family. Photo: Robynne Pendariès.
Mapping the Connection
From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Paris, France
Further Reading/Resources
https://www.robynnependaries.com
How to Cite This Entry
Pendariès, Robynne. “Voices: Robynne Pendariès,” FranceAndUS, https://www.franceussports.com/voices/051-robynne-pendaries. (date of consultation).
Meet the Pendariès
