Asian-American golf sisters Isabelle and Kaitleen Shee on short skirts, viral videos and Asian upbringing

Asian-American golf sisters Isabelle and Kaitleen Shee knew what they were getting into when putting aside their pro dreams to become social media influencers. It is not as if online comments are any worse than the ones on the course.

“People always say really harsh things, for example, ‘you dress like a slut’. We’re in a new era but golf is still a very conservative sport. Even if you show a bit of skin, you get bashed for it,” said 25-year-old Isabelle, a former SCPGA junior and University of Nevada, Las Vegas player, more familiarly known as “Sock Girl” for donning trademark knee-high socks since her teens.

Isabelle previously recalled being chastised and kicked out of clubs for her outfits. “I just have naturally long legs,” she said. “One time I went to a golf course and they said ‘you can’t wear your skirt, you’ll have to buy another one in the pro shop’. I said ‘fine’ and picked another one up at the shop, and they said ‘it’s too short for you’. It’s stuff like that.”

The coronavirus pandemic had halted the sisters’ plans to go pro last year. Both Isabelle and 22-year-old Kaitleen, who was on a golf scholarship at St John’s University, New York City, would soon learn of postponements-turned-cancellations of tournaments. The extra time was put towards “filming fun and positive videos, vlogs and golf tips”. Their first YouTube upload under their aptly named ‘Shee Golfs’ channel quickly amassed 100,000-plus views.

“We got a lot of traction on our first and that’s how we started – just filming without real expectations. It turned out really well,” Kaitleen said, adding that university had been keeping the tight-knit sisters apart for four years.