Indiana University Kokomo

Women's Golf

A big factor in my decision to attend Indiana University Kokomo was the opportunity to be part of their new Women’s Golf athletics program. Though I had competed in many, many tournaments at the state and county level throughout high school, I had never been on a golf team before I arrived to college. Golf is an interesting sport because while it is highly individualistic, it is also collaborative. At tournaments, they take the top four scores of your five players, allowing you and the team a little grace if you have a rough day while hoping your teammates did better than you did. When I arrived to the collegiate tournament atmosphere, I quickly felt the pressure and the intensity of all of it.  Tournaments involved walking golf courses that were 4-6 miles each day and maintaining play for 6-8 hours at a time. Practices and workouts pushed me to become stronger mentally and physically while also forcing me to plan and manage my responsibilities effectively.

Though being part of a golf team was a new concept for me, having a coach was not. In the past, I had many different swing coaches and professionals working with me to develop my skills. Part of being on a team is recognizing your place, and your coach plays a role in that. The coach must consider how well each athlete is performing, while also considering his or her abilities best suited for the golf course. As a team member, I was given a position; I was playing as an individual where my score would not count overall, or I was playing in position 4 or 5. The positions, while not important on a grand scale, do determine what types of other players from the other teams you are paired with. If you are playing as number 5 that day, you are projected to be the worst score out of your team, though it does not always work out that way.

Being on a team taught me to recognize that competition is not limited to mean beating people; it means challenging yourself to become the best you can be that day. Being on a team, with that mindset, meant holding myself accountable and giving my absolute best. My proudest moments happened when I was able to help our team earn a better position because of my score, even if I was disappointed in parts of my performance that day. 

Overall, college golf taught me a lot about what it means to be on a team. Not only do you have responsibilities to yourself, you also have responsibilities to one another and to your coach. In a work environment or other organizations I have been involved with, I have translated my athletic team experience to a work team experience. I can manage timelines and deadlines, I recognize that my boss or superior serves as a coach-figure, and I must give my absolute best at any task, regardless of the magnitude. Making a putt or making a good shot under pressure are often times the deciding factors in your team performance on the golf course, and it is important to never forget how crucial little tasks are to the team’s success.