5 tips to becoming a Division I golfer

Whenever I introduce myself to new people, one of the first things I say is that I played college golf at the University of Oregon. Looking back, it’s almost astounding how three short years in Eugene so profoundly shaped my life.

With June being Women's Golf Month, this is as a good time as any to share my experiences with aspiring young golfers. To anyone considering collegiate golf, here’s some advice to help set yourself up for success before you even commit to a program. These are my five tips to becoming a Division I golfer:  

What separates Division I golfers from other players is their ability to execute unconventional shots around the course. Every collegiate golfer is expected to hit fairways and greens under normal conditions, but any of us who have had the pleasure of playing this game knows that this doesn't happen every time. At Oregon, we dedicated entire practices to learning how to intentionally shape shots. Our coach would give us a shot shape (draw or fade), ball height (low, standard, or high) and specific quadrant of the green (front-left, front-right, back-left, or back-right) to land on. On the course, the coaches would put golf balls down behind trees or buried in bunkers to teach us how to face difficult shots on the golf course and perform under pressure.  

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One of the beautiful things about this game is how different approaches can lead to incredible results – just look at Scottie Scheffler. My coaches would schedule days when we would run practice – meaning we each introduced a favorite drill that we would teach and execute together. There were so many drills we’d never heard of, that became valuable staples in our practice. The beauty of golf is its unpredictability – you never really know what will happen in a round. So why would we follow a consistent routine of the same few drills? Improvement doesn’t always come from repeating what we know, but from being open to how others think, practice and play. 

In the typical Division-I program, scheduled practices are about three hours long, and at least two of these hours are focused on shots from 100 yards and in. Length off the tee is practically a guarantee in college golf, but it is the short game that separates good players from great ones. My coaches preached a 2:1 ratio of short-game to long-game practice and emphasized the importance of drills. The pressure of losing against a teammate or starting a drill over again because you didn’t get enough points replicated some of the pressures we felt in tournament play. One of the ironies of golf is that some of the most stressful shots are the ones closest to the hole, so by constantly putting ourselves in positions of stress and anxiety in practice, we were preparing ourselves for success in high-pressure situations during our season.  

One of the most surprising things I learned during my time in Division I golf is that more isn’t always better. My teammates quickly debunked the myth of the 8-hour practice session, and instead preferred shorter, focused practices that actually ended up being more productive. What do I mean by focused? A pre-planned schedule of drills and focus areas that are rooted in your statistics from the course. On my first day at Oregon, my coaches immediately handed out two things: a little green notebook and a QR code to download a statistics-tracking app. These tools changed how I approached practice, as planning and reflecting became just as important as swing reps. Plus, in the busy life of a student-athlete, learning to get more out of less time was paramount. 

My parents always supported my dream of playing college golf, but my dad (a former student-athlete himself) was always honest about what it would take – and what I would have to give up - to get there. Growing up, this initially meant sacrificing comfort – I occasionally left the relative safety of Oregon junior golf to compete in bigger regional and even national events to face tougher competition. But I learned so much by watching the girls that outplayed me, learning different skills that made me better. As I got older, I missed birthday parties and sleepovers because of tournament travel. In college, I missed classes and could hardly attend professors' office hours because they were always scheduled during practice or tournaments. This meant that I had to be incredibly focused on lectures and self-sufficient in finding answers to my questions. I would write essays on the plane, read my textbooks before bed and stay up late completing assignments. 

Yet, Division I college golf was worth every sacrifice I made. Beyond the gear and the courses, it gave me incredible experiences, lifelong friendships and life lessons in discipline and resilience that I have carried into graduate school and my career. I don’t remember my tournament scores anymore, but I will never forget conversations with my teammates over Korean BBQ or our Disney movie marathons.

I will always treasure my time as a collegiate golfer, and I encourage anyone considering it to go for it!