Meet Sammie
When I first visited the driving range with my dad at seven years old, little did I know I had just found my life’s passion. I played almost every sport there was, but something about golf kept me hooked. Since then, my passion for the game has only grown. I crave hitting a crisp shot and dialing in a putt. But I also appreciate the hard practice days and disappointing losses because they keep me grounded and push me harder. Golf has taught me many lessons that have shaped me into the young woman I am today. It has taught me the importance of integrity and perseverance along with how to be competitive and yet mature. I love to support my friends and competitors and I have learned over the past ten years to support myself as well. I work incredibly hard to be the best person I can be both on the course with my game and off the course with my academics, physical training, and how I hold myself as an individual. One of my goals is playing college golf. I love competing on a team and being in a community of young women who support and push each other to better themselves. I am confident that my strategic and determined efforts will achieve this goal.
Accomplishing My Collegiate Goals
I believe I am a good fit with a Coach and Team that:
Is extremely vested in building a cohesive, yet highly competitive team driven to develop players and succeed at the highest levels. A team that wants me to be an active contributor as well as teammate supporter will be a great fit. I enjoy working hard and want to be with others who are motivated to excel individually and as a team. I respect those who not only love golf but also care about their teammates. I appreciate a coach who loves the history, traditions and integrity of golf. As a self-directed player that has high self-expectations and, at times, can be hard on myself, I am most motivated by a coach who is direct yet encouraging.
Attributes /skills that qualify me as a valuable college golfer and student:
Over these past few years, I have learned to be a successful golfer while also maintaining a 4.0 GPA. I schedule my schoolwork as well as lessons, practice times, and tournaments. The schedule I make allows me to keep school as my number one priority while practicing golf 3-7 hours a day. Additionally, I took extra classes over the 2020 summer and fall. I also began taking college classes and have completed 6 core class requirements (21 credit hours). This will lighten my course load in college and give me time to focus on golf as well as excel in my remaining classes.
Time management, determining priorities, keeping healthy eating and sleep habits, persevering under pressure and time constraints, being efficient with my tasks, and balancing competing goals (like laundry!) are some of the valuable tools which will help me succeed as a student-athlete.
I will be a good college teammate because:
I am proud of being recognized as a player who goes well above and beyond to encourage others who are struggling both on the course and off. As a friend, I have an open ear and heart to listen when others feel down or overwhelmed. Also, I am diligent about encouraging people to make good choices and be accountable. I hold myself to a high standard and hope I influence others to do the same. One of my favorite things about golf is that I get to support my competitors and friends. I feel competing pushes me to be the best person and the best player I can be.
The strengths of my golf game are:
I worked persistently to make one of my past weaknesses into one of my biggest strengths. When I was about 10-11 years old I hit great shots most of the time. I really cared about hitting well so anytime my shot was not perfect I would get mad at myself. As I matured, I realized working on my mental game is as important as working on my golf mechanics. I learned to let go of bad shots, seize the opportunity to capitalize on them and play happy. Now I am more mentally tough and mature. Some of the best shots I hit are because of a previous poor shot. Overall, I enjoy the challenge of scrambling and am very good at grinding out a decent score on a tough day.
Another strength is my short game. I have worked persistently to gain more dynamic shots around the greens with bad lies, uphill and downhill lies, and sidehill lies. This makes my game more reliable and helps me gain more par saves and birdie opportunities.
Putting is my favorite part of golf. I not only have a passion for making putts on the course, but I love doing drills on the practice green. I honestly love it and the joy I find in grinding is why I believe I am a good putter.
I am working on:
My 2020 goals were to increase my strength training, improve my swing mechanics and fast-track my academics. For 2021, I worked to gain a more efficient and dynamic game by expanding my shot arsenal with each club, shot shaping and refining broad-spectrum shots to improve consistency. Specifically, I strived to consistently get my left hip cleared to gain more power, modify my footwork through my swing and release the club to the right.
I am happy to say that work paid off, I have gained an immense amount of power and that has significantly increased both my distance and also made my shots more accurate and straight.
Now I am working on becoming more confident and consistent hitting a fade.