Birds of a Feather

It’s the 15th day of April, and the sun is shining brightly in the sky.

The nostalgic smell of sunscreen combined with fresh grass fills the air and wafts through me as I stand by the 18th green watching players finish their round.

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I have long shed my outer layers as the temps are pushing 80 at the hottest part of the day, and I gaze out at the scene before me.

Wind blades line the entryway displaying names and mascots for each team in the SEC Conference. College bags lay strewn across the practice areas and teammates chatter and practice together.

It looks different than when the LPGA event takes over in November.

While the club is still swarming with some of the best female (amateur) golfers in the world, it’s more laid-back with not as many spectators or grandstands.

When golfers still play solely for the love of the sport.

So…where am I?

If you guessed Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida – then you are correct!

I visited the SEC Conference championship held at Pelican from April 14-18.

In case you are not familiar with the tournament, the 14 SEC teams compete in three days of stroke play. After that, the field is narrowed to the top 8 teams, which compete in a single-elimination match play format.

It’s a great format for the conference championship in that it encompasses two different formats and really requires the team to come together to win.

This year, the University of South Carolina pulled out a historic win over the University of Florida.

The program’s second SEC title overall, but the first since 2002!

In dramatic fashion, senior All-American Louise Rydqvist made a 60-foot birdie putt on hole 17 to clinch the third and decisive team point.

Gotta love college sports, am I right?

The emotions, the heart, the upsets. There’s nothing like it.

While the University of South Carolina ultimately stole the show, it doesn’t overshadow the fact that every single player there is extremely talented, and all the programs offer elite training for their athletes.

I was able to talk to a few players and coaches while I was there, and here are the top pieces of advice that I found to be pretty consistent with each player I talked to.

• They all spend most of their time practicing short game.

  
  

I spoke with roughly 10 college players, and when asked the question, “What do you practice the most during a practice day?”

The answer was always, without hesitation, 100 yards and in.

Some answers varied between focusing mainly on putting or chipping/pitching, but the point is these college players are putting in some work with their short game.

• College has helped prepare them for bigger amateur events like the ANWA (Augusta National Women’s Amateur)

  
  

I spoke with a redshirt junior at Auburn University who has made two appearances at the ANWA as well as various USGA events. When asked how college helps prepare her for national amateur events, she explained that the college postseason events really help.

Perhaps, because the postseason events are on a more national level, competing against the best college teams around the country. She explained that the ANWA and USGA events are long—like a marathon, which is similar to college golf, except in college, the player has to balance classes and schoolwork on top of the competitive schedule. 

That grind and necessity for time management help to train and prepare the body and the mind for tournaments on the national stage.

• They draw inspiration from the other athletes that they are surrounded by.

  
  

College is a unique environment in which the students are totally immersed in a social atmosphere. More specifically, the athletic environment is particularly unique in that all of the athletes are grouped together in housing, dining, and workout space.

 Which can be inspiring, to say the least.

I spoke with a redshirt sophomore from the University of Florida only weeks after the basketball team won the National Championship. She explained that she sees the other athletes at the dining hall and having the ability to sit next to Olympians and national champions every day is motivating.

It’s the accessibility of it all.

After playing golf professionally, I have met other athletes along the way. At the course, the gym, or at pro-ams.

But nothing like this environment described in college.

It’s a rare experience and a great opportunity to witness the work ethic and values of a champion.

• Same Daily Schedule

  
  

Another consistency I found between all the players was the schedule. They all seemed to have generally the same day-to-day routine, starting with workouts in the morning. The time varied between schools, from anywhere between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m.

Then, it’s off to class until around lunchtime.

After lunch, practice begins until the sun sets.

Finally, the day winds down, and it’s time for homework and then off to bed to do it all over again.

• So what’s the biggest difference between junior golf and college golf?

  
  

Some of the players explained that the practices are different—more short game focused. But overall, each player seemed to touch on the team aspect as the biggest change.

Yet, most players also described this very aspect as their favorite part of college golf.

Finally, I spoke with the University of Tennessee Head Coach, Diana Cantu, who has witnessed firsthand the evolution and rapid growth of women’s golf.

Coach Cantu, originally from Mexico, attended the University of Tennessee as a college golfer and began her journey in college coaching, finding her way back to the University of Tennessee as the head coach in 2021. She explained,

“The way [women’s] golf has evolved is insane. I mean, the talent worldwide is amazing. What these girls are doing now is incredible to watch. It’s awesome because it’s not just the men that are continuing to break barriers now, but the women are doing it too.” 

She further explained the reason behind this evolution.

“It just takes a couple of people to break those boundaries, and then everyone realizes a woman can shoot a 61 or a 62. And then, they just go low and make a ton of birdies, and other women see that and want to do that, and so, you know, records keep breaking and it’s just amazing to see.”

It’s certainly incredible to witness—and even more exciting to realize we’re only at the beginning of this growth.

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