Third Round of Questions

Hi Gals,
I wanted to share with you a post with the answers to the third set of questions that some of my golf friends and I answered! If you have any questions you would like us to answer about golf, balancing sports and school, or middle school let us know by posting them in the comments! Don't forget to subscribe and follow the blog so that you see the next responses to the questions! Also, follow me on Instagram @nhgolfergal!

Are there ever kids in school that say golf isn't a sport or you don't have to be athletic to play? If so how do you combat it?
NH Golfer Gal: Yes, there are so many kids that say that and often times it can be hard to keep my cool when it happens about a thousand times a day. There are so many things that they say that don’t even make sense. I think some of the best things that I do about it are, just ignore them, tell them they should try to get good or show them things that help prove how much of a sport it is. I don't ride when I play very often, all of our tournaments we walk in and most of the time when I am just playing I prefer to walk. The sport requires physical and mental strength and people often underestimate what it takes.

June: Oh my goodness, YES! I hear it all the time! They will say "all you do is whack the ball with a little club thing" but there is so much more to the game. It takes hours of practice and training just to be OK at it, and it is mentally challenging as well. When you're not taking a cart you are walking 5-6 miles every round plus all the squatting you do around the greens. I am honestly so tired of hearing those comments that I say, "Look if you don't think golf is a sport then why don't you come as a spectator to one of my tournaments? Or come over to Sagamore and I'll give you a lesson!" To deal with these comments positively you really have to change your mindset to where you feel sorry that these people don't know that golf is a sport so that you can help them understand.

Carys: There have been people in my school or around my age that say you don't have to be athletic to play golf of golf is easy. I handle that internally mostly, knowing more about the game than they do. Sometimes I also will say something like, "I'll meet you after school and play 9 holes, then realize that golf is a sport and a challenging one that DOES require athleticism." Other than that, it doesn't really affect me when someone says something like that, it just tells me that they wish were an accomplished athlete or golfer.

Practicing or playing?

NH Golfer Gal: I prefer playing over practicing, I love to do both. But there is just something for me about being on the course and getting to think through things and it gives me more time to truly be myself and have fun with people that I can relate to and enjoy nature. I am also someone who very much believes that we (I at least) learn more by spending time playing and experimenting on the course. I also have a hard time practicing for long periods of time unless I make it a game of some sort.

June: It really depends... I love playing but if I am not playing well, then I enjoy practicing more. As long as I can come up with some fun games during practice. I really enjoy it. I would have to say that overall I enjoy playing over practicing.

Carys: I prefer playing because there's more challenge and you're exposed to different scenarios that you may encounter in the future, helping you and building your knowledge on how to hit a shot or how to play the golf ball, etc. Also, the game of golf and tournaments are based on the action of playing, rather than practicing, leading to the fact that I would much rather play.

Lindsay: I like practicing and playing golf. But I prefer to play. I find that playing is super fun especially with friends. From playing, I also learn what I need to improve or practice later.

What is your favorite moment playing golf?

NH Golfer Gal: I have so many favorite moments playing golf, from my lessons with my AMAZING coach Abby to playing golf with my dad to my first tournament, my 7-wood that earned a homemade medal from June to just having fun playing around with my friends. Golf is such a big part of my life and I love playing so much that I don’t think picking one moment is possible.

June: My favorite moment playing golf has to be when I sink medium to long-distance putts. It's just so satisfying hearing the 'plink' of the ball in the hole. It's what I always look forward to when I play, and it's what I think about even days after it happened.

Carys: My favorite memory playing golf was winning the New Hampshire Girls Junior Championship at Intervale Golf Club in Manchester, New Hampshire, shooting -2 and winning by 5! This was amazing for me because since I was a little girl I have seen one of my role models, Lauren Thibodeau win the tournament the year before, my goal since I was 7 was to win the tournament. To win shooting the score that I did, the year I had recovered from a broken wrist was amazing!

Lindsay: My favorite moment playing golf would probably be when I got a hole in one. I think that it is so crazy to say that I got a hole in one at only 13 and still can't even believe it. I had a tough hole previously but tried to remain calm for the next shot. I remember being so surprised that day when my golf ball rolled in, but what I think made it so much better was that my best friend was there to celebrate with me! My friend was super supportive and encouraging which made this crazy day a million times more memorable.

Thank you guys for reading these and thank you to June, Lindsay, and Carys for answering them! Look out for the next round sometime next week!

~NH Golfer Gal