Recruit PKB: Be Different

We were all made to be unique individuals. We all look different, think different and act different. But as a middle school or high school student it can sometimes be difficult to accept the things about yourself that are different. It is so tempting to want to fit in and be part of the popular crowd. But, the truth is, the people who learn to embrace the things about themselves that make them unique tend be the ones that go on to be more successful than those that don't. They are more confident and secure because they know who they are and they know that their uniqueness sets them apart from everyone else. I promise that what you think is popular now will mean very little a year from now and especially once you get to college. Growing up it wasn't necessarily "cool" to be a girl [...]

By |2018-07-19T10:39:11-04:00March 17th, 2014|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Find Your Mantra

According to Wikipedia a mantra "means a sacred utterance, numinous sound, or a syllable, word, phonemes, or group of words believed by some to have psychological and spiritual power". Mantras are personal and self-motivating. They are words that inspire an athlete to excel and stay focused. Every athlete should have their own mantra. It can be original or one that is borrowed. It can be one word or a whole sentence. But it must be something that you can remember and always turn to when you need it. It must inspire you to get through whatever obstacles you struggle with both on and off the golf course. Here is a great article on some mantras from athletes in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Two of my favorites from this list are "breathe, believe, and battle" and "if you think you can't, you won't and if you think you [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:31-04:00March 3rd, 2014|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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RecruitPKB: Junior Golfers and Working Out

As many adults have probably gotten back in the gym as part of their New Year's resolution it's a great time to get the kids interested in working out as well. It is never to early for a junior golfer to learn the basics of good nutrition and exercise. I wish I had learn these habits at an earlier age. I didn't realize the importance of eating healthy and working out until I started my degree in Health and Exercise Science at Furman and we started working out as a golf team. It's very hard to change bad habits, even to this day I still struggle with it. I love doing Crossfit and spin class, and I do my best to eat healthy when I can given my schedule but it's still not easy. Not only will learning these habits at a younger age help the junior [...]

By |2018-03-21T20:46:38-04:00January 12th, 2014|Physical Performance Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Being Thankful

I'm sure many of you took time over Thanksgiving break to reflect on what you are thankful for in your life. I know one thing that can always get overlooked when thanks are being given is the golf talent you possess. Make sure you always remember how fortunate you are to have the ability to play golf and do something you love. The talents you were given to play golf aren't just about helping you earn a golf scholarship to play in college, there is a bigger purpose. Take the time to figure out a way to use your talents for a greater good in the world. I wish I would have realized this sooner in my life and not been so focused my golf career. Remember the opportunity to play golf can always be taken away, so appreciate the time you spend on the golf course [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:57-04:00November 1st, 2013|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Developing Talent

It's not about how talented you are, it's about how hard you work to develop talent. This may sound crazy but one of the biggest detriments to a young player's development is being told how talented they are. Check out this short video about motivation and hard work. I was one of those players who had a natural talent for golf from a very early age. I didn't have to be taught a lot of mechanics, I could just naturally figure out how to swing the club and hit short game shots with ease. Now that I work with young players, it has made me look back on my career to the things that kept me from being more successful out on tour. I truly believe that continually being told that I was lucky to have a lot of natural talent, kept me from working as hard [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:57-04:00October 27th, 2013|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Getting out of Trouble

How many times do you find yourself behind a tree or stuck under a limb wondering if you can pull the shot off? How many times do you punch out sideways to play it safe instead of advancing it down the fairway? But the important question to ask yourself is how many times do you actually practice these shots? Growing up my dad use to go out on the course with me late in the afternoons with a shag bag full of balls. We would throw them down in the trees and practice hitting different punch shots. I learned how to shape the ball around trees, hit off sidehills lies, edges of bunkers...all kinds of shots from tough lies and situations. I learned how to confidently get myself out of trouble. I could make a better decision when I got in those positions because I had practiced [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:57-04:00October 6th, 2013|Player Performance Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Forget About It

As a player myself, I know how tough it is to let go of a bad shot or bad hole. The year I finished runner up at the US Women's Am I had a sticker on my golf bag that said "Forget About It". We were playing just outside of NYC and I got the sticker out of a machine at dinner early in the week. The cameras would occasionally show the sticker on TV and the media would even ask me about it after my rounds. It became my mantra for the week and even later on in my professional career. I know that many times you tell yourself to put a bad shot or bad hole behind you, yet it still carries over and affects the rest of your round. You lose confidence and find yourself hesitant over the next shot. You start to worry [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:57-04:00September 15th, 2013|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Keep up with your stats

A great way to become a complete player is learning to keep up with your stats. I know many of the parents do this but taking ownership of this as a player can really help you learn more about your game. Collegiate players keep track of their own stats and input them after every tournament. At a minimum, they keep up with fairways, greens, putts, up/downs and bunker up/downs. As a professional, when I wrote down my score after each hole I would also jot down F for hitting the fairway, G for hitting the green, tally marks for putts, U/D or Sand if I got it up and down, or a slash through U/D or Sand if I didn't. Then I would add them each up at the end of the round. While there are more detailed ways of keeping up with stats, these are a [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:57-04:00August 25th, 2013|Player Performance Articles|0 Comments
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Recruit PKB: Where the Magic Happens

“You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” - Brian Tracy I don't write very many articles about anything personal to my life but this past week proved to be a great lesson in golf as well as life. I visited a prison last Saturday for a Forgiven Ministries event where the inmates could earn a day with their children for good behavior over a 90 day period. While these men were obviously getting their life on track and doing things right in order to have this privilege it was still a rather nerve racking experience. It was even more nerve racking for someone like myself who spent most of her life very quiet, shy and reserved. But getting out of my comfort zone is something I have learned to do on a regular basis lately and [...]

By |2017-09-13T11:46:58-04:00May 22nd, 2013|College Recruiting Articles|0 Comments
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