Florida is
one of the best environments you can hope for as a golfer. The climate allows
you to play nearly year-round. Coming from Sweden, that was important to me. As
a student, it’s pretty great too.
I visited
three schools in Florida and just fell in love with the University of North
Florida at first sight. The campus is beautiful and natural, and I love
Jacksonville as a city. It has a great golf scene and one of the most famous
courses in the world. I’ve been golfing since I was six years old and thought this would be a great spot to start my golf career.
I joined
the golf team here for two reasons — the Golf Complex and my coach, Joanne
Steele. The Golf Complex is a great facility for practicing. I’m there so much
that it’s important that I like the facility. Also, Coach Steele really sold me
on coming to UNF. I loved her energy and the goals she set for the team and me.
She’s more than a coach —she’s a good role model. She’s really supportive and
there for us all of the time. That’s been really helpful to me as an
international student. She helped me with paperwork and scholarships and really
paved my way here. It’s great to have someone like that — a coach with a great vision for running a
golf team who cares about each of us as individual people, not just golfers.
I feel
like I’ve had a great fall and really developed my
game here. Coach tells me I’m a
different player since I arrived in Jacksonville and that I’m more focused. I
credit my team with helping me get there. Golf seems like an individual sport,
but it’s really a team effort. It’s a mental game, so if we didn’t support each
other, we wouldn’t be as effective.
That
support helps us get through our day-to-day schedules. Our average day includes
workouts for strength and conditioning, practice and studying. It’s a lot of
work, and having people right there with you helps you push through when it
gets tough. While I might practice a lot, I’m also pretty diligent about doing
well in school. The Coggin College of Business is a great place to learn more
about the business world. If my golf career doesn’t lead me to the pros, I’ll
be happy to have a degree that I can apply in the international market.
At the
moment, I’m just cherishing every moment here in the States. Golf is a great
sport and a huge part of my life, but not everyone can make it. I plan to work as
hard as I can and give that a shot professionally, but I’m definitely open to
working in business.
Whether
it’s golf or business, I know I’m going to work hard at whatever I set my mind
to. Playing at the Division I-level gives you a lot of resources to get better,
but you have to put in the work. UNF’s golf program is blessed with a great
coach and facility, but you can’t get by on doing the bare minimum. You have to
put in the extra time. I’ve learned that as an Osprey.
