The spring season for Women’s Golf has arrived, with the Gusties flying out to Peoria, Arizona to compete in the George Fox Invitational at Westbrook Village Golf Club with eight other schools on March 12 and 13.

“This is a trip we take annually and it always offers us a chance to play some golf when Minnesota courses are still closed. In Arizona, we play against non-MIAC teams from California, Arizona, Illinois, and other states. It is always fun to play with new people and get outside in warm weather,” Senior Captain Emilie Anderson said.

The Gusties are setting out on a mission this spring to improve on their fall season, where they felt they left a lot out on the course.

“This fall we struggled tremendously. Our team has a lot of talent but we continuously get caught in our heads. We are working on bettering our mental games and having more fun out on the course…” Anderson said.

“This fall, we struggled to put together solid rounds for team scores and did not reach our goals. Conference especially, we underperformed and allowed other teams to step ahead of us,” Junior Captain Mae Meierhenry said.

The fall was not entirely a disappointment however, and showed what great potential the team has for the spring season.

“One highlight of the season came at the Georgiana Invitational at UW–Eau Claire where we finished in first and second in team standings and swept all the top five individual finishes,” Meierhenry said.

A winter of training has left the team refocused to tear up courses in the spring.

“For the spring season we are hoping to improve on our mental game. Our team has always struggled with this and that certainly showed this fall. By improving this aspect of our games, we are hoping that our scores will improve and we can end this year on a high note,” Anderson said.

Anyone who plays golf knows just how much you can get stuck in your head, or down on yourself, so for this spring the women are really focusing on positivity.

“We all need to individually work on our mental games. Out on the course, we all get caught up in score and focus on all the mistakes we have already made. We need to improve on being positive and taking it one shot at a time, which is easier said than done,” Anderson said.

Goal-setting is another big part of the battle against the mental game for the Gusties.

“We want to lower our individual averages by one stroke or more, and therefore lower our team average and move up in national rankings,” Meierhenry said.

Outside of the mental game, the team is also working on specific areas of their game to lower their stroke count.

“A major area of growth we are focusing on is accuracy on approach shots that will allow us to have easier pars and more birdies,” Meierhenry said.

Gustavus’ state of the art golf facility allowed the team to improve these technical aspects of their game, even with snow covering all the courses in the state.

“With the Drentell Golf Facility we have been able to play throughout the winter. The facility is a great asset to have and has undoubtedly helped our team improve. The facility offers a great space to stay on top of our games while also using technology to further improve our swings,” Anderson said.

“Specifically [we] tracked shot statistics on our flight scopes to maximize consistencies,” Meierhenry said.

The team also took part in a strength program to work on getting more distance on their drives.

When they’re not on the course together, you can probably find the team hanging out.

“Team bonding is a huge part of our team. I can honestly say we all get along extremely well and hanging out is always fun. During the season we are able to bond a lot during practice sessions or playing a few holes, but we are also close out of season. On occasion we do homework together in the library, go out to dinner, or do other random activities together. I would say we are all pretty close,” Anderson said.

Because golf can be very individually challenging, it is nice to be out on the course with a group of supportive teammates. In this aspect, it would appear the Gusties have a large advantage.

“This close bond is important because although we are on the course individually, we have to compete for our teammates and remember that each stroke affects our team score,” Meierhenry said.

After this weekend trip to Arizona, the women will fly down south again to compete against Flagler College in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Here’s to hoping they soak up the sun and bask in their low scores!