Best Aspects of Playing on the Harvard Women’s Golf Team

Playing on the Harvard Women’s Golf Team was one of the best and most meaningful experiences of my life. When I was going through the recruiting process, I knew that playing golf was going to be a cornerstone of my college experience, but I had no idea just how deeply I would come to love playing golf as part of a team, or how significantly the experience of playing golf at Harvard would impact my life beyond college. 

Here are some of the things that made being on the Harvard Women’s Golf Team so special…

 

The People

Far and away, my teammates and coaches were the best thing about being a member of the Harvard Women’s Golf Team. My teammates became like family, and the coaches became mentors and friends that I still turn to for advice today. Aside from a few special rounds, I don’t remember many of my scores from college, but some of my best memories from college are with the team on spring break trips and the van rides to and from tournaments and practice.

 

What it taught me about myself and life

I learned more at Harvard playing golf than I did in the classroom. And that’s not because I didn’t learn anything in the classroom, it’s because pursuing excellence in the classroom AND on the golf course set me up for success (and failure) that would help me learn deeply about who I was and what I wanted from life. It also helped me develop the skills to be successful beyond college.

 

Playing golf on a team

A lot of people think that playing golf on a team is the same as just playing golf. It is an individual sport, after all. But when you have the right people with the right motivations, something magical happens. When I was on the Harvard Women’s Golf Team, especially my sophomore year, I worked harder on my game than I ever had before. And it was such an incredible feeling to look up during a practice and know that all of my teammates were as well. We were doing this because we had all bought into the goal of winning Harvard’s first ever Ivy League Championship in Women’s Golf. One of my favorite Harvard Golf memories was the spring championship that year, when we achieved our goal.

 

Getting to represent Harvard

Playing on the Harvard Women’s Golf Team was an incredible honor. People recognized us in the airport, at nearly every golf club we went to, in restaurants, and on the street. I was so proud to be able to represent Harvard, and still am to this day.

 

Golf made Harvard possible for me

I just wouldn’t have gotten in otherwise, plain and simple. Yes, I had the academics to make me qualified to consider Harvard, but when a school has a single-digit acceptance rate, no one expects to get in. Harvard was one of the first really big doors that golf opened for me. 

 

We were really successful

During my four years on the Harvard Women’s Golf Team, we won 21 tournaments. That is a crazy number. In part that was because the team was in the process of “outgrowing” the local tournaments that were still on our schedule. As much as I don’t like to focus on outcomes (it’s all about the process!) winning made for a lot of great experiences with my teammates.

 

We played some of the best courses in the world

I am almost embarrassed when people ask some version of the question, “so, what are some of the best golf courses you played in college?” because the answer includes so many of the best golf courses in the country, including our home course, The Country Club. 

 

The Alumni Network

As I mentioned above, playing golf has opened a lot of doors for me, including the door to Harvard. From there, I’ve been able to meet so many amazing people and have so many great experiences because of my connection to the Harvard Women’s Golf Team. The Harvard Alumni Network truly spans the globe, and I’ve been fortunate to make connections everywhere I’ve lived as a result of playing golf, and specifically golf at Harvard.