Gabrielle Culver '23 Recruiting Profile

Since I first picked up a club, I have always known I wanted to compete at a high level in college golf. In high school I realized that I needed a better balance of classes with my ongoing commitment and focus on competitive golf.  I made one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make by lessening my AP course load. I felt like a failure. I felt like I wasn’t good enough to keep my straight A’s and golf competitively.

The golf team did not help my feelings of inadequacy. There was not much of the comradery, mentorship, or pushing each other to be our best, that I expected to find.

By my sophomore year, I saw the benefits of my decision to lessen my AP course load was to my golf game, mental health and physical conditioning. I also vowed to work to make us a golf team that pushed and cheered for each other. I would become that person to the newcomers, that I wanted and needed my freshman year. I would do everything I could as a mentor, training partner, cheerleader, and friend.

Since then, I invite the other players to come practice with me and give them tips. I help them with their mental game, make sure they feel included, and assist them in improving their game. I have enjoyed watching some of them become excited about playing and become more motivated. All this has not just helped the team but my game personal game.

Not everyone is as passionate about golf as I am. But I know that the support I offer makes all the difference. I would have improved my game much faster, had I had someone come to me and made me feel included, needed, accepted and taken me under their wing. I am emboldened. I have lowered my score through the act of leading by example, motivated other team members and can happily look forward to us being a cohesive team. I would have never made any of these changes for myself or the team if I had stayed the course.

I look back and realized that change does not equal failure, and it is change that let me give back to the game and people I love and care about, helped me lower my score and increased my passion for golf even more. I love being part of this team and I cannot wait to come join another amazing team in college!