Steven Kearney's inside look at a day in the life of a Stanford golfer

In this nearly 4 minutes YouTube slide show, sophomore Steven Kearney gives us an inside look into a typical day in the life of a Stanford golfer.  To view it in higher resolution go to the YouTube video directly.  Click below on the slide show to view it here.

Freshman Patrick Grimes changes his mindset at Stanford

Coming to Stanford, especially as a kid who grew up in Palo Alto in awe of the Stanford culture, was a dream that didn’t seem achievable until I got that acceptance letter in the mail. As an accomplished local junior golfer, I felt that I would be ready to take the next step into college golf with the ability I already had. I felt that this innate skill would manifest in low scores, good tournaments, and a regular starting position in our lineup.

            However, it didn’t take long for me to realize that such a mindset was inherently flawed. After only qualifying for one event in our fall season, I finally decided to make a change, particularly in how I viewed the process of getting better. After much consideration, it became clear that my success in local junior golf had given me this perception that I had to constantly prove myself. I felt that if I didn’t play well, people would start believing that I wasn’t good, that I didn’t have what it takes, and maybe even that I wouldn’t ever get better. 

            Only when I threw this idea of proving myself out the window did I start to see noticeable change. Rather than trying to show everyone what I was capable of, I fell in love with the idea of improving, of honing my skills. It was at this point that I began to realize that I could look up to my teammates who already knew how to work diligently toward success.

            As I began to shift the focus of my practice, I started to realize the importance of having an extremely sharp short game in college golf. When assessing the skills of some of our upperclassmen, such as David Chung and Andrew Yun, I noticed that they had an incredible creativity and an uncanny ability to get up and down. Obviously, this idea was extremely intruiging because it led to the result that I wanted for myself: lower scores. I noticed that Patrick Rodgers knew how to practice diligently and get the most out of the time he spent out on our practice facility.

            My experience thus far at Stanford has undoubtedly transitioned to one of learning and has led me to strive for improvement in every facet of my golf game. I believe that my experience up to this point is one that many incoming college golfers can hopefully learn from. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since starting college, it’s that discipline is a talent in and of itself. Many people know what the right things are to work on to get better, but too few actually implement them.

              Many talented junior golfers are excited yet apprehensive about the college golf experience. Whether it’s the worry of balancing school and golf, the worry of making the lineup right away, or just about whether or not the school is the right fit, I would encourage all incoming freshman to throw these worries out the window. Embrace the experience of learning from the guys who have it figured out, and figure out how you can translate what they do into a formula that works for you. 

Patrick Grimes, freshman

Andrew Yun's Movie Blog Produced in Hawaii

For his blog contribution, junior All-American Andrew Yun created this movie blog of the team's trip to Hawaii.  With the Oscar's around the corner, I'd say Andrew should earn an Oscar for the best sports short video!  Enjoy the show and beware of spiders!

Senior co-captain David Chung reflects on his Stanford career and what lies ahead

   

2012 brings not only a New Year, but also the home stretch for my Stanford golf career. There are new opportunities that will arise, and also departure from my lifestyle for the past 4 years. I will take on the professional golf world when I graduate, but also leave the friends that I’ve grown and bonded with over my time. 

 Freshman year memories of Coach reprimanding me for forgetting my umbrella on golf tournament trips, to strapping on 7 golf bags on the top of a rental van with a yellow rope and driving on the freeway at 60 mph fearing that we might not even get a chance to play in our tournament in Hawaii, to playing in the Masters, and finally being the old guy on the team.

25 pounds, 150 units, countless football games, late-night cram sessions at Green Library and dozens of college golf tournaments later I am about to embark on my dream to play professional golf. However, there is a bit of business I have left to take care of here at Stanford. It has been 5 whole years since we’ve won the National Championship. We are long overdue for a title run and this year we have all the weapons to do it.

Wilson Bowen is the most athletic player in college golf, Andrew Yun has been a top 5 machine for the past two years, Steven Kearney is one of the longest and straightest drivers of the ball I’ve played with, Andre DeDecker is one of the most talented golfers I’ve seen, Cameron Wilson is a pure ballstriker and a deadly putter, Shane Lebow is a feisty, gritty player and will fight for every stroke, Patrick Grimes can get up and down out of a trash can, Marcel Puyat has amazing hands and creativity, and Patrick Rodgers is Mr. Consistency.

I have so much trust in my team this year and confidence in each man that I am incredibly excited for what is about to happen.

 Stay Tuned!
Senior co-captain David Chung

Andrew De Decker's golf with hippo and lion in Africa

When I think of my favorite golf moments ever, many come to mind. Victories, eagles, my lone hole-in-one – they all make the list. However, a few years back in the northern region of South Africa, I experienced something that not many people can relate to.

I was on vacation with the family visiting the Kruger National Park, a world-renowned game reserve. Just south of the boundary fence is the Hans Merensky Golf Course, which is where I teed it up that day. The special thing about this golf course is that it is in no way fenced off from the surrounding wildlife. Cats, crocodiles, boars; they all roam the fairways. Naturally this poses a safety threat, but only very recently was the first fatality recorded. Just like marshals ride around the local courses asking people to speed up play, rangers patrol the premises with high-powered rifles.

I got to the 17^th hole, a long par three over water. The green ahead still had to clear, and I needed a way to pass the time. A few yards short of the green in the dam a hippo was visible, and of course one thing led to another and I found myself with a pitching wedge in hand, a scuffed Titleist on the ground and trying to accurately gauge the distance to the wallowing giant. I guessed correctly. A beautiful high draw landed with a resounding thud on the beast’s head, sending it whooshing underwater. My first hippo-in-one was accompanied by shrieks of surprise from the German tourists putting out, completely oblivious to what had just happened. In all it was a weirdly amusing and enjoyable moment.

The 18^th hole didn’t fall short in the entertainment category either. After tapping in for par on the previous hole and launching a drive down the final fairway, I began walking towards my ball. A hundred yards or so short of where it lay, a ranger drove up to me and told me to stop walking. Confused, I began asking him why but stopped quickly enough when I saw what was happening up ahead. A lion had emerged from the adjacent bushes, and it was dragging a baby antelope in its jaws. Clearly not in any rush to get out of the way, it dropped the kill down in the semi-rough and began eating away. After taking a few moments to absorb the reality of what I was witnessing, and fearful of fetching my ball let alone playing my approach shot, I got a ride back to the clubhouse.

I gave myself par.

Andre DeDecker, junior from Cape Town, South Africa

Go Card!

Wilson Bowen on Sandy Tatum and alumni support

Last month, my teammates and I had the opportunity to attend the annual Men’s Club dinner at the Stanford Faculty Club. The official speaker for the evening was Sandy Tatum (Stanford Hall of Famer), and it was a true privilege to hear Mr. Tatum detail many of his wonderful experiences with the game of golf. 

Mr. Tatum epitomizes the tradition of Stanford Golf. NCAA Champion, Rhodes Scholar, and USGA President are just a few of his numerous accomplishments. Most inspiring though, are his tremendous efforts in the city of San Francisco and with the First Tee Organization to improve the lives of others through the game of golf.  His achievements are nothing short of remarkable.

I had the honor to play golf with Mr. Tatum at Stanford last spring. I’ll always remember the 220-yard 3-wood that he hit onto the 18^th green.

Opportunities like these make the Stanford Golf experience so unique. It is rare in college golf to find such a strong alumni community, and our yearly invitation to the Men’s Club dinner is just another example of the incredible support our team receives.  These alumni interactions ensure that Stanford Golf continues the tradition of excellence.

We’re primed to have an outstanding season this spring. 

Wilson Bowen

Senior from Winnetka, IL 

Go Card! 

Shane Lebow on balancing academics and athletics at Stanford

Sports analysts and other top ranked schools have long commented that it is simply impossible to achieve academic and athletic excellence simultaneously. With now 17 Director’s Cups, and working towards 18 our athletic program has proved this assumption wrong 17 times. I am not writing to brag about accomplishments, rather to share my observations on what I have learned through being part of such an esteemed institution.

            Having completed four quarters here on “The Farm,” I am beginning to figure this place out. Those who are successful at Stanford are able to thrive in the face of challenges. While this applies generally to success in life, Stanford certainly demands this of their student-athletes. It is a reflection of the culture and standard that coaches, teammates, and alumni have developed within the athletic department and individual teams.

            Stanford is able to attract Olympic athletes and national standouts year after year. Not only do athletes turn down easier academic options, they also choose difficult majors while here. Other universities often recruit athletes with the idea that a lesser academic load will help them better integrate into the professional athletic ranks. However, in the last year I have come to the exact opposite conclusion. I believe the ability to handle the bilateral commitment to athletics and academics has been the very reason why Stanford has produced dominant professional athletes like John Elway, Kerri Walsh, John McEnroe, and Tom Watson.

            The balance of academics and athletics forces students to be disciplined in handling their performances. On almost every team there are examples of individuals like Toby Gerhart. As many know Gerhart, now on the Minnesota Vikings, was a two-sport athlete who finished 2^nd in Heisman voting in 2009 while taking 21 academic units (6 more than the average of 15 per quarter). Being surrounded by an athletic program comprised of such excellence and determination has had a profound effect on me. It has lead me develop time management skills and maturity that I don’t think I would have developed anywhere else.

            Stanford Golf and more broadly, Stanford University is something that is truly special. It has already given me growth and learning opportunities that I will find valuable long after graduation. Coming off a hard academic week with finals, I can’t wait to get back to a full practice schedule. We have a great group of guys this year and saw improvements throughout practices and workouts during the fall quarter.

Looking forward to Spring Season and finding some W’s!

Go Cardinal!

Shane Lebow