Piedmont College women's golf fans can get an all-access look at the women's golf team's trip to the NCAA Division III Fall Preview hosted by GolfWeek Magazine in Miramar Beach, FL. The team will depart campus on Friday, October 12 and compete at Baytowne Golf Club at Sandestin Resort from October 13-16. The tournament features 15 of the top-ranked Division III teams in the nation and will be contested at the site of the 2013 NCAA Division III Women's Golf National Championship.
Maria Carter is a senior for the PC women's golf team. Email your questions and comments to her at:
mcarter0630@lions.piedmont.edu.
NCAA Division III Fall Preview Live Tournament Scoring
Blog #10: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 -- Thankful For The Experience & My Team
I am finally sitting on my bed in my room back at Piedmont and extremely exhausted. It was a long day of traveling and we all pretty much slept and relaxed. I think that the trip was a lot of fun. We really bonded as a team and proved our worth to ourselves and to the better teams in the nation. This was my last tournament of the fall for my college career and it is definitely bittersweet. However, I’ve really realized what an amazing journey it’s been. I’ve met some amazing people, played some awesome courses and had the best relationships with some wonderful teammates. So many girls tell me how much they don’t like their team and how they dislike their coaches. Well, I’m so blessed to say that I have wonderful coaches and beautiful, hilarious and amazing teammates. It’s also been a little tough on me since my parents live so far away, they can’t come and watch me as much as they would like. I’m so lucky that there are families that are out there supporting me even though I’m not their daughter. Family is so important to me and I really do consider the Piedmont College golf team my family. It was a great trip and we’re ready to get back after it next semester and continue our progress. Thanks for keeping up with us this weekend! A special thank you goes to my teammates for sharing this journey and GolfWeek Magazine for hosting the tournament. We’ll see you back in February. God bless!
Blog #9: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 -- Final Round
This morning came bright and early, actually it was still dark out when I woke up to make breakfast for the team -- 5:45 comes real quick no matter how much sleep you get. Since we packed up last night we just had to get dressed, load up the clubs and go. It was a lot cooler this morning that it had been the previous mornings. Also, our tee times were an hour earlier than yesterday. The wind had picked up a lot which was good for knocking the humidity of of the air, but not for hitting our perfectly straight shots. The wind made it tougher and the pin placements were really tough. By the end, I think we were all happy with our rounds as well as relieved that we made it through four straight days of golf on a tough golf course against tough competition. We finished with a 334 today and had a really good round going. All of us had a good vibe and were feeding off of each other and aside from a few small hiccups on the final holes, it was a great finish a a testament to how tough and together this team is. Coach Glenn told us that we deserved to be here and I think we proved that we are capable of competing on a national level. On a very positive note, our team score was better today than both of the two teams we played with (Birmingham Southern and Allegheny) which are both ranked ahead of us. We finished 10th overall in a field filled with top teams in Division III. I think our team fared pretty well. Now for the long van ride home. See you back at Piedmont in eight hours!! I am going to catch up on some sleep.
Blog #8: Monday, October 15, 2012 -- Dinner and a Movie
After we got back to the cabin from the round we all had to decompress a little bit. Cayla, Cortney and I finished the rest of the movie that we were unable to finish last night and chilled for a few minutes. Taylor and Kat went shopping with their fathers for some father-daughter bonding time. When they got back, Taylor, Cortney and I headed to catch a few rays by the pool. It was extremely refreshing and nice to just lay there without having to lug 20 pounds of clubs on our back. After a little while we headed back to the house to get ready for dinner and a movie! Coach Glenn took us to take some beautiful pictures by the beach. I must say, we take some pretty gorgeous pictures as a team. Some lovely ladies from Berry joined us as well. That is definitely one of my favorite things about playing golf is meeting new people and building friendships throughout the years. I have for sure made some lifelong friends through this wonderful game. Honestly, how could you not? We walk together for 6 straight hours..you have to talk about something! We ate at a classic..Outback Steakhouse and of course, had another wonderful meal. After eating we went to see Pitch Perfect at the theater and it was hilarious! I would definitely recommend you to go see it. We had a bunch of good laughs with a lot of good teammates and friends. It was a wonderful, relaxing evening before the last day of the tournament. We had a quick team meeting when we got back and are ready to tear it up again tomorrow. Good night from our last night in Sandestin! We’ll share the good news tomorrow! #FinishStrong
Blog #7: Monday, October 15, 2012 -- Round #2
It was a semi early wake-up call this morning for day two of the tournament. With sleepy eyes, we headed down to the kitchen to have a wonderful breakfast. It is so nice to be able to eat in a real kitchen and cook our own food. I wish we had that at school! We arrived, had a brief but productive warm-up, gathered together to pray, and off we went to start round two. We were all very excited to be playing in twosomes with our favorite team, Berry College. We knew that whatever happened on the course, we would at least be having a great time and sharing a lot of laughs. We all started off pretty strong and almost everyone improved their scores by a significant amount. We all played a little bit better today, as a team we improved by 22 strokes to shoot a 330, which was the second best improvement in the field. We also moved up one place and are now ninth overall. Perhaps one of the most exciting moments, was walking down the last hole and seeing a huge gallery of all of my teammates and parents behind the 18th green watching. After I finished, I turned around to see my teammate, Kat Hodge, stick her approach shot and make the putt for birdie. It was a great finish to a much better second round, and we are all very excited about the final round tomorrow. Relaxation time is definitely in the agenda for the next few hours. Ta ta for now!
Blog #6: Sunday, October 14, 2012 -- Team Dinner
After we got back from the course we had two hours for five girls to get all beautified for dinner and team pictures. I am not going to lie -- we definitely cleaned up really well as a team (see proof below). We took some beautiful pictures by the resort, the marina, and pretty much everywhere here in Sandestin. We decided to stop and eat seafood right at the Baytowne Marina. It was right on the water with a live band. It was absolutely beautiful and a very cool little joint. The team walked around and explored the village while we waited for food and discovered that everything is closed on Sundays. It was sad, but it was still fun to have an adventure. I believe that is three for three on the choices of eating. Way to go Coach Glenn! We are about to head to bed since we are waking up at 6:45. We’re playing with our favorite team, Berry! We love these girls and are playing in twosomes, so the round should be quick and entertaining. We are excited to let loose and play how we know how. Our team really appreciates the opportunity we have here and are looking forward to getting back on the right track. Good night and sweet dreams from Sandestin!
Blog #5: Sunday, October 14, 2012 -- Opening Round
We woke up at 8:00 this morning to get ready for the first official round of this tournament. Kat and I made breakfast for the team. Biscuits, sausage, eggs, and fruit..also some inedible bacon. Not our fault, it was just super fatty. Along with the wonderful breakfast to start our day we also looked super slick with our all black outfits. We went to the course, warmed up, had our team prayer and meeting and hit the links. It was a very tough day and we were all a little disappointed with how we played. The course was very long and the weather was a little bit warmer than we’re used to so we were trying hard not to melt! We played with two very good teams in Centre College and Washington and despite not playing our best golf we enjoyed our playing partners very much. We shot our highest score of the fall semester (352) and are in 10th place out of 15 teams. As a team we learned a good deal today and have a good plan to finish the last two rounds confidently. We also know that we will do a better job of managing our mistakes and attacking each shot. Today we were provided boxed lunches on the course for a great little mid round snack. Although we didn’t play our best, we know what we have to do the next two days and will tear it up! Time to relax and get ready for dinner. Laters.
Blog #4: Saturday, October 13, 2012 -- Practice Round
The practice round was very productive. I think that the course is set up very well for our team’s skills. It is long and flat with a little bit of challenge around the greens. Since our coaches have prepared us so well, our short game should come in handy. It was quite a bit warmer today than it was last weekend in Birmingham..actually about 20 degrees warmer. So today we were all adjusting to playing in warm weather again. Everyone hit the ball well and it was a good, focused round. We are ready to hit the course in competition mode tomorrow! We are playing with the #2 (Centre) and #4 (Wash U) teams in the nation, so we are ready to prove our worth. After the round we jumped in the van and headed to Walmart to stock up on snacks, drinks and other necessary items for survival for the next few days. We are fully prepared to stay “cooped” up in this resort, play great golf and go to the beach! We also ordered and picked up pizza from Jordana’s, a local pizzeria. It was another pretty long wait, but again, worth it. We hit home runs on both meals that we had today and are all full, happy and ready to tear up the course. All the family members who were able to make it down also joined us at our house for a couple of laughs and great pizza. We are all in vacation mode, but I know when Taylor, Cortney, Cayla, Kat and I all hit our first drives tomorrow we will be in go mode for the next five (if we’re lucky) or six hours. Have a wonderful evening! Time to wind down and watch What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Sweet dreams.
Blog #3: Saturday, October 13, 2012 -- Tourning the Grounds
This morning we woke up after a wonderful night’s sleep and went out to eat for brunch. We walked through main hotel and the small village of Sandestin. We saw cool shops, very eclectic restaurants, the marina and a ton of fun stuff do to. Today was also a Corvette showcase, so we got to see some really gorgeous cars. Taylor and I have decided that at some point we are going to do the ropes course, Kat is going to do the golf challenge and Cortney and Cayla are undecided on which fun activity they want to partake in. If we wanted to we would never have to leave the resort because they have everything! We also took an adorable team picture in a Taylor-sized chair. For brunch we ate at The Broken Egg Cafe, an extremely popular breakfast restaurant in the resort. We waited for about an hour and were all growing weak from starvation, but it was definitely worth the wait! The food was absolutely excellent. We had pancakes, omelet’s, biscuits, bacon and country biscuits. It still makes my mouth water just thinking about it. When we were seated we also had our first official team meeting about the next couple of days. We will be playing 54 holes (72 if you count the practice round) and we have to keep up the good scores every day. As Coach Glenn talked to us about how we definitely deserve to be here and we will play like we do by staying focused and confident. Off to the practice round! Good bye for now.
Blog #2: Friday, October 12, 2012 -- Arrival At Sandestin
We have finally arrived! It’s 10:00 PM EST time and 9:00 here in warm Miramar Beach, FL. We loaded up at the Mize Center after everyone wrapped up Friday classes and had a chance to eat in the cafe. Our journey officially started at 1:25 PM EST. The trip was long but not as bad since we had the television to keep us company. We bonded over The Avengers, Rock of Ages and The Ugly Truth with pit stops at Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins for some snacks and Cracker Barrel for dinner. You can’t ever go wrong with Cracker Barrel. For it being such a long ride, everyone is in high spirits, especially driving up to, hands down, the nicest place we have ever stayed in during my four years at Piedmont. We have unpacked our suitcases, a rarity, since we will be staying here for the next four nights. It should and will be a relaxing evening and morning before we start grinding it out during the practice round tomorrow afternoon. Our plan is to have a team meeting in the morning, grab brunch at Baytowne Wharf and play our practice round tomorrow at 1:26. We’re all very excited to see the resort in the daytime and plan on going exploring a little bit before our round. Good night for now!
Blog #1: Thursday, October 11, 2012 -- Final Fall Practice
Today I was called into the office to talk about preparation for this weekend’s GolfWeek NCAA Division III Preview in Miramar Beach, Florida. The five of us and Coach Glenn will be traveling seven hours by van to the Sandestin Resort to compete against some of the top teams in the nation on the course that this year's national championship tournament will be held. This was my last fall practice as well as fellow senior, Cayla Banks, and we all had a very productive one. This is the time for us to have fun and confidently play our best! We are ready to get this show on the road! Everyone had all the music to get us pumped up for practice as well as this trip starting Friday. I know this sounds crazy but we are all extremely excited about the ride down because we are taking one of the nicest vans ever. There’s a huge flat screen TV and leather bucket seats for all of us. Yes, we know it’s a little crazy to get so excited about it, but you’ll be excited with us when you see the pictures of it compared to the normal 15-passenger vans we travel in. This should be a great trip! All of us are consistently getting our scores lower and a lot of the teams that we are close with in the rankings will be there so it should be a great “vacation”. Who can complain about golf for four days and being at the beach over Fall Break? No one. I’ll keep you updated on what’s happening over the next five days! It’s sure to be a crazy fun adventure.
