Ellie Johnson has been playing golf since she was young. Now a senior, she is spending her last season at UW-Whitewater while balancing multiple classes as a science major.
Johnson credits Whitewater for shaping her into the person she is today. All of the experiences she’s had playing golf along with the teammates and coaches that supported her along the way is how she will remember her time golfing in Whitewater.
Q: How did your golf journey begin?
A: Growing up, I was a big fan of other sports like basketball and soccer, but my family held a yearly golf tournament just for us. I’d play once or twice a year, and my grandfather and father would tell me, ‘Ellie, you have a really great swing.’ Eventually, I started taking golf lessons the summer after eighth grade. I played all through high school and decided around my junior year that I wanted to play in college — and thankfully, I found Whitewater.
Q: What has your experience golfing at Whitewater been like?
A: I reached out to coach [Andrea] Wieland, the women’s golf head coach, and I told her they have a great program that I wanted to be a part of. I also had a high school teammate that went to Whitewater who recommended it. Once I started chatting with coach Wieland and came up for a visit with her and her team, I saw the really good family aspect, which is a big thing for me. That’s how it’s been through all four years, we’re like a big family and they’re like all of my sisters.
Q: How do you stay motivated throughout the season?
A: Our seasons are a lot different than other sports because we have two seasons. We have a fall season and a spring season, so we do have winter off but we’re training all the time. Towards the end, it gets a little bit draining after a while and kind of repetitive. But the good thing for us is at the beginning of every year we come up with goals for the team so we have something to look forward to at the end of the season.
Q: What does your typical week look like as a student athlete?
A: I’m a science major on the pre-vet track so I have a bit more of a course load. I’m taking 18 credits currently but it is manageable. We have practice every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Sometimes we have tournaments on Fridays and typically a Saturday and Sunday tournament. We do have Mondays off, which is when I get a lot of my homework done, get ahead on my weeks. On days I have practice, I’m busy in the morning, which is usually when I’m in class or studying. I’ll go to practice at 4 p.m. and after practice I will come back and decompress for an hour or two, usually making myself dinner.
Q: Do you have a personal favorite round or tournament that you’ve participated in?
A: My junior year, fall season, we played at this course called Ironwood in Bloomington, Illinois. We play it every year. My junior year was special for me because I was practicing a lot in the summer. I was swinging it pretty well at the tournament, so the practice was paying off. It was one of those days where I felt like I could make a par from anywhere. I love breaking school records, so thankfully, that round, my junior year, was actually the record-breaking round. I shot 69, which was three under.
Q: Have your experiences as a golfer influenced your goals after college?
A: Golf is such a different sport from others because it is a mental game; you can learn so many life lessons from golf. In golf, you never know what’s going to happen in the next minute or next three holes. I think that plays into life where you never know what’s going to happen 30 minutes from now, or what’s going to happen tomorrow. Staying curious and positive on the golf course has really played into my life now, knowing the impact a positive mindset can have.
