The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s golf team, ranked No. 14 regionally and No. 63 nationally, is heading into the second half of their year-round season and getting ready to have their first meet back in California.
The team ended the fall season second in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). Because the Warhawks did not win their conference, they will not get an automatic bid to the national championship. As it stands, they are not likely to compete in the national championship due to their ranking, which is different for the women’s golf team who has competed in it every year since 2017.
“It’s been a long time since we haven’t been preparing for the national championship in the spring,” head coach Andrea Wieland said. “So we’re really just going to be competing for fun and it’ll be a new experience for me.”
Over winter break, the girls were expected to train on their own and meet with their own individual swing coaches. The team also has an indoor golf room located in the Williams Center that the girls also had access to over break and during the cold months.
With golf also being such a mentally-challenging sport with a long and demanding season, the team tries to prioritize mental health. They work with a mental performance coach who guides the team through focusing on different things. They also do a practice called perseverance training, where the golfer stays focused on the one shot they are hitting and only focuses on that specific shot.
“The mental side of golf can be a lot to some people and if you play golf you understand that your thoughts get in the way all the time, which can affect your plays and score,” Wieland said.
Sophomore Payton Schmidt acknowledged the mental struggles with golf.
“Golf is such a mentally demanding sport,” said Schmidt, who was the only Warhawk to appear on the 2025 All-WIAC team. “I really try to focus only on what I control.”
Even though the weather has not been nice enough for the team to get outdoors and play some rounds, the golfers are practicing at the indoor golf room with the simulator, practicing putting and chipping.
“Our main focus right now at practice is mechanics,” Schmidt said. “We’ve been working through a lot to improve our fundamentals and consistency.”
The Warhawks’ first meet back after winter break will be in Pacific Grove, California. They will be heading there a few days early to experience different courses and prepare for the upcoming meet.
“We got to do this last year. It was a really fun experience for the team and brought them closer,” Wieland said.
While this will be the first meet back, and the team has to readjust to playing outside, they are ready to go. The UC-Santa Cruz Invite will take place on March 28.
