Carolyn Wang ’17 is a one-of-a-kind, dynamic member of the Ridge Girls Golfing team. Carolyn has consistently won first place in multiple golfing tournaments, took first seat on Varsity during her freshman year, helped lead the Ridge Girls Golfing team to first place in states, sectionals, and county tournaments, and was rewarded the renowned title of Athlete of the Month in May of 2014.

Louise Choi (Devil’s Advocate Interviewer): When did you have an interest towards golfing, and what sparked said interest?

Carolyn Wang:  I learned how to swing a golf club when I was seven, but I didn’t play golf seriously until around the summer of sixth grade. And I guess the “spark” was when I started going on the golf course and breaking 90s—an impressive score for someone at that age.

LC: Out of all your impressive accomplishments, what would you consider your greatest accomplishment as a golfer?

CW: Probably when I won after shooting a 74 (one of my best scores) at a two-day tournament at the Basking Ridge Country Club.

LC: Why do you enjoy playing golf? Would you recommend others to play golf as well?

CW: Well, I like golf because not only is golf a game that one can play throughout their entire life, but also because of the alluring challenge of beating low scores (the lower the score, the better). Not only that, but it also feels amazing after overcoming the difficult task of beating something that seemed nearly impossible just a few hours ago. And yes, I would recommend others to play golf. Although golf is extremely mentally frustrating at times, golf teaches useful life lessons, such as perseverance, and can be beautiful depending on how one looks at it.

LC: In what ways is golf mentally frustrating? Do you consider golf as more of a mental sport, or a physical sport?

CW: Although golf is obviously both a mental and physical sport, I think it’s more of a mental sport than other sports since there are a lot of obstacles that one must consider before taking a shot. For instance, you have to take into account the wind speed and direction, moisture, temperature, distance, slope, angle, etc. Not only that, but you have to block out distractions, too.

LC: Why did you pick playing golf out of the countless other sports? Have you played any other sports in your life?

CW: I used to play tennis, recreational basketball, and golf. I enjoyed basketball the most, but, in a way, it could have been because it was just recreational. At the end of eighth grade, I stopped playing basketball because recreational basketball ended, and so I was left with two choices: golf and tennis. As I played these sports throughout ninth grade, I realized that in tennis, although I played well, I was slower than the others. I also realized that golf had less competition than tennis, and so I went with golf.

LC: What are your current plans for golf in the future?

CW: I don’t really have a plan as to whether or not I want to do golf in college as a student-athlete, but I definitely want to continue playing golf in the future- even if it’s just for fun.

Support the Ridge Girls Golfing team as they strive for another spectacular season this year!