With all the attention Stanford is deservedly receiving right now after winning the 2024 NCAA Golf Championship, you might be apt to gloss over UCLA’s performance. We’re here to bring you back because UCLA also has an inspiring story to tell.
It has been 13 years since UCLA last won the national title, and they were in contention again for the first time since 2011 after just one season with new head coach Alicia Um Holmes. Coach Holmes bleeds Bruin blue, having played on UCLA’s team and then having served as assistant coach under Carrie Forsyth for 17 years. Her combined experiences allowed her to give her team an incredible opportunity: to play for the win.
Fairway to Green’s Kelly Okun had an opportunity to speak with Coach Holmes after her team earned the runner-up spot in the national championship.
We’re seeing once again how paramount a team culture and philosophy is when it comes to finding success on the golf course. Coach Holmes’ emphasis on process goals is a sports psychology tactic that will have huge ramifications on her players’ games; once they’re tuned into their thoughts and routines, the outcomes will come of their own accord.
If you’re interested in learning more about mental game tips, check out Dr. Shannon Reece’s She Talks Birdie podcast, here on Fairway to Green.
UCLA’s women’s golf team is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what a successful athletic department looks like. Okun also had the chance to catch up with UCLA Athletic Director Martin Jarmond about his program’s winning month and their bright future as they join the Big Ten Conference next year.
While the NCAA DI Women’s Golf Championship wasn’t meant to be this year, the close match shows that the young team will make quite an impression next year under their new head coach.
