It is three o’clock on a Monday afternoon in Durham, North Carolina.  As a college golfer, and the top ranked Division I Women’s Golfer in the country, you would think that on a clear afternoon you would be practicing your short game, hitting a few drives, or work on your putting.  Not today, Amanda Blumenherst, a Freshman at Duke University, is writing a paper, and taking a “much needed break” to speak with me about her golf career.  A three-time Rolex Junior All-American, Amanda won 14 national titles including 10 in the AJGA.  Her high school team won the state title all four years and she won four consecutive High School Regional Individual Titles, and was selected as the Arizona Female High School Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2005.  She also represented the United States of America on the Ping/Junior Solheim Cup in 2002 and 2003. 

Matt Hazzard

Amanda Blumenherst

Name: Amanda Marie Blumenherst

Birthday: November 4, 1986

Equipment: Ping I3 Plus irons and woods, Titliest 983K Driver, 2-Ball Putter

Favorite Food: Any kind of Dessert!

Music: Country and Oldies

Favorite Movie: Wedding Crashers

Favorite TV Show: Friends

Can't Live Without: Her Family

Hero: Her Parents

Amanda, when did you begin playing golf and who taught you how to play?

Amanda Blumenherst
I started playing golf when I was four.  It is pretty funny, in my family, if you don’t play golf you are considered weird!  My grandpa, my aunt, and my uncle are all golf pros.  Also, my parents met on a golf course.  At baby showers golf clubs are given.  I grew up around golf and have loved every part of it.

MH
How did you get involved with competitive golf?

AB
When I was little I started playing and my dad saw that I was decent, but more importantly, he knew I was having fun playing.  So he entered me in some local pee-wee tournaments, which consisted of two holes and neither was longer than 100 yards in length.  I began playing those when I was six, and from there it grew from two holes, to six, to nine, to 18, to 54, and now to 72 holes.

MH
As a Junior, you won 10 AJGA tournament titles in three years and won 14 national titles.  With that said, what did you take from those experiences that have led you to where you are now?

AB
The AJGA and junior golf in general helped me build a lot of confidence and provided me the opportunity to play in national events.  The tournaments helped me see where I needed to improve and see that there were other players that were just as good as I was.  Playing in these tournaments and playing competitively taught me how to win and made me more mature.

MH
Right now you are ranked as the number one women’s college golfer.  What was the transition like from high school to college?

AB
I went to a very challenging high school and they prepared me for the academic part of college, not just golf.  So when I came to college, the girls on my team and on many other teams had been used to practicing five to six hours each day.  However, with my academic schedule, I could only practice two hours.  I was amazed by how much more time I had to sleep, workout, and practice which has improved my game drastically.

MH
How has having a teammate like Anna Grzebien (the defending Division I women’s National Champion) helped you?

AB
Golf is such an individual game, so when I came to college I had to get used to being on more of a team.  My high school team was a lot of fun, but we were not as much a team as we were a group of individuals because we knew the team was going to win.  Obviously, college has been much more competitive, and it has been great for me to be surrounded by great golfers such as Anna.

MH
What kind of suggestions can you offer a junior golfer looking to play competitively?

AB
You need to make sure you have fun.  It’s amazing how much stress players put on themselves to be ranked and to win.  My suggestion would be that when you go out to play, forget about that stuff, forget who you are playing with, and play your best.  Whatever happens, happens you can only control yourself!

MH
What is the biggest highlight of your young golf career?

AB
I would have to say winning the U.S. Junior Solheim Cup has been the biggest highlight.  I played in two, we lost one and won one, but both were amazing experiences; the opportunity to represent your country is something that you dream about as a little kid.  Winning my first AJGA event and winning my first college event at Vanderbilt were also great memories because it showed me that I could be successful.

MH
Who has had the biggest impact on your career up to now?

AB
My parents.  Both have played such an important part in my life both on and off the golf course.  Until I was 11, my mom would always teach me how to play.  She would have a walkie talkie in order to listen to my younger brother napping and we would practice in the backyard.  To provide a little more motivation, we would play for movie rentals and other fun things.  Then, when I was 11 my dad started to give me more advanced instruction.

MH
What are your goals over the next five years?

AB
I would definitely like to win a few national titles as a team and also individually.  In the future I would also like to be the NCAA Player of the Year.  Right now, my plan is to stay in school for all four years, because I committed myself to my coach and my team when I chose to attend Duke.  After my time at Duke, I want to not only qualify for the LPGA Tour, but be successful. 

MH
Amanda, is there one moment or event looking back in your golfing career that has impacted your style of play or your goals?

AB
I can’t really say there is one particular moment; however, I would say one year.  When I was 12 or 13, I felt like I was only playing in order to please my parents.  I am a really competitive person, and I love to win so I started realizing that golf was a good way to fulfill my competitive spirit.  Then when I turned 14 I found that I was really starting to love the game and I began playing for me and not just for my parents.  So that realization helped me out a lot.

MH
You have played some great golf course, but which is your favorite?

AB
Actually, I have a few.  I would say, Grey Hawk in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the golf course I grew up on in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Sycamore Hills.  I recently began falling in love with Pinehurst #8 where I just won the ACC Championship. 

MH
There has been a noticeable youth movement in the woman’s game with young stars such as Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer having a lot of success at the next level.  Where do you see the women’s game going and where do you see yourself fitting in?

AB
I agree, the women’s game has really begun to take off and its just going to keep getting better and better.  The competition has become better starting at the college level.  Instead of one good player you have three or four on one team, and all of them want to play professionally!  It’s going to continue, and it’ll make the tour that much better and hopefully in a few years I will be one of them. 

MH
Arnold Palmer’s fans were known as Arnie’s Army.  So, what do you want your fans to be known as?

AB
I’ve never thought about that.  Hopefully someone will come up with something crafty.

MH
Well, if you keep doing as well as you are now, you’ll have a big fan club in the near future.

AB
I hope you are right, but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself!

MH
We can understand that!  Amanda, looking back, is there anything you would have done different playing in junior tournaments that would have prepared you better for college?  (skills, qualities, approach to the game, etc.)

AB
Not really, but in the AJGA everyone was very respectful and there were never people walking in the fairways, and it was a little quieter.  In college, you have coaches taking golf carts and grandparents in carts, I sometimes have to back off the ball because it is a distraction.  Lately though, I have been able to overlook those things and have become more focused on my play as opposed to other things that I can’t control.

MH
How would you say golf has impacted your life?

AB
For me, golf has been rewarding because it has made me extremely close with my parents.  Golf has allowed me to spend so much time quality time with them.  If I had chosen to play another sport such as gymnastics or swimming they wouldn’t have been as big a part of it.  I’ve been able to drive my competitiveness with one sport and do well in it. 

MH
As is tradition with our final question, what is the one thing you want to say to junior golfers across the country about golf?

AB
When you go out on the golf course, you need to take one shot and one hole at a time.  Play the golf course, not the opponent.  You are so much more successful when you are staying focused on your game. 

MH
Amanda, thank you so much.  We wish you all the best with the rest of your season and hope to speak with you again soon.

AB
It was my pleasure, thank you for asking me to do this.  Bye!