Laney Hurt '23 Recruiting Profile

My whole life leads back to golf. Ever since seventh grade it has been my passion. Part of it comes from being surrounded by it my whole life. For example my parents met solely because of golf. My dad met my uncle while he was golfing, and he introduced my dad to my mom. If it wasn’t for golf I quite literally would not be here.

 I started playing in seventh grade. I took lessons, and I went from hitting the ball twenty yards to one hundred in a few months.  I quickly found my passion and I realized that I wanted to play for school but there was one slight problem. I was the only girl out of about twelve boys. I wanted to play golf, but playing with boys sounded like a complete nightmare. 

My parents looked at this as a great opportunity for me to get better at golf, but I had a very superficial view. 

“It is a great idea to play with the boys!” And “You will have more competition!” My parents would say.  

They thought these wise words would persuade twelve year old daughter, stubborn and with a mind of her own, to even consider the idea. The thought of this to my seventh grade self was honestly repulsive. However, my parents pushed me because they saw this as an opportunity for me to get better. I remember thinking I would never forgive them for making me play golf, but now my views have completely changed.

 I believe that perseverance is key. I believe that you should never give up and always try your hardest no matter what the circumstance may be. I have learned that you can always come back from a bad shot, and even If you have a bad day on the course, doesn't mean you have to have a bad day in total. Perseverance helped me so much. I wouldn’t be where I am today without consistently trying to get better and not giving up. From my parents pushing me to never give up, I have learned that the last thing anyone should ever do is give up on something they are passionate about. I’m so glad that my parents didn’t let me quit and they kept pushing me because if not, I definitely would not get to where I am today. 

When I first began playing golf, I would hit the ball ten yards, I would constantly top the ball and pull everything straight to the left or block it right. My short game was awful too. I would miss one-footers, and my chips would look more like a game of tennis than golf. I remember getting so mad at myself for not being as good as the guys. I would constantly pick myself apart because I wasn’t able to drive as far as them. 

Every single match was a violent mental battle between my brain and myself trying to keep it together and not cry after I shot a circle ten after five putting. The only thing that kept from not quitting was the one good shot I would make on every match. The one good shot that makes you feel like you actually know how to play. Those rare, good shots were the things that told me that I truly have potential. I knew I could play golf, I just did not want to. 

“I’m quitting.” I would yell at my parents everyday after making me play another 9 or go to a practice. 

It was only a matter of time until my views were changed. It was the summer before eighth grade when I finally decided that giving up on my passion wasn’t going to get me anywhere. I began taking the sport more seriously in eighth grade. I would take private lessons and practice constantly to up my game. I finally realized that no matter how hard I try and train, playing with boys will never be the easiest, but I can always work through it.

 I’m so proud of myself for not giving up. No matter how mad I was or how much I said I hated the sport, my parents wouldn’t let me quit. I truly do believe that the only reason my parents wouldn’t let me quit, was because they knew deep down that I didn’t want to either. 

I wish I could go into the past and talk to my middle school self. If I could I would tell her to trust the process. I would tell her to persevere and keep trying and never get down on yourself just because some boys are better at golf than you. I wish I could tell her that her score of 120 went to an 88. I would tell her to believe in herself and try, try again.