Can you believe it’s almost 2017!? I feel like it was just yesterday that I started my first season as a professional golfer and now I’m headed into my second season! It’s crazy how quickly time can get away from us! But since we have nearly reached the end of 2016 I thought it would be a good time to reflect on this past year and look forward to a new year!
Lately I’ve been seeing a ton of memes and articles about how horrible of a year 2016 has been, and it makes me kinda sad…personally my 2016 was not that bad, sure I didn’t play great as far as golf goes, but I got to play professional golf and tell people that that’s my occupation! And sure there were things that happened in the world and we had to vote for a new president, but at the end of the day if you’re still living and breathing, I don’t see what’s not to love? For me, I live in the United States of America where I am free, I have a roof over my head, I have food on my table, and I have a family that loves me. Now I know some people don’t have one or two or even any of those things, so for me to have all of those plus so many other great things, I feel so blessed and thankful for another year.
My year in review goes something like this:
- January-April I moved to Florida to play on a mini tour for my first season as a professional golfer
- May-November I came back home to Michigan to work and play in more tournaments for the summer
- August I went out to California for my second crack at Stage 1 of LPGA Qualifying School and just missed the cut
- November I came back down to Florida to start preparations for the 2017 season!
I learned a lot this year too. Going from college golf to professional golf is not an easy transition so this year included a long adjusting period for me. I had to learn how to practice by myself and learn what works best for me, and what works for me might not work for someone else. I'm still learning how to find a good balance between work and leisure and how to stay focused during practice. Golf has a lot of components attached to it: full swing, pitching, short game, bunker play, putting, mentality, etc. It can be a struggle trying to figure out how to deal with all of those and then play well during tournaments, but I'm learning and hopefully it'll all come together this upcoming season. I've also learned a lot about myself as a person. I have become more in tune with my faith and have been wanting to learn more about my Lord and Savior. It's been an incredible year filled with twists and turns, and lows and highs, but that's what makes a life worth living.
Now looking ahead I get both excited and scared for this upcoming year. But as part of one of my new year’s resolutions I am going to do my best to not get worried or anxious or fearful because I’m going to give all of that to God, He knows better than me what’s coming ☺ I’m still thinking about my other 2017 New Year’s Resolutions, as I’m sure most people are, but I hope that this year brings a lot of peace to people in America and around the world!
I just want to quickly thank everyone who has supported me both financially and emotionally during this year! We’re going to make 2017 a great year! #TeamElsholz
Xoxo Jen
