Living Life

Whoops! (insert see no evil monkey emoji) It has been nearly a month since my last blog, yikes! Life has just been crazy busy lately and honestly I just haven’t set aside the time to do some of my favorite things such as blogging :)

There’s nothing really urgent to update everyone on so I’ll just give an update about my life! As far as golf goes I have completed the winter series on the NWGA tour and I had a fantastic time just as I did last winter! The tournaments are always run really well and are always a blast to play in! My dad and I were talking about my improvements so I decided to find out my scoring average from last year and compare it to this year and the difference made me really excited. Last year I averaged 79, compared to my average this year which is 75…that’s four strokes people! Those averages are only from the tournaments I played in between January-May of the last two years because my scoring average for 2016 actually was 77, but I was still so happy!  I am very excited to see what the summer holds for me and my golf game! And speaking of summer I am putting my schedule together and will share that on my website very soon so stay tuned!

Continuing on the topic of summer I will be going home to Michigan for the month of June to play in a few tournaments before I come back down to Florida. Time just seems to be flying by and I’m unsure if I want it to slow down or continue. It’s hard to believe June is almost upon us. I mean I just celebrated my 24th birthday last Monday! I can’t believe I’m already that old! (I know it’s actually not that old, but there was always a comfort in telling people I was only 23). All I know is that I need to start cherishing every moment of every day whether I’m with family and friends or I am alone because one thing is for sure—we never know how many more days we’ll have to cherish.

But everything else in my life has been pretty good, and in reality I have nothing to complain about! I got to visit my boyfriend last week (he lives in Wisconsin) and I love our visits, but hate leaving him. Long distance can be so tough, but I simply try to stay positive and enjoy this time of growing as a couple together. (Maybe I’ll write a post about long distance in the near future??)

I am so thankful for the life I live and I know God has blessed me so much, and I just want to continue to grow into the woman He wants me to be.

I’ll try to be better about blogging :) Thank you to everyone who reads these small updates. You’re support really does mean the world to me!

Xo, Jen

"If only"

Happy Sunday y’all!

At church this morning, as I was listening to the sermon I had to smile because of how relevant it was to my life at this moment. Our church has started a series called “Transitions” and we are looking at the book of Exodus and the journey the Israelites take through the desert. Today’s reading was from Exodus 16: 1-18. The people of Israel were grumbling against the Lord for taking them out of Egypt. “The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.’” Exodus 16:3

That phrase “If only” robs us of joy. Just yesterday I was talking to my boyfriend about comparing myself to other girls. Being a professional golfer, it’s easy for me to look at another professional who has had or is having more success and say, “Why is she successful, but I am not?” Every time I do that, some of my joy slips away from me, and that’s not what God wants. God wants me to look at myself through His eyes because the plans and successes and failures He has for me are not the same that He has for someone else. “If only” focuses on the things that did not happen and the things that aren’t going to happen because of what has already taken place.

God wants me to live a joyful life and He doesn’t want me to focus on the past or the “If onlys.” He wants all His children to live a life filled with joy; a life His only Son, Jesus, lived when he walked the earth. I don’t know where you’re at in your walk with God or what you needed to hear today, but I know I needed this message and I pray you heard what God wanted you to hear! :)

Xoxo, Jen

Life and Golf

Hi all! So sorry I have been MIA lately! Life has been crazy busy as of late and a little stressful, but I am here to give an update on life and golf :)

On the golf side of things I just finished back to back weeks on the NWGA tour. Last week we were at Wekiva Golf Club and my parents were here for that! I didn't play as well as I would have liked too (78, 78, 78) but on the positive side I was very consistent! I just got back from the second event at the Deltona Club and finished a little better with scores of 75, 73, 71, leaving me in a tie for 16th. It's a constant grind out there, but I think that's what makes playing professional golf so much fun! If I put in the time and energy I can see it all unfold during tournaments! As of right now I'm not sure when my next tournament will be as I am figuring out some things, but I will be practicing my little tail off preparing for when the next one comes!

Moving onto life in general, I am so happy :) My personal life is on the upswing and I will soon be living in Florida full time! There's so much that's going on that it's both overwhelming and exciting! God has truly laid out an incredible path for me and I am so blessed to be on this journey.

There's not too much else to update y'all on so I guess I will leave it at that for now and I'll be back hopefully next week so if anyone has a topic they want me to talk about let me know!! Feel free to contact me on the "contact" page of my website: www.jelsholz.com

xoxo, Jen

My Savior

Hey ya’ll :) 

Living in Florida I realize I say the word ya’ll a lot more which isn’t necessarily a bad thing! I actually like saying it, makes me feel a little southern! ;) Anyways, I was doing my Bible study this morning and then I was looking around my emails and decided to check out my blog, and realized I haven’t written in a while. Luckily I was pretty inspired by today’s chapter so here I am typing away.

I am a part of an online Bible study community called Good Morning Girls. Throughout the year we read through books in the Bible one chapter a day and then within my group we email everyday about what we read. It’s a fun way to get into God’s word and read what everyone else thought about the chapter. We pray for each other too and share our lives which is always fun! Most of us are in different states and some even in different countries so it’s cool knowing that I have sisters in Christ all across the nation and world! Yesterday we began the Gospel of Luke (one of my favs!) so today we read chapter 2. The verse that stuck out most to me was Luke 2:11, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Jesus is born! Our Savior has entered the world and will one day die for our sins! I think it’s so amazing to read that verse knowing how much Jesus has done for me. This verse was spoken by the angel of the Lord who appeared to the shepherds and told them about this child, and it got me thinking about how amazing that moment must have been for those shepherds who were out in the fields tending to their flocks. It probably seemed like a normal day before this angel appears to tell them about a Savior who was just born! It’s hard to imagine, but cool to think about.

On that day when Christ was born, those shepherds got to see Him. They got to be a part of such a special day, one they would never forget. One of the discussion questions for today’s chapter is “When did Jesus become your personal Savior?” I love this question. Like the shepherds who went to see Jesus, we as Christ followers also have a day that we can say we “saw” Jesus. Today was the first day I wrote out my testimony on paper and I’m going to put it in my Bible. It’s amazing to relive that day and see how far I’ve come with Jesus by my side and as my guiding light.

So maybe today you should answer the question, “When did Jesus become your personal Savior?” and maybe you should write down your testimony and surrender yourself, again, to your Savior.

I hope you have a blessed day!
Xoxo, Jen

Patience

Hello! So it’s been a few weeks, but I’m here to give ya’ll a small update on golf and on my life :)

This past week my parents came down to visit and to come watch me golf in our tournament at Timacuan golf and country club! My dad was on the bag this week which always helps and the scores showed! I shot 74 and 70 the first two days for a total of even par. Unfortunately we got rained out on the final day so they kept the 36 hole scores which left me in a tie for 5th!!!! Best finish on the NWGA Tour for me!! I’m very happy about where my game is at. The improvements from last year to this year are huge and I can definitely see all my hard work starting to pay off.

The hardest part about playing professional golf is being patient enough to see improvements. I have been told time and time again that it could take five to six years for me to make it on the LPGA tour. That’s a long time to grind and practice, but I also know it can be done. Professional athletes can work all day, every day and still find ways to get better, which is amazing, but also hard! But that’s what I love about playing this sport; every day I work my hardest and when it all comes together it’s a great feeling!

Recently I feel like my life has been lining up. Lindsey and I are getting more involved at our church and I’m starting to volunteer more, and now that golf is starting to come around I feel more comfortable being down here and playing professional golf. At first it’s incredibly scary because I didn’t know what I was doing, but now I’m starting to get in the groove and I’m learning so much about myself!

We are headed to our next tournament tomorrow so stay tuned :) Thank you all so much for following me on this crazy journey.

With love, Jen

Here's to a great year

Well, the 2017 season is underway! 

Lindsey and I have traveled to two tournaments and are headed into an off week before we travel for another two weeks! I have to say I am so excited about the way I am hitting the ball! I have been working really hard with my coach and on my own to make that part of my game more solid. With that being said, the strongest part of my game seems to be lacking. Looking over my stats from the last tournament at Zellwood Station Golf Club, I had a lot of putts and didn’t get up and down as often as I should, but not to worry because those will be the main focus during this week.

Although the scores didn’t turn out exactly how I wanted them too for the first two tournaments of the year, this past tournament was a little bit more fun than some of the others because Lindsey and I got to stay with a host family, and believe me when I tell you that it’s way better staying with people than staying in a hotel! It’s just nice to come home and talk to someone about golf, but then talk about other things; not to mention a home cooked meal! During the week we also learned how to play a few new games that were a nice distraction from the actual reason we were there. Sometimes this lifestyle isn’t always easy and it’s always nice to do something else to take your mind away from the game, even if it’s just for an hour. So a huge thank you to the Pruim’s who housed us and entertained us for the week :)

I have to say that I have gained some more confidence with my game due to the fact that my ball striking has gotten better. Anyone who has known me during my college career knows how much I struggled with that part of my game so to see it improve is really exciting!

I know my posts about golf aren’t always the most exciting, but I like to think that there’s someone out there who’s curious and interested and if not that’s okay too. I know there’s a lot happening in our country right now, and it breaks my heart to see so many people angry and full of hate. So maybe reading about my golf is a nice distraction :)

Next tournament: January 30- February 1, Daytona Beach, LPGA International

Love each other.
xoxo

Reviewing 2016

Hello all and Happy Holidays!

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