To some, golf is just a leisurely pastime for well-off Flower Mound dads. But for competitive golfer Addison Jennings, it’s much more. What started as a hobby during her childhood has bloomed into a college pursuit. 

“My dad got me into it when I was probably eight or nine. He was going to the driving range and I was like ‘Okay, I’ll go too’ and I ended up really liking it,” Jennings said. “I met a bunch of people in golf, made a lot of friends, and then I stayed in it.”

For many athletes, Jennings included, it takes more than just natural talent to maintain their skills. On top of her academics and life outside of school, Jennings trains regularly for her sport to hone her abilities and enhance her performance. 

“I practice everyday and work out everyday. [My] workout is during senior-in, so I work out before school and then after school I go practice,” Jennings said. “Sometimes I go play a few holes, or I’ll just practice with some friends on the range and work on whatever needs it. I keep statistics so whatever is lacking in my statistics I’ll work on more.” 

Jennings’ golf matches actually start before she walks on the course; in preparation for her competitions, she readies her body and mind hours or even days in advance.

“The day before a tournament–it’s usually a light range day, like you just kind of hit a few balls on the range, see your ball flight, see your tendency, what’s going on, and then just fine tune whatever needs to be worked on. But even still, you’re usually in a cart, you’re not doing anything too exerting,” Jennings said. “ I always make sure I drink a lot of water, especially in the summer. You’re so dehydrated [that] you’re sweating everything out, so I drink at least 64 ounces of water every day. I try to go to sleep super early. Sleep is very important. I try to get at least nine hours of sleep the night before my round.”

Choosing to dedicate hours to a sport every day comes with challenges. Golf is a repetitive sport, each swing tearing away at golfers’ body. Golf takes a toll on Jennings, both physically and mentally. 

“I’ve had pretty bad back issues. It hurts because you keep turning the same way and you’re hitting the same side of your body,” Jennings said. “[Golf is] a gradual pain  Like football, someone lands on you and you break your arm. But with golf, it’s over time and you don’t really notice it until your [pain] level is a 10. I have to stretch a lot, before practice and after practice.”

On top of the wear and tear of golf, oftentimes, when competing in a tournament or attending a golf match away from home, Jennings has to miss days of school at a time. 

“Our tournaments are two days [long], so we always miss Fridays, a full day of school. And this confuses people, because they don’t realize we play 18 holes and we walk [the course], like we don’t get carts or anything. Your day is a good seven hours of golf,” Jennings said. 

Over years, Jennings has adapted to the intensity that balancing academics and golf presents and learned how best to deal with the time she misses from school. 

“It’s hard to keep up, but I think it’s been a good thing also because I’ve learned how to communicate with my teachers and talk to them. Like ‘Hey I’m missing a day, ‘what do I need to do? What do I need to make up?” and all that,” Jennings explained. “You learn to prioritize things. Like, okay, this project, it’s like 40% of my grade, so I need to get that done. Especially when you’re traveling, you learn what you have to do and what can wait a minute.”

Coaches come and go with new teams and opportunities. Jennings reflects over her high school golf experience fondly, and owes a lot of her thanks to the coaches she’s met on her journey.

”Coach Bailey—he was our coach, my freshman, sophomore, and junior year—he just left this year. He was great, super positive, funny, definitely was a light on our team,” Jennings said. “He supported me, especially through my recruiting process and he talked to my college coach a few times and advocated for me. He was just a really great coach and never got mad, never disappointed in you.”

Jennings’ most constant exemplar besides coaches and trainers? Her older sister. 

“My sister was probably my biggest role model. She plays softball in college, [and] I feel I learned everything sports from her,”Jennings said. “I mean, softball and golf are really different obviously but still just being an athlete—I feel like I learned a lot of things from her.”

So, what’s next for Jennings as her high school golf career comes to an end? Jennings has big plans, as she is preparing to attend college for her sport in another state next fall. 

“I’m going to Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois for D1 [golf],” Jennings said. “I’ve already met the whole team, and I really like all the girls. I feel like I’m going to learn a lot and ,going into next year, the biggest thing I want to focus on is just learning and soaking up as much as I can.”

From a childhood hobby to a D1 pursuit, Jenning’s golf journey is far from over– it’s only just beginning.