(photo courtesy of MercerBears.com) Marrin, shown her at the Just Us Girls golf camp, had a stellar season in her sophomore year, finishing in a tie for 25th at the A-Sun tournament.
A native of Ontario, Canada, sophomore Kaitlin Marrin journeyed to the United States to play golf at the collegiate level.
Cluster: How old were you when you first began playing golf?
Marrin: I started late. I began playing when I was 15. I played other sports beforehand, so learning how to pick up the game was pretty easy.
C: How does the culture around golf differ in Canada versus the United States?
M: Canadians love golf. As soon as the weather gets warm that is all they want to do. We want to just go and hang out in the sun for as long as we can, because we will probably only have about six months of nice weather before you really can’t play golf. That is really the only difference. We are just excited about it.
C: When you took a year off from school, in what areas did you improve your game?
M: Definitely mentally. It was really tough living in Florida on my own without my parents. It was a big difference coming down to a different nation. I learned a lot, like how to make different shots happen and play a lot smarter golf. I just grew more mature as a player and an individual.
C: Where do you see golf taking you in the future? Do you hope to either coach or play professionally?
M: It would be cool to play professionally, because if you can have a job and get paid for doing something you love that would be great. I don’t know if I could coach it. We have some girls on our team who could coach, and they do help the other players on the team. However, maybe something in the golf industry such as marketing or working for the golf channel would be really cool.
C: Your team has played fairly well this season. To what do you attribute that success?
M: We have some really good incoming players, and we always get along really well. We are a really close-knit team and hang out outside of the golf course. That really helps, and it brings a joy to competitive golfing.
C: What is one thing your coach has tried to stress to the team this season?
M: He was really all about focus and trusting yourself. My putting average went down and he has done a great job this semester. It is the best season I have had so far, and his methods have really worked. We really worked hard and stayed focused.
C: Is there a pre-game ritual that you do to get prepared and focused?
M: I like to be quiet in the morning before we play. I probably won’t talk to anyone very much. I will head over to the tee 15 minutes early even most girls will head over six to eight minutes early.
C: Who is your favorite professional player?
M: My favorite is always going to be Tiger Woods. I don’t care what anyone says. I love him and I want him to be good.
