Sara-Maude Juneau

Golfer extraordinaire!

"Golf is not just for people who are retired!" loves to declare Sara-Maude Juneau, 19. This young golf champion from the Quebec City region recently received a scholarship to study at the University of Louisville in Kentucky and dreams of becoming a professional golfer.

What's the deal with golf?

Golf is one of the rare sports in which players try to get the least points possible. Since the number of points is equivalent to the number of strokes needed to sink the ball in the hole, the lower the score, the better the game!

We interviewed her to find out more about this relatively little known sport.

Sara-Maude, how long have you been playing golf?
My dad, a recreational golfer, taught me how to play when I was eight. I've always been an athlete; I've played basketball, baseball and volleyball. By the age of 14 or 15, I had had enough of team sports and wanted to excel in an individual sport. I also wanted to win, to not be dependent on my team mates! Around that time, I got a trainer and I began taking golf more seriously and preparing for competitions.

Is golf a sport that requires rigorous training?
In high school, I saw my trainer twice a week after school, from 6 to 9 p.m. Then, in CEGEP, I participated in the sport school program at the St. Lawrence College of Quebec. We had classes in the morning and we trained in the afternoon. During the summer, I spend around 40 hours a week practicing golf and during the winter, I spend around 15 hours a week.

So you also train during the winter?
Of course! During the winter, we work out to keep in shape, we drive balls into a net, we practice on indoor greens and we also study theory to prepare for the tournament season that takes place from May to August. Golf is a very technical sport. You have to be very technically and mentally strong to win. For the tournaments, you have to be in top shape to walk under a beating sun during a 5-hour game and still be able to concentrate!

You're leaving soon to go study in Kentucky. Will you be able to play golf year-round there?
Yes, I received a scholarship to go study at the University of Louisville in Sports Administration and to join the women's golf team. We'll be eight girls on the team and we'll play tournaments almost all year long, since it's always warm in Kentucky!

How did you get this scholarship?
Scouts from various American universities attend tournaments to find players for their teams. Someone from the University of Louisville spoke to me and I went to visit the university and meet the trainer. We got along well, so I decided to go there.

Are you going there with a specific goal in mind?
Of course I'd love to become a professional golfer after I finish my schooling. After I get my university degree, I'll get the qualifications I need to be a professional golfer. In the meantime, I've got four years to train and improve, to win tournaments and to make a name for myself!

A few highlights of young Sara-Maude's golfing career

Sara-Maude is a member of the Lac St-Joseph golf club.

She placed second in the provincial junior championship and third in the provincial amateur championship in 2006.

She has also been named the best junior golfer in the Quebec district for the past three seasons.

Fun fact: Sara-Maude got a hole-in-one when she was 13, but she hardly remembers it!