This year the WFHS girl’s golf team has a big achievement with junior Rachel Manfreda making it all the way to Regionals. Manfreda talks about her experiences in golf and what it took to get her to where she is now.

Manfreda has always had an interest in golf and started at the age of seven.

“I was interested in golf starting when I was little. I began playing tournaments when I was seven years old,” Manfreda said. “My dad had experience playing golf so he wanted to teach me.”

It took practice, and Manfreda worked hard by looking for outside sources to improve her skills, while also meeting new people.

“Last spring, I was playing a lot of tournaments outside of school. It was great practice and it was really fun to connect with other local girls. I went to hit balls at the range during the summer to prepare for the season, but I was really busy, so I didn’t get to play as much as I wanted to. I also was working out during the off season to prepare for warmer weather golf,” Manfreda said.

Manfreda has support and inspiration which helped her stick to the right path for what she wanted out of her golf career.

“My inspirations are Lexi Tompson and Rory Mcllroy because they are good people who worked hard for their spot in the LPGA and PGA,” Manfreda said.

She also mentions her biggest supporter.

“My biggest supporter would probably be my dad. He’s the one that got me started with golf and believed that I would be really good from the beginning. Sometimes, he was a little too supportive, but he has always encouraged me to practice and train to my best ability. He has wanted me to keep going with golf even when I wanted to quit. He has believed in me ever since I picked up a club,” Manfreda said.

Manfreda mentions some of the difficulties that she faced with golf.

“I was definitely set back because I took a break from golf when I was around 11 or 12 years old because I wanted to try other sports. I have definitely struggled with consistency in practicing throughout my gold journey because I got busy or I became unmotivated,” Manfreda said.

With the amount of time Manfreda has devoted to golf, she’s given some advice to people wanting to play as well.

“The advice I would give to someone who is starting golf is to keep consistently practicing. It is very difficult because it can be very frustrating, and you can give up very easily, but playing consistently with the correct fo0rm can go a long way. It can get very repetitive, but having a good short game is key when playing in tournaments. I would advise them to find a coach they like so that they are supported from the beginning,” Manfreda said.

Manfreda making it to Regionals is a big achievement not only for the team and school but for Manfreda herself.

“I was very excited to know I had a spot at regionals because it would be my third year qualifying. I now continue on to the state tournaments next week after trying for seventh place at Regionals,” Manfreda said.