Sonoma State Women’s golfer Talia Gutman gives us a look into a typical day in her busy schedule of being a student-athlete. Gutman is a freshman chemistry major from Ariz. She joined the team this year and she said, “I think it was the best decision I have made, and I am just so happy to be with this team. They are truly family to me.”

Taking a dive into a Tuesday morning for the freshman golfer, she gets up around 5:50 a.m. and is leaving for workouts soon after. After working out with the team for an hour, she is off to practice. The team practices at Foxtail Golf Club in Rohnert Park. Gutman has to leave practice a little early to make it to her 10 a.m. physics class.

After grabbing lunch and heading to another class, Gutman makes up for the lost time by hitting the range to sharpen her skills. Gutman says, “I believe I am a very competitive person at heart, and I think that motivates me to push myself every step of the way. I also love golf in general, and playing it well gives me the satisfaction of seeing my hard work pay off… I don’t sit around and get lazy because of this; I put in more effort instead.” After a busy day managing practices and classes, Gutman likes to relax with her friends, either playing  Dungeons and Dragons or doing late-night fast food runs.

Those who have played or watched golf know that it can be a very tedious and time-consuming sport. “Most of the time, our coach makes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday round a qualifier for the next tournament. An average round lasts four and a half hours, and then I either grab dinner with some friends or we do team dinners,” explains Gutman. “On Mondays and Wednesdays, I’ll try to get as much homework done as possible to make Tuesdays and Thursdays easier for me. It also helps because I’ll have more free time to practice or hang out without stressing over the next assignment.”

With golf and school taking up a rigorous schedule in her life, Gutman hasn’t found the time for work outside of her daily schedule. When asked about how she balances her busy schedule, Gutman stated, “Being a student-athlete is a little difficult due to the limited amount of time we get to hang out with people and do homework. The most difficult part is seeing just how much my golf schedule clashes with my class schedule.”

The sport of golf has helped Gutman become the person she is today. “It’s a long game that requires focus during every shot and good decisions. It’s about accepting the fact that every shot is not going to be perfect. Instead, it’s all about how you recover and move past those mistakes.” said Gutman. She talks about how the people close to her motivate her. “My team and family also always help to make me feel better. I apply these skills I learned from golf to my academics as well and have greatly improved my academic abilities.”