Cassie Golfs To College:  The Inside Story of Ladies' Collegiate Golf

Director's Note:  BuffaloGolfer.Com had tried for years to find a female voice to write for the site.  Recently we toyed with the idea of having a college golfer keep a journal on what it's like to play post-high school golf at a competitive level.  In an incredible run of luck, we found both in Cassie Stein, a division 1 golfer at Robert Morris University.  After checking with the university's compliance department (to ensure that Cassie's eligibility would not be jeopardized), we decided to go for it.  In between classes and practice sessions, Cassie will find time to write her impressions and experiences in college golf for BuffaloGolfer.Com.  Cassie's words will be her own, all her own, with no editing.  After all, with a bunch of middle-aged men writing most of our other columns, what could be more refreshing than a young, female voice?  With that introduction, welcome to Cassie Golfs To College:  The Inside Story of Ladies' Collegiate Golf.

February 2010:  Off-Season Training for the College Golfer

After the ’09 fall season at Robert Morris University, the women’s golf team had to workout during the winter months to keep in shape for the upcoming 2010 spring season. We got a week off after our final tournament and then it was time to workout. Now people ask me all the time, why do golfers workout? What kind of exercises do they do?

Well, to answer the first question, golfers workout because they are walking 18, sometimes 36 holes, a day and hitting all different kinds of shots. If anyone saw our home course, of Montour Heights Golf Course, they would know why we workout. It is so hilly and you are hitting different kinds of shots each time, you need to be in shape to play that golf course.

The answer to the second question is that golfers and any other athlete do the same kind of workouts. It has the same intensity as a hockey players workout. We might not be lifting as much or working out the same muscles, but we are definitely working out for the muscles we need for golf.
So three times a week, we have a trainer for 45 minutes. We do different exercises every day to strengthen certain muscles and to get us ready for our spring season. On our off days, I do a cardio workout on my own to be ready for our home course. I give myself the weekends off the get some rest and recover from the week’s workouts.
 

Since the team is home for winter break during most of the winter, I go to the dome either two or three times a week, just to work on my swing and other elements of my game that I need to work on. Other than that, during the winter months, it is a time for family and getting ready for the spring season. I believe our spring season begins when we head down to Georgia for our spring break tournament at the beginning of March when we play in the Lonnie Barton invitational, if not, I believe we head to Butler University in Indiana for a tournament. Until then, stay warm and have a good winter. See you in the spring!

January 2010:  FDU Knights Invitational

Last tournament of the year is in Somerset, New Jersey hosted by Fairleigh Dickenson University. It is a pretty big tournament for us because some of our conference teams will be playing and we get to
see some competition for the springtime.

We left at 6 am Sunday morning, both men and women’s teams, for Jersey because our practice round was that same day at 2 pm. It was a pretty long bus ride from Pittsburgh to Somerset, a total of 6 and a half hours. But we finally arrived there. We played at the New Jersey National Golf Course and it was awesome. The course was in good condition and very pretty. There were a few difficult, long holes out there, but other wise it was a great course. The practice round went really well. My swing was good and everything was clicking. After the round, we checked into the hotel and went to dinner.  We got back, watched the Yankees win the ALCS and headed to bed.

The next morning, we got up and ate some breakfast before we went to the course. Shotgun was at 9 am. So we left at 7:30 for the course, and that got us there at about 7:50. It was a beautiful day, but unfortunately we were in a little delay. But that was fine with me because I was nervous anyways. The only reason I could think of was that my Dad was coming to watch me today and I needed to play good. My Dad works in New Jersey and it was convenient for him to come and watch me, so he did. Well, we didn’t tee off until 9:40ish. The first four holes were a disaster for me. I went double, bogey, bogey, bogey. But once I saw my Dad standing on 17 green, I knew I had to change my game round, so I did. On 18, I sank a 15 footer for birdie and I turned my game around. I continued to play really well. My tempo for my swing was good and my putting improved from the last tournament. I finished the day with an 83 and I was very pleased with my score. At the end of the day, I was in 5th place, the team was in 4th place, and was ready to play another good round tomorrow. I said goodbye to my Dad and the teams headed back to the hotel. We went to get some dinner and then hung out at the hotel for the night.

This morning, we got up and it was raining. But we got up and got ready to go to the course. By the time we got there and it was pouring now, but the country club said we were going out to play still so I had to mental prepare myself to play in the rain. I did and went out and started to warm up. We were maybe out there for 25- 30 minutes and they called it for the day. We were finished. Unfortunately, we couldn’t play today, but I was happy with the way the team played and especially me. Nothing could have been better than the way I finished the fall season. The other good thing about this tournament was that our men’s team won the tournament. It was their first win in a while, but a good showing for them. The Robert Morris Women’s Golf team finished the fall season on a high note and we look to continue good play in the spring tournaments. Have a good winter and I’ll see you in March!

December 2009
Holiday Inn Pittsburgh Airport Colonial Invitational in Pittsburgh

Finally, our home tournament was here! We were all so excited to play and redeem ourselves from the last tournament. Sunday, we couldn’t play in the practice round because it’s our home course; we play it all the time. So we just chipped and putted at the course. I stayed only for about an hour and a half and then my mom arrived! I was so excited to see her. I hadn’t seen her in over a month and I was glad she came down to watch me. That night, we just hung out. We watched the final round of the President’s Cup and then went over to a teammate's apartment for a team dinner. Again, it was another home cooked meal. So good! I went back and got a good nights rest for the morning.

Monday turned out to be a good morning. Even though it was really cold, I had a feeling it would be a good day. I got up
ate some breakfast and went to the range to warm up. I got there pretty early and warmed up by myself. I felt good about how I was hitting it so I left there and went to the course to do some putting. By the time everyone got there, it was time to go out to our holes. For some reason, I got really nervous about the round that day. I don’t know if it was because my mom was there or what. But I got my nerves out on the first couple of holes and ended up playing pretty well. Everything was going good for me that day, starting with the swing, all the way down to the putting. Ending with a birdie on my final hole helped a lot too. I finished the day with an 81, and I put myself two strokes back of the lead. After the round, I went out to dinner with my mom and caught up on some things. I went back and went to bed pretty early because I knew it would be
an even earlier morning than Monday.

Tuesday came around and I felt ready to play again. I did the same routine as Monday morning. I had breakfast, and then went to the range by myself. And then headed over to the course again. But today was obviously a different day. And I was not on top of my game by any means. My putting was awful and that’s what made me not shoot well. I would tell you how many putts I had, but it is way too embarrassing. So I finished the day with a 90 and finished tied for 12th. I guess not too bad, but I was looking for a better finish. It was a good early birthday present to say the least. After the round, I had to say goodbye to my mom, unfortunately she had to get home to my brothers. But overall, it was a good weekend and a good two rounds. Next week we have the week off and then on the 26th and 27th, we head to New Jersey to play at Farleigh Dickinson.

November 2009
Zippy Invitational in Akron

On Monday October 5th and Tuesday October 6th, the Robert Morris University women’s golf team traveled to the Akron University to compete in the 2nd Annual Zippy Invitational. The team left Sunday morning to be on time for our practice round at 11 AM. We have played the course before, but it is only right to refresh our memories of what the course is like. After the practice round, we headed over to one of our teammates houses for a home cooked meal. And let me tell you, it was awesome! The best food I had in a long time because the school food isn’t so great. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel because Monday would be a long day, it was 36 holes.

Monday morning came around pretty quick. We got to the course around 7 to eat breakfast and then head out to the range
to warm up. It was pretty dark and cold when we finished our breakfast so we still had a little bit longer to go out and start hitting. When we finished warming up, I had to mental prepare myself for the day. I mean, it was 36 holes. And it would
be a very long day, and it was…

The first round went pretty fast, believe it or not. But the second round took a little longer than expected. The first round, I shot pretty well. I finished with an 84, which I thought was decent. I could have played a little bit better. Then after round 1,
I regrouped and had to do it all over again. Even though we would be continuing on with our second round, I felt that I had to stretch again and just think about the round coming up and put the first round behind me. We started the second round right away, but we didn’t finish it. The horn went off at 7 PM when it got too dark to finish the round and we would finish in the morning. We had a dinner waiting for us in the clubhouse and then finally we headed back to the hotel.

The next morning four out of six of our team members had to finish from the round yesterday. So we warmed up, and then went out to play our one or two holes that we needed to finish. It didn’t go very well, but I finished my second round with an 86. I went back to the clubhouse and warmed up again for our third and final round. Warm-ups did not go well at all. I played awful in my third round. My swing and putting was just not on at all that day. I finished with a 92 and was so angry with myself. Afterwards, we left to head home. No one was happy with the way we played that weekend. We needed to make it up in our home tournament which was less than a week away.

October 2009
Ball State Cardinal Classic

Hello to all again! This is Cassie Stein writing to you from the perspective of a Division 1 golfer. I play for the Robert
Morris Colonials in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I just started my sophomore year. This year, we have five returning players
with an addition of one new freshman. We expect a lot out of our team this year and hopefully take all of our games to the next level of competition.

This past weekend, September 19th and 20th was my first tournament of the year. Our team traveled to Ball State
University in Indiana to play against some of the best teams in the Central United States. We left Pittsburgh on Friday
morning for the five and a half hour bus ride to Muncie, Indiana. Once we arrived, we had a practice tee time for 2 pm.
The course was nice and long. This week we were playing it at about 6200 yards, give or take a few. After the practice
round, the Ball State team set up a dinner for us. It was honestly, awesome. We have never had any team make dinner
for us before. It was a nice change, especially from the school food we are used to eating. We went to the hotel and hung
out for the night. It would be an early morning.

Saturday morning was an early morning. We woke up at 6:15, got ready, ate some breakfast and left for the course by
7:15. We got there and it was time to warm – up. But when I started warming up, something didn’t feel right. My
shoulder was acting up again, and if this was the case, I knew it wouldn’t be a good day. But, I went on with my warm
up as usual. I hit first and then went to the putting green. By the time I was done, it was time to head out to our holes.
My first hole went pretty well so I figured it would be a pretty good day, but that wasn’t the case. I couldn’t control my
driver to save my life. It went left on some holes and then it went right on others. It wasn’t a good day at all. My irons
and short game is what saved myself from not shooting in the low to mid 90s. My putting could have improved a bit as
well. But other than that, I was scrambling a lot just to put up a semi decent score. I ended the day with an 86. Not too
bad for my first tournament of the year, but at the same time I should have played better and I should know what to
expect out there. But I think of tomorrow is a new day and I can improve on some things. After the round was over, we
went to grab some dinner and just hang out at the hotel, have some team bonding time. It was nice just to relax.

Sunday morning was another early morning. Same routine, wake up at 6:15, got ready, ate some breakfast and left for
the course at 7:15. I went to warm–up this morning, but I decided to change it up a bit. Instead of hitting first, I wanted
to hit some putts first. So that’s what I did. I putted until the green got crowded and then went over to the range. It was a great choice. And I hit the ball pretty well on the range too. This morning I knew I was ready to play. I went out and shot
the best round ever as a collegiate golfer. I shot a 79. I played awesome. Started off slow at first by going 3 over on the
first five holes, but once I got to number one I knew I had to kick it up a notch. I shot a 35, one under on the front side. When I finished the front, I knew I could keep it up with the holes I had left on the back. But I didn’t really. I should have made a couple putts and played that much better, but I finished well. And that’s what I was looking for. I was happy with
my performance today. I finished with a total of 165. Overall, pretty well.

This weekend coming up, we have an off weekend. It is homecoming at the school so we are pretty excited to celebrate
and have a weekend off. Until next time…

September 2009
The Walker Cup

Today, I am heading to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Not for a golf tournament, but I am headed there for the most
prestigious amateur competition in the world, the Walker Cup. The Walker Cup is a contest between the best amateur golfers from the United States and Great Britain & Ireland. The team captain for each country picked the team. The United States team had the first eight team members picked before the United States Amateur that took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma two weeks ago. The team consisted of Rickie Fowler, Morgan Hoffman, Adam Mitchell, Brian Harman, Bud Cauley, Brendan Gielow, Nathan Smith and Drew Weaver. Following the amateur, captain Buddy Marucci, selected two other players to join
the other eight. Both Cameron Tringale and Peter Uihlein were selected to round out the ten-man team. If you ask me, this team is solid.

One of the main reasons I am headed to the Walker Cup is not just because of the awesome atmosphere there, but it really hits home. Let me explain… Both Cameron Tringale and Bud Cauley play in the Porter Cup, at Niagara Falls Country Club in Lewiston, New York. Well, the members house the golfers when they play in this prominent amateur tournament, and they both stay at my house for the week. Through out the week, you also meet other golfers and become great friends. For example, I speak to Adam Mitchell and Brendan Gielow probably every other week, just to keep in touch. It also helps me to talk to them about playing in my tournaments. They give me good advice and I appreciate it. Once I found out all these players were playing in the Walker Cup, I knew I had to go. It is once in a lifetime opportunity and how many times are you going to know so many people on the team?

I left on Friday morning for Philadelphia, PA. When I got there, the weather was not the way anyone wanted it. It was
raining, windy and pretty cold. So instead of going to the course once I landed, I met my aunt at the hotel. She had told
me the United States team had practiced for two holes and then stopped. The Great Britain & Ireland Team was going to practice afterwards, but I didn’t really want to see them practice. We went back to the hotel to hang out. Later that evening,
it was the opening ceremonies. I really wanted to go and check it all out, especially the course. We arrived at Merion Golf
Club and it was packed to capacity. And when we got there, there was no room in the tent and no one could see anything.
So instead of going in the tent, we walked by where the golfers were standing. Even before anyone could see them, we saw them! They all waved to us and had the biggest smiles on their faces. They were so excited for the tournament to start, I could tell. After we saw them all, we went to try and find room to watch the ceremony. We didn’t see much but to hear all
the things that were being said was an awesome feeling. Afterwards, we went out to dinner and went back to the hotel
and went to bed because it would be a long, early morning.

5:45 am rolled around pretty fast. But we got up and went to the course. We were there by 7:00 am. The first tee time was
at 7:30 so we just went and stood by the first tee to check it all out and especially the atmosphere. That morning, I decided
to follow the pairing of Adam Mitchell and Cameron Tringale. They were playing the two some of Stiggy Hodgson and Naill Kearney. The match was mostly one-sided leaning towards Great Britain & Ireland. Mitchell & Tringale lost the match 3 & 1, but that was the only match the United States lost that morning. We grabbed some lunch and waited for the afternoon matches to start. In the afternoon, I decided to watch Bud Cauley. Believe it or not, I have never watched him play so I was pretty excited to watch him. He played really well and won 2 & 1 over Niall Kearney. I had talked to him after the match and he was pretty pumped up and he couldn’t wait to play the next day. We said our goodbyes to the players and course that
day, and went to dinner. But at the end of the day, the United States had 9 points to Great Britain & Ireland’s 4 points.
Finally went back to the hotel and went to sleep for another early morning.

Again, 5:45 am rolled around really fast. But we did the same thing and got to the course at the same time. And again, the first tee time was at 7:30. That morning I was going to follow Bud and Rickie Fowler. The day before they were really dominant winning 6 & 5 so I wanted to see how they played together. But today, they were playing the deadly combination
of Stiggy Hodgson and Naill Kearney. Once I heard the United States was playing them, I knew it would be a real good
match. I will never forget this shot Bud hit. It was on number four, par five. The drive was in the rough with a bad lie, and Bud couldn’t get it out completely. So he put it up left rough again. Rickie tried hitting it out of the rough and thought it
was a good shot but it was short and landed on a patch of grass basically in the water. So Bud, the team player that he is decides to take off his socks and shoes and hit the shot. It was honestly an unbelievable shot. He choked down on the club
so far, one foot was in the water with a bad stance, and he put it within four feet. Rickie went up the green and made the putt. That was a decisive moment in the match because the US won back the hole and they never looked back. This just shows how much the players care for not only their match, but also how they are willing to play for their country. The US won the match on 18 with a four-foot putt made by Bud. Both Rickie and Bud were so pumped up. After the end of the morning four somes, the United States had 11 points to the Great Britain & Ireland’s 5 points. The US only needed two and
a half points to win back the coveted trophy.

The afternoon matches were all ten singles matches. I again decided to follow Bud because he was playing really well. He played Chris Paisley and though he should have won the match, he halved. But it didn’t matter because by the time he finished his match; the United States already clinched the Walker Cup. Rickie Fowler won his match 2 & 1, while Cameron Tringale completely dominated his match and won 8 & 6. So that left Peter Uihlein to win his match on the par three, 17 to clinch the Walker Cup for the United States. The match finished and the United States won 16.5 to 9.5. It was a romp by the Americans. After the team celebrated on the 18th green, I got to see all the boys again, before I left of the airport. They
were all so excited and “flying high.” Right before I left the course, I watched the closing ceremonies. It was so cool to see them walk out and have their names announced with their green jackets on. I got chills running up and down my back when they announced everything. I left for the airport, but it was probably the best weekend of my life. It was an awesome experience and I am so glad I went.

When I was on the plane I was thinking about the whole weekend in general. How each of the golfers, on both teams, represented themselves, but more importantly how they represented themselves for their country. The whole weekend was
an amazing time and feeling. The golf was great, but the atmosphere was so much better. Seeing the United States of America and Great Britain & Ireland play against each other in match play was again, extraordinary. I am so glad I go to do this and hopefully I can go to another Walker Cup in the near future.

April 2009
NEC Championship

November 2008
Akron

Hello again. September 29th through September 30th, I traveled to the Zippy Invitational in Akron, Ohio. We left the 28th of course to have a practice round. The practice round went well, hitting the ball straight. Later that night, one of my teammates invited us to her house for a home cooked meal. It was the best meal since I had arrived at school. Absolutely amazing. We headed back to the hotel for a good night rest.

Arriving at the course, I was ready for the 36- hole day. Warming up bright and early, it seemed like it would be a good day. Well it didn’t turn out as planned. I started to hit my irons longer than I usually do, which questioned how long it every club. I finished my first with a 95. The other reason I didn’t play well was because of my shoulder. It had bothered me in the past, but not when I was in school. It had acted up again. I was not pleased at this point and I wanted to redeem myself. After lunch in between rounds, I wanted to start fresh on the second 18 of the day. I started off strong and wanted to keep the momentum. I finished with an 88. I was sort of pleased with my second round, but I knew I could play better. They had dinner at the course for us that night and finally headed back to the hotel. I needed to clear my head and play better the next day.

Sleeping well and rested up for the day event, I wanted to play better. The warm-up again went well and I was ready to play. Again, I started off strong and wanted to continue it. I went even par for the first 5 holes. I ended up with another 88, but I was happy with it. I hit it well. I finished 3rd on the team. Next weekend, finally we have off. It will give us a good break in between our next tournament. And it’s our home event, where we hope to play well. Until then, play well.

Octtober 2008
Youngstown
 

Hi. This past weekend, the Robert Morris Women's golf team traveled to Youngstown State University to compete in our second event of the year. The team left on Sunday morning for a practice round in the afternoon. Unfortunately, it was raining and we couldn't play the course, we were only able to walk it. I felt good about it though. The course wasn't too long or hilly. Perfect, I knew I would shoot well. After walking the course, we headed back to school to get a good night rest to be ready for the next morning.

The day finally arrived. And I was super excited to get out there and play the course. When we arrived, we were told it was wet and we were allowed to play pick and clean through the green, which was good. Warming up is when I started to get nervous again, but I tried putting it out of my mind. Until I got to the first tee, wow, were my hands shaking. But I put it behind me again. I went even par through the first three holes. I knew it, but I didn't get too happy about it. Then I went three over through seven. I just had that feeling that it would be a good day. Then I got to hole number eight. That was when I blew up. Finishing the first nine with a 44.

I tried putting the front nine behind me, but I couldn't. I knew I shouldn't have thought about it, but I did. I didn't play too well on the back either, coming in with a 49. I was not pleased with my play. I knew I could have played so much better than I did. Finishing the day with a 93. That night, I wasn't very happy.

After having dinner at the course, we headed back to the hotel. The weather started getting bad, the wind picked up and it started to rain. It got so bad, that the power went out at the hotel for about two hours. I went to bed early, hoping to have a better day tomorrow.

Getting up early, I felt ready to play. We were at the course by 7:30 and started to warm-up, but right after I finished my putting routine, the tournament director canceled the rest of the tournament. The weather the night before had knocked over trees and flooded to course. Our team was so upset because we wanted to redeem ourselves from yesterdays play. We got in our van, and headed back to school. Our next tournament, the Zippy Invitational is not until September 28^th-30^th which is in Akron, Ohio. Until next time, play well!

September 2008
Bucknell