Golf is a tough sport. Anyone who’s ever picked up a club know’s that. However, for LET Access Series (LETAS) player Marina Hedlund the difficulty didn’t stop once she mastered the sport.
Hedlund’s Journey Into Golf..
The 26-year-old from Leksand is one of the bubbliest player on LETAS but she has battled many knock-backs during her golfing journey.
A golfing journey which all started when Hedlund was four-years-old.
Golf united the Hedlund family. All generations on both sides of the family played golf and the sport let them enjoy quality family time together.
Whilst Hedlund always dreamed of being a top-class athlete, that dream has not necessarily always been within the world of golf.
Growing up, Hedlund competed in Alpine Skiing and thought that was where her life would take her.
Speaking about her second passion, Hedlund said: “I started competing in alpine skiing at a very young age and I thought that was where my life was going to take me and that was what i was going to do for the rest of my life as a career.
“Golf was my summer sport and alpine skiing was for my winters.”
Hedlund quickly excelled at both sports and was accepted for two different national sports schools, yet one was for golf and one was for skiing.
A tough decision then had to be made, skis or tees?
It was a pivotal moment for Hedlund but she chose to attend one of Sweden’s top National Golf Academies, RIG Helsingborg which led to her securing a spot in the National Swedish Golf team for Girls.
Explaining her decision, Hedlund said: “One week before I started at school, during the summertime, I had to make the decision and i think it being in the summer and me playing golf a lot then was a little bit of the reason why i picked golf.
“However, If you choose to ski through college, its maybe not the best path as you normally turn professional at a younger age because your career is not as long as it is in golf.
“Meanwhile in golf, college is a step on the way and that was one of the biggest reason for why I picked golf. I wanted to keep studying and go to college.”
Hedlund’s College Experience…
Inspired by her golfing heroine, Madeline Sagstrom, who’s talent shone way back in 2013 when she came second at LETAS’ Ingaro Ladies Open, Hedlund followed her footsteps and attended Louisiana State University.
Hedlund loved every second of playing golf and studying at US College.
However, as Hedlund admits life in this Deep South state was a far cry from Sweden but this was a change of scene that she embraced.
“It was a bit of a culture shock, it was a completely different culture, mindset and atmosphere.
“However being an athlete was great there because you had all the resources in the world and you could surround yourself with the top athletes in different sports.
“Playing golf there was very cool and inspiring, 5 time PGA winner Sam Burns was in my class for example.
“You’re faraway from home, so you become very close to your teammates and I always wanted to see the world from a different perspective, so the college experience gave me a great chance to fulfil that.”
The Crash
Everything seemed set for Hedlund, her dream college, she was playing top-level golf and then it all came crashing down- literally.
In her Sophomore year, Hedlund was in a serious car accident, the car she was in was rear-ended and she suffered every top athlete’s worst nightmare- injury.
Speaking about that difficult time, Hedlund said: “After that it was really tough to get back to golf because where my ribs were connected they turned and it was so painful.
“I couldn’t play golf for half a year, and then when I got back I felt like I was starting from scratch again.
“It was a tough time, I questioned whether professional golf was for me or whether I wanted to focus on getting a career as I cared about my studies too.
“Then i did an internship RBC –Heritage, after a month in an office and playing golf on the side, I realised that this was not what i wanted to do.
“I knew i just really wanted to play professional golf.
“That experience gave me extra fire to go after my dream and try to become the best player I possibly can be.”
Hedlund’s Health
From birth it hasn’t been smooth sailing for Hedlund when it comes to health. A little known fact about Hedlund is that she was born without a thyroid.
Most of us probably don’t know what the thyroid is, where it’s located or how much we depend on it.
The thyroid produces produces hormones that regulate the body’s metabolic rate, growth and development.
It plays a role in controlling heart, muscle and digestive function, brain development and bone maintenance. Its correct functioning depends on a good supply of iodine from the diet. So imagine being born without one?
“College was difficult because I was away from the doctors I had gone too since forever.
“I’ve had this complication since i was born, so I start to recognise when my body maybe doesn’t feel the right way or when it feels the right way.
“Some doctors say everything is fine, but you know that its really not fine.”
Making a Change
Some may think that Hedlund likes to make tour life even more difficult by opting for a plant-based diet.
Yet Hedlund is passionate about veganism and the health benefits she gets from that lifestyle.
Having had the shock of her life when only a couple of years ago when a doctor told her not to eat Lactose on her thyroid medication, Hedlund started to investigate more about the best diet for her.
“It’s difficult on tour, as when your travelling so much you really need to look at what’s in all the ingredients and everything you put in your mouth .
“It’s especially difficult in some countries that we will visit or have visited. It’s hard, I spend so much time in the US and they love their steaks!
“Yet, It’s worth it because the benefits i get from it is unreal. Energy wise I have so much more energy now than when i eat normal food.
“I can eat a meal and then go practice straight after or go on a run right when i’m done or go work out.
“My sleep has been deeper, my respiratory rate has gone down and my recovery rate has gone up.”
“Many things have happened with the change in diet which i didn’t expect to happen.”
Life on LETAS
21 tournaments later, Hedlund is so happy she started her golfing journey on LETAS.
“I thought it was a cool opportunity to travel across Europe, play on different courses with a lot of girls that you play junior golf with.
“The cost of living in Europe as a European is also a little bit easier
“Look at the weathers we have had this year- when your playing France in 44 miles an hour winds, when you go to Spain and get snow on the practice round, we play in all sorts of different conditions, different courses- and that is a great learning experience when your trying to build our foundations.
“It makes you a better golfer.”
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Hedlund now heads to the LET Lalla Aicha Marrakech Q School – Pre Qualifiers which start on the 10th December.
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