Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir | May. 11. 2012 | 21:15

Introducing Icelanders who play on US College Golf Teams no. 4: Ingunn Gunnarsdóttir

Today is Ingunn Gunnarsdóttir´s birthday – she´s 22 yrs old!!! Golf 1 wishes Ingunn a very happy Birthday!!! … and the choice whom to introduce of the excellent young Icelanders that play golf on Universities and Colleges in the US was an easy one tonight.

Ingunn studies at Furman University in South-Carolina and plays golf with the Furman Paladins. Golf 1 interviewed Ingunn before she went to study in the States earlier this year. Here goes the interview:

What is your name?: Ingunn Gunnarsdóttir.

What Golf Club do you belong to in Iceland: The Golf Club of Kópavogur and Garðabær (abbr.: GKG).

Where and when were you born?   I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, May 11th 1990.

Where were you raised?  I lived for the first 3 years in the States and after that we moved to Kópavogur.

What is your family status and does anyone in your family play golf?  I still live at home with my parents and I have 3 brothers – 2 older ones, who are 23 and 25 years old and one younger, Jón Gunnarsson, who is 10 years old.  Everyone in my family plays golf, especially my youngest brother is very good, but he already has a handicap of 16,1. My dad has mostly been occupied being our caddy.

When did you start playing golf?    I started to compete 13 years old.

Why did you start playing golf? Because my whole family was up emersed in the game…. I was dragged, crying on the golfcourse and there was just no way getting around it (laughing) no, no… I started in golf clinics for kids and slowly the interest grew.

What is your occupation?  I´m a student in the US and this past summer I headed the children golf clinics at GKG and I´m the girls coach at GKG in the summer.

Did you have a culture shock coming to the US from Iceland? Yes, I started at McLennan in Texas and that was a very special place. I changed to Furman this last semester.

Is there a difference in the golfcourses in the States and here in Iceland?  Yes, the gras is different and you have to think about other stuff on the greens. And then there are much more parkland courses than in Iceland.

What do you prefer parkland or links type courses?    Linkses because I´m pretty wild with my driver. On second thought, I like both.

What do you prefer match play og stroke play? Match play is fun, but stroke play punishes you more.

What are your favorite golfcourses in Iceland?  The Vestmannaeyja golfcourse and then I like the golfcourse of GS in Keflavík, also called Leiran.

What is your favorite golfcourse anywhere in the world?   I have played golf on the golfcourse where the Ryder Cup will be held in 2 years time; i.e. the Jack Nicklaus designed Centenary golfcourse at Gleneagles, Scotland – that is my favorite golfcourse.

What is the most special golfcourse you have played on and why? That was the golfcourse of Þorlákshöfn because it is a bit different and the Vestmannaeyja Golf Course because it is so beautiful.

What is your handicap?   1,9.

What is your lowest score and on which golfcourse did you achieve it?  68 on  Urriðavöllur at the Golf Club Oddur in Iceland.

What is your longest drive?   I had my longest drive last winter; that was 350 yards (320 meters) long but  in alot of tail wind and on a downward sloping fairway.

What is your greatest achievement in golf to this date?  I won a tournament at Hella on the Eimskips Series. Then I was Icelandic Junior Champion in Match Play once and I was a few times Icelandic Club Champion along with my teammates at GKG.

Have you ever scored a hole in one?   No.

What snack do you have in the bag? Cherry tomatoes, when I get a birdie I treat myself to a cherry tomatoe. I also have nuts and a cheese sandwich with tomatoes, eggs and lots of water.

Have you participated in any other sports?   Yes, when I was younger I practiced everything except for track and field.I had ballet lessons, played tennis, participated in jazz ballet and more. I tried everything.

What is your favorite food, favorite drink, favorite music, favorite movie and favorite book? My favorite food is everything that my dad makes especially lobster pasta; my favorite drink is Icelandic water; my favorite music is everything with Sigurrós; my favorite movie is Juno and my favorite book… hmm …. Harry Potter is a classic.  

Who are your favorite golfers name 1 male and 1 female?   Female.: Michelle Wie.  Male:  Tiger Woods on the golfcourse but not outside of it.

What´s in the bag, what is your favorite club and why is that club your favorite one? Everything is Ping in my bag – and therefore I´m sometimes called PIngunn in Iceland! But more specific the following is in my golfbag:   Driver: PING K15 1o,5° regular shaft; PING S57 irons with regular steelshafts, 3 tree G10 PING, 5 tree G5, wedges PING Tour series regular steel shafts 60° 56° 52° 48°. My favorite club is my putter,which is fairly old:  PG2 Anzer; I got it when I was 13.

Have you been to a golfinstructor?  I´ve  twice or three times had a lesson with Derrick Moore – and then there are several golfinstructors that have taught me through Team Iceland (the Icelandic National Golf Team)

Are you superstitious?  No.

What is your maingoal in golf and life? My main goal in golf is to get better – and in life it is to get ahead.

What do you like the best about golf?  That one can play with everyone, family and friends, people of all levels and one can always better oneself, no matter how good one is.

How large a percentage do you estimate that the mental side of your game is when you compete?  80% – The mental part is exactly the one I need to be working on.

At last: Do you have some good advice that you can give golfers?  Yes. Just practice and then practice some more. Keep on going despite set backs. One reeps as one sows!