Consistency, keeping mental aspect strong are goals for Gutierrez

FOREST CITY — The weather will soon turn colder, but that doesn’t mean Ashlyn Gutierrez is putting her golf clubs away for the year.

The Waldorf University sophomore from Nodaway Valley recently finished the fall portion of the season for the Warriors, who will transition now to offseason work in hopes of having a successful eventual spring campaign.

“My expectations this fall were to keep my scores lower than the spring. I struggled in the spring with having all new clubs that I was not used to yet. I would say I played better most of this season compared to my spring season,” Gutierrez said. “The weather is a lot nicer in the fall which helps keep those scores lower because we’re not facing challenging winds, rains and bad weather overall.”

Gutierrez carded an 18-hole round of 91 strokes in her last tournament of the fall season, which was a season-low.

Coming off a rough day the day before on another course, Gutierrez knew she needed to forget the day before and reset.

“My driver had been a struggle all season, but at this tournament, I felt like it worked in my favor throughout this round,” she said. “My mental game was a huge part in this round. I was able to keep a good attitude, forget the last shot and move into the next shot most of the day.”

A standout for the Wolverines in high school, Gutierrez feels that a season and a half into her college career, she’s expanded her knowledge of the game greatly.

In college, golfers work a lot more on breaking down a swing and other small details. Gutierrez said she now knows how to fix certain issues within her swing from those conversations in practice. Her knowledge of how to approach certain situations on the course during a round has also grown leaps and bounds.

Waldorf’s roster of six tight-knit girls is split evenly between rookies and returners.

“As an upperclassman I took initiative to reach out to the girls before school started to see if they had any questions or needed anything,” Gutierrez said. “I would say they look up to me as their older sister. They know they can always come to me with questions that are golf related or anything. The dynamic of this year’s team is great and I really enjoy being around and playing with these girls.”

Gutierrez, who is a double major in criminal justice and psychology, said she feels good about choosing Waldorf because it feels like home.

“My goals this spring are simple. I would just like to stay consistent in my scores and stay in the mid to low 90s each round, keep my mental game strong and continue to build relationships with my teammates and coaches,” Gutierrez said.