I Lost To A US College Golfer… Now I See Why The Next Generation Is Unstoppable In 2026
Single-figure golfer Carly Cummins on why the new crop of college stars are playing at such an incredible level
I recently had my best finish in the Dorset Women’s County Championships at Sherborne Golf Club for a few decades. I finished fourth in the 36-hole stroke-play qualifier and then narrowly defeated in the semi-finals of the matchplay stages by a very fine young US college player.
There were many competitors in the field who, on paper, should have performed better than me, but they all scored poorly. The difference, I believe, was in both the mental and physical preparation I’d done before the event this year.
At the start of 2026, I embarked upon a strength, conditioning and flexibility programme at my local gym, attending weight lifting, yoga, pilates and stretch classes. I also added in some swing speed work by doing HIIT training nearer the time to activate my fast-twitch muscles.
The difference to my strength, flexibility and overall fitness level was phenomenal and really noticeable because the two stroke-play rounds of golf were played in 30-degrees of heat and took over 10 hours to complete, which meant that we had no time to stop for a lunch break halfway. My body coped because I was really fit. The decent scores I carded reflected this. It was an endurance test, blended with the mental strength to execute shots skilfully under pressure.
Carly Cummins
In addition, the preparation I did the day before the event was more than I saw even the youngest, fittest competitors do. I was the only player chipping and putting at the host course the afternoon and evening before the tournament began. The only one there!
It meant that I arrived at 7am the following morning feeling like I already knew the greens. It paid off. My short game was exceptional. My motto was simple: ‘Fail to prepare and prepare to fail.’
But when it came to the matchplay stages, I was simply out-classed by an incredible young, talented, long-hitter. Honor Johnson is an 18-year old first year US college competitor at Grand Canyon University in Arizona.
She was out-driving me on some occasions by up to 100-yards, driving par-4s and easily onto par-5s in two shots. Everything about my opponent was finely-tuned from her athleticism (she is clearly following a college strength and conditioning programme) to her custom-built equipment, perfectly spec’d to her swing. It was like watching a budding tour professional in-the-making.
What was most impressive was how autonomous my opponent was and capable of a high level of performance at such a young age. It really is remarkable how different things are for youngsters who have come through county, regional, national and onto college coaching these days.
It truly is a simple springboard onto life on tour for those with the desire, work ethic and talent. Back in my day, three decades ago, I attended the occasional south-west regional England coaching session with very little feedback in between. I was left to practice swing changes alone.
Honor Johnson studies at Grand Canyon University, Arizona
There was never any fitness or nutritional advice given (we ate chocolate bars to fuel us as juniors!) and certainly no sight of a mind guru! Oh how I would have benefited from some basic mental coping techniques as a teenager. I lament the short putts that I missed, which lost me several county championship finals, because I hadn’t been taught how to handle the nerves and my shaking hands under pressure.
It’s no wonder that players like England’s Mimi Rhodes and Lottie Woad have made such incredible starts to their professional careers. They have already benefited from world-class coaching and performance advice as amateurs. It was easy for them to make a seamless transition from the amateur to professional ranks.
As for me, my goal continues to remain competitive as I approach the seniors, gaining as much length as I can over the next few years to try to catch these youngsters up! I’ve recently learned that a modern set of clubs can give me a massive helping hand (my PXG custom-fitting experience was an eye-opener, so I’m saving up for a new set) and I’m certainly trying to follow in the footsteps of one of the great legends of the game, my hero Gary Player, who has always kept his fitness level up.
As the old saying goes, age is only a number, and I’m out to prove to myself that in the run-up to my half century on this planet I can still achieve my life-long golfing goals. So watch this space!
