In the sport of golf, mental toughness plays a big role in a player’s success. During the past four weeks, a strong mentality enabled sophomore Sarah Hoffman of the women’s golf team to consistently lead her team on the course.

Since late March, Hoffman has been nothing short of spectacular in winning three consecutive tournaments and leading No. 2 Grand Valley State University into the postseason this spring.

Her latest win came at the Ashland Invitational last weekend where she finished one stroke ahead of junior teammate Allie Tyler. Her previous wins were at the Drury Lady Panther Shootout in Missouri on April 11 and the Buccaneer Invitational held in Miami, Fla., back on March 30.

During that span, Hoffman has also been named GLIAC Athlete of the Week twice.

“She has a ton of confidence right now, and she’s just rolling with it,” said GVSU head coach Rebecca Mailloux. “She comes every week prepared to win and expecting to win, and she expects nothing less. It’s a good mindset that she’s in right now.”

For Hoffman, a Saline, Mich., native, positive benefits have helped her gain an aggressive mental edge over the field.

One week before spring break, Hoffman, along with her coach and teammates, traveled to Phoenix to take part in the Division 54 Golf Seminar. The seminar is designed to help golfers improve upon the mental aspects of their games.

“I’ve really implemented that (seminar) into my game,” Hoffman said. “Even when I’m practicing or when I’m playing, I’ve been really focusing on that and that’s helped me overcome stretches where I’m not playing as well. It’s helped me regain focus and really focus on what I need to be doing.”

Not only has the focus been consistent for Hoffman in her wins, but her positive work ethic has been evident in practice sessions.

“She’s been working really hard and you can tell she’s very passionate about the game,” said senior Ashley Smith. “She does everything and anything you can think of and asks people anything she can think of that will help her figure something out. She’s very focused and loves to observe things that someone might not. She’s always watching to see if she can pick something up.”

Hoffman said she has enjoyed the success of winning, but she has remained sold on the team concept rather than individual accolades.

“I like to win individually, but then again, I’m a part of the team,” Hoffman said. “If our team ends up winning, I could care less who wins individually.”

With the GLIAC Championships coming up this weekend, Hoffman and her teammates will get their shot to capture their third consecutive conference crown.

Hoffman will go for her fourth straight victory, yet she said she remains uncertain about the feat.

“I think I can,” Hoffman said. “I don’t know if I will or not. I’m definitely going to go in there with confidence and we’re going to go in there with confidence as a team. If I do win, it’d be great. If one of my teammates wins, it’d be awesome.”

The GLIAC Championships will be played at Ferris State University and begin on Saturday morning. Play will finish on Sunday.

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