On the course with Duke commit Gina Kim

When it comes to golf—and life, for that matter—North Carolina 3A women’s golf state champion Gina Kim tries to waste as little time as possible. She prefers to focus her productivity on golf.

Whether it is a weekday or a weekend, Kim, a sophomore at Chapel Hill, spends most of her time playing golf.

Her typical Friday practice does not usually start until 4:30 p.m. Kim does not “just start whacking golf balls out into the range,” as she puts it.

Kim instead starts her practice without her clubs.

“I start by stretching for 10 minutes,” Kim said. “Sometimes, I do pushups or jumping jacks. Some people find that weird.”

Before heading out to the course, Kim spends some time touching up on the various parts of her game, whether it be at the driving range or the chipping green. Kim then moves to playing either nine or 18 holes.

“Pretty much, I keep practicing until it gets dark,” Kim said. “I try to do my best saving time and getting as much practice as I can.”

Kim tries to practice every day, including weekends.

“On Saturday, I am usually up by 9:00 and at the course by 10:30,” Kim said. “That is pretty much where I practice until 5:30.”

After she gets home and eats dinner, Kim spends her time doing whatever she needs to do, whether it is homework or relaxing.

“It’s not really that interesting, but it is part of my routine,” Kim said.

Kim feels that her practice time has been paying off recently. “I am really dedicated to my practice time and being as ef - cient as I can,” Kim said. “I really think that shows in my good performance, especially at the state championship.”

Kim’s parents introduced her to golf at a young age, but her dedication to the sport seems to stem from personal motivation.

“I was told at a young age that I had a natural talent for golf,” Kim said. “I thought, ‘Okay, I might as well do something with this.’”

Kim is currently ranked third in the nation for junior golfers and has stayed in the top 50 since she started playing high school golf.

Recently, Kim verbally committed to play golf at Duke University as part of the team’s class of 2022.

While Kim is proud of her accomplishment, she knows there is still more work to put in.

“Since my routine has been working and helped me get into Duke, I don’t think there is anything I really need to change,” Kim said.

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