Taylor Dedmen, a Seminole High School transfer, joined the Plant City Lady Raiders golf team this year. She has helped it stay undefeated, as of press time, by averaging a 37.
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You all haven’t lost a game yet. What’s the key to playing so well over the course of a season?
The key is to practice and make sure you’re prepared. When you’re prepared, it helps your confidence going in, and it helps you stay focused. In order to play well, you have to make sure that your mindset is straight.
How do you prepare before each match?
Usually, I’ll just warm up on the range, putt a couple times, make sure I’m loose. I don’t put too much in because I don’t want to get my mind thinking too much before I head into a tournament.
What’s been your best performance so far?
When I played at Summerfield a couple weeks ago. I shot one over, but I was even par. I bogeyed at hole 9, but I was pretty consistent that day.
How long have you been playing?
Three years.
What got you into golf?
My grandfather. He lives on a golf course, so he would take me to the driving range. He got me into watching it on TV. I saw the women play, and then I decided to pursue it.
What was it like, coming to a new school this year and joining another golf team?
It wasn’t hard. All of (the girls), they’re fun to be around. It’s easier when you have nice teammates versus ones that are too competitive and focused on being the number one player on the team. They work as a team and don’t go into a match thinking, ‘Oh, I have to beat this person.’ They all just want to play well as a team, all together.
What brings you all closer together?
When we had the five-day weekend from the hurricane, we went over to Savannah’s (Kummelman) house and had a sleepover. We’re thinking of doing a couple things after the season, too, to stay in touch.
What’s the expectation for you all? How far can you go?
I think we can go to regionals. We’ve beaten everyone in our district. If we shoot the scores we’ve been shooting all year, we can easily go to regionals. If we can lower all of our scores by two or three strokes, we could probably go to states as a team.
What’s the strongest part of your game?
My driver. I’m pretty consistent with my driver, so that sets it up for the whole, entire hole.
What do you want to improve?
Putting. My short game.
What golfers do you look up to?
I’ve always looked up to Arnold Palmer, even though he passed away a couple days ago. He was very influential for amateurs and junior golfers. He ran his tournament in Bay Hill, he ran a lot of junior events — I looked up to him.
What course do you want to play before you die?
Augusta National.
What’s your favorite event to watch on TV?
I like the Ryder Cup and all the majors. My favorite major is the Masters but, overall, my favorite event is the Ryder Cup.
Do you play any other sports?
I used to play volleyball and soccer but, now, my main focus is golf.
Is there any sport you’ve never tried but always wanted to?
Softball. I’ve always wanted to try that. My mom, when I was younger, she thought I would be the first female MLB pitcher. But I never got a chance to try it.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in golf?
I would tell them that golf is a game where, yes, you’ll get frustrated at times, but it’s also rewarding because, if you put in effort and hard work, you will see the results you need. Once you see the results, you’ll see that the game can be challenging, but it has its upside. And, stick with it. It’s not a game where you can play it for a couple months then stop playing it and then expect the same results you had a few months ago.