A Staffordshire University student has been selected for the Great Britain & Ireland golf squad for two international tournaments this year
Chloe Goadby has been selected for the Great Britain & Ireland golf squad
There are a lot of good players so it is nice to be selected for the GB&I squad and get that recognition. They will be keeping an eye on who performs best during the year so hopefully if I work hard I can show them what I can do.
Chloe Goadby is part of the squad aiming to be selected to compete in the Vagilano Trophy in Switzerland in June and the Curtis Cup in Wales this August.
The 23-year-old from St Andrews is studying MSc Sport and Exercise Psychology via distance learning and is a Performance Athlete Scholar in Staffordshire University's High Performance Academy.
Chloe said: “I was hoping to go fulltime with golf after finishing my undergraduate degree but because of the pandemic that got disrupted. I wanted to do a master’s at some point anyway so this just brought it forward!
“I chose the distance learning course because it means I can stay here in St Andrews and have the flexibility to train alongside my studies.”
Although coming from a family of competitive swimmers, Chloe bucked the trend and found a love for golf through her grandad. She quickly discovered a talent for the sport and began taking part in local tournaments before competing at national level since she was 15.
Despite being selected for the GB&I golf squads Chloe isn’t guaranteed to play at either tournament this year and so will be training over the next six months with support from Staffordshire University to try and earn a place.
“There are a lot of good players so it is nice to be selected for the GB&I squad and get that recognition. They will be keeping an eye on who performs best during the year so hopefully if I work hard I can show them what I can do.
“I’m definitely learning things on my degree that are useful for my own game, like goal setting and self-talk. It can be hard to apply your knowledge to yourself though! Sometimes you need that external person to help you and that’s why it is great getting being part of the High Performance Academy.
Chloe added: “Having that regular support from Sam and the HPA team has been a real motivator.”
The High Performance Academy offers a range of support for students competing at elite including specialist coaching, psychologist sessions, academic flexibility, mentoring plus bursaries up to £3000.
Sam Stevenson, Sports Development Coordinator, said: "It's great to see one of our High Performance Academy scholars excel during these tough times. We wish Chloe the best of luck with the up and coming competitions and we're sure she will do herself and the university proud."
Discover more about studying at Staffordshire University at an Open Day – find more details and book your place. Find further information about the High Performance Academy and details of how to apply.