About
Anna-Lena Gustavsson
My passion for golf started 1987, 2 weeks before I was leaving Laporte, Indiana to move back to Sweden. With new equipment full set of clubs, glove and golf-balls I was knocking on my first pros office a cold winter/spring day in Indiana. I said to the surprised pro “I want to learn how to play golf, You have 2 weeks to teach me”, because I am moving back to Sweden in 2 weeks.
The expression Bill Murrey gave me was unforgettable. He said You must be crazy, its freezing cold and the course is not open and well I do not teach yet. I said, “How can I change your mind, I want to learn”. He took on the challenge and my first reward was a cup of hot chocolate after I hit a ball over a little ditch about 25 yards….
That is how my golf carrier started . Bill’s lessons that I got in-between garage-sale were price less and I still have some of his teachings in my body. Back in Sweden golf had started to take a big leap and many people started and quit.
I was among the people who continued. At that time to play legally on a course in Sweden one must be able to play to a Golf Handicap of 54, the permit to play is called a Green Card, and to get this Green Card there was a written theory test and also a real golf playing test attached where one must prove they can play according to the rules and be able to actually hit the ball decently. To say the least, it is serious business!!!! My determination to be good enhanced the day when I failed the test and had to re do it.
I made a promise to myself that I was going to beat the person who failed me. The fascination about the game and the purpose driven me pushed through many barriers and one day, one and a half years later I received first prize and with that, I also beat the person I had made up my mind to beat.
In-between working as a Physical Therapist and raising 4 children my game improved and my memory of me standing in-front of Bill my first pro teacher made me smile, of-course he thought I was crazy, this game is not to be conquered this game is to teach the player about life and about oneself.
In 1992 the whole family moved back to USA this time to California. I arrived in the US with a handicap of 18.
Only in America following could happen.
One day on the driving-range a guy comes up to me and says I want you to play on the Moorpark College Women’s golf team.
I, at the time had improved my handicap down to a 10, though I was still struggling with my swing. Hearing this, I nearly fell flat down and said, I said” I am a grandmother and I already have my degrees what are you talking about”? He said “We want a mature women to be on the inaugural team and help the younger players”. At the end of this 2 year college career I brought my handicap down to a 5.
What is a passionate golfer to do other than say YES. I played for 2 years and even qualified for state where I finished 12th. That is a great achievement for anyone even when one is not 55 years old, I was very pleased. Then I was offered to be the assistant coach for 2 years.
Those 4 years taught me much about living with passion, struggle, pain, determination, leadership, camaraderie, joy, ecstasy, follow through, push through , ego and the absolute joy of serving and sharing oneself and ones passion.
When I was at Barnes and Nobles last Christmas I found the book that sparked this entire idea. The book is called Extreme Golf, it just jumped out at me, and I felt my whole body start to vibrate and I knew there was something written in it that I needed to do. That how I found out about the Awesome Eight Golf Challenge. Never a thought that I could not do it, I read through the conditions and I felt the same feeling as I felt when I first started to learn how to play golf.
My question now was who can I recruit to come with me to do this journey and my friend Maria’s name popped up at once. I called her and without even hearing all the details she was in.( Unfortunately Maria could not join me because of other commitments, so that was my first challenge, I had to do this by myself, the tickets to North Cape was already ordered and I had talked to the Golf Magazine about the challenge, no turning back.) The charity connected to this golf challenge is the biggest drive for me to complete this journey and after all is done, travel to Pattaya Orphanage with a big check!
I ordered brochures from The Pattaya Orphanage Trust fund and I have read up about the Orphanage and my goal is to go there and offer my service when all this is done. To be able to live my passion and at the same time serve as an inspiration for others fills my heart with gratitude and bliss-fullness .
Life situation is always changing and I am following what my heart and guts are telling me.
Living while I am alive and a day without passion is a day not fully living.
I have a responsibility to be the best I can be and to share my journey and show that willingness to push throw even when things looks bad. That’s when most transformations happens.
May this journey begin!!!