Carling Coffing was sitting in women’s golf coach Therese Hession’s office because it had air conditioning. Coffing was dressed in her Buckeye gear and was sweating after finishing a practice session at the driving range, where she was working with Hession in preparation for the NCAA championship.

“I could golf all day in hot weather,” Coffing said. “But thank god we are in here, it’s like 85 degrees out there.”

Coffing, a freshman, is part of a fast growing trend in college athletics where freshman athletes come to school, play right away, and make an impact on their teams immediately.

“I’m really competitive, so coming into the season I was going to give it my best on the course,” Coffing said. “But I don’t think I expected to play as much as I have and have the amount of success that I did.”

Coffing said she started playing golf with her father and brothers at the age of 10, and her early start has helped her game.

“I started playing earlier than a lot of other girls,” Coffing said. “We have a big golfing family and my mom always came out with us. My oldest brother and I were always fighting against each other and my other brother stopped playing after a little while, so there is definitely some family rivalry going on.”

Because she has been playing golf for a while, Coffing has had a lot of time to work on her game and in particular, her length. Hession said the distance her ball travels is her biggest strength.

“She is very strong physically, she hits a really good ball… her long game is her biggest strength,” Hession said. “We are working on her short game and course management, which is getting better, she has a lot of desire to improve and she is very coachable.”

Coffing also had a lot of success in high school, achieving what she calls her greatest accomplishment as a sophomore when she won a state championship at Middletown High School.

“I won our conference four years in a row, I won the sectional four years in a row, the district twice, and my biggest thrill was winning the state championship.” Coffing said.

After her stellar high school career, a few schools were recruiting Coffing, but she said knew exactly which school she would attend.

“I knew OSU had a great program,” Coffing said. “A lot of other people don’t really see it, but the facilities, coaches, and the team make OSU a great program and great place to go to school.” 

Coffing’s success from high school has carried over to her collegiate career. She participated in nine out of eleven tournaments this year with an average score of 77.9 per round. Coffing’s low round of the year was a 1-under-par, 70, which she shot in the final round of the NCAA tournament.

Coffing has also finished in the top 25 four times this year, her best being a 17th place finish at the Lady Northern Invitational earlier this fall.

Hession said Coffing has been eager to improve this season.

“I think we have really worked a lot on her short game and it’s really made some improvements in the last month and I think her best golf is still ahead of her. She has improved this spring from the fall and she knows she has a lot more to go and she is excited about working on it,” Hession said.

Hession, who has been coaching for 14 years, said that Coffing is also mentally tough, especially for someone her age.

“She played head to head with last year’s player of the year last week in Florida and she kept a good attitude and good composure about herself and that is really impressive for a freshman.”

Coffing keeps her tough mentality going when she is on the course, sophomore Dana Je said.

“She is doing really well and there isn’t really a whole lot I have to say to her to keep her going when she is out on the course,” Je said. “She does well in every aspect of her game.”

Along with playing tough golf, Coffing also has a good sense of humor, Je said.

“She is funny,” Je said. “She keeps things interesting on the course.”

Her first year has not only given her the chance to learn more about golf, but also has given her a chance to bond with her teammates, Coffing said.

“I have learned so much this year. Coach Hession knows everything there is to know about golf. She has taught me so much about course management and my swing in general. The seniors have taught me how to relax out on the golf course and go out and have a good time,” Coffing said. “It has also been a great bonding experience.”

Like Je, Hession agrees that Coffing has a great chance at having a wonderful career at OSU, but with all the new players they will have coming to the team, she will have to continue to work hard, Hession said.

“She has the capability of being a future number one player,” Hession said.