Interview with golfer Olivia Jackson
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to go to school in another country? Olivia Jackson, originally from England, attended University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She grew up in Harrogate, which is near Leeds and York. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Management and a minor in Advertising. She played golf at the Division 1 level at the University of Tulsa.
Olivia is a coach at the Peter Kowen Academy at the Dubai Emirates Golf Club. She lives with her sister Camryn and near a former Tulsa teammate Anneke. Her family cat’s name is Stenson, named after the “best golfer of all time”. Her favorite football (soccer) team is Leeds United.
One of my best friends from college in Tulsa is Olivia. We sat next to each other in class one day and the rest is history. I wanted to hear her story because she has a unique perspective being from the UK and now living in the United Arab Emirates. I loved our conversation because she gave a lot of details about what it was like going to school in another country, her fitness journey, and what she’s up to now. We talked for almost 2 hours so I hope you enjoy her story as much as I did.
Q: When did you start playing sports?
A: Forever. My parents always had a badminton set up. I was in private school until I was 15 and it was massively into sports. I moved to a public school and immediately noticed a drop down in the level of commitment to sports. I had a crazy PE teacher at 6, his name was Mr. Watson. He was the worst. He had favorites and I was not one of them.
Q: When did you start playing golf competitive?
A: I started at 10 years old. I got my first handicap at 11. (Honestly, I’m not sure what this means and it seems to be golf lingo so I linked the Wikipedia definition). I was competing at my home club. My first proper tournament was with the English girls championship team and we competed in national competitions.
Q: What sports have you played competitively other than golf?
A: Netball - it’s like basketball but instead of bouncing it you get 3 seconds to pass. It’s huge in Europe. I swam, ran sprints in athletics, skied, I played rounders which is like baseball but it’s a girls sport and you hit one handed. I played hockey but gave that up at 13 because it messed up my golf swing. I was and am very artistic as well.
Q: How did growing up in the UK affect your golf?
A: I’m now in the Middle East, so looking back at growing up in the UK I’ve noticed a few things. In the UK, it was so competitive. They compete by counties and I lived in the biggest one, Yorkshire. It’s difficult to get into squads there because of the competitiveness. We trained in the rain because there were not great indoor facilities. My home club had a covered range, but I didn’t get a great indoor facility until I was 15. You had to push hard with the competitiveness and the lack of facilities in poor weather, it was tough. The competition standard in the UK for golf is so high.
In Dubai, I was immediately impressed with the facilities and the weather. Now I appreciate the level of competition in the UK since it’s not the same in Dubai. I feel like I’m the hard coach since I’m always talking about being tough leads to greatness! That competition growing up relayed well into University. The competition was a good trait to have. My parents are very strong willed. They always wanted the best for me and my sister. The opportunity to succeed is what we worked so hard for. We have become hard working and have a competitive edge. Getting used to competing in the worst weather made me stronger.
Q: What was it like being from another country going to school here in the USA? What was the process?
A: From 14 years old I told my parents that I’m going to the US. My older friends did that. Usually, agencies do all the admin such as the NCAA clearing before going to college. There is an online site called the NCSA which I had to pay about $500 to be on. It’s like a LinkedIn profile and all of the college coaches are on there. I didn’t have an agency so I had to do it all manually.
When I had to get my visa to go to University in the States, it was a very stressful process along with the clearing. The US Embassy is in London which is quite far from my home so that was a long process going there and dropping off my documents. It took months to get that and as my leave date was approaching it was making me anxious. I was leaving in July and in June I still hadn’t gotten my passport back.
On the education aspect, the SAT was something that I was not prepared for. In the UK we’re not trained for SAT testing, let alone being tested for 4 hours. I found it draining. If I was better prepared for the SAT maybe I would have gotten academic aid because I know I would have done better if I was prepared. It was very stressful.
When I got there, for driving, I got an international license, which is a right to use my UK license.
Q: What made you choose going to school in the USA?
A: I had a few girls at my club 4 or 5 years older than me. One went to the University of Miami, one with to Tulane, and one went to Georgia State. I was looking at what they were doing more and I noticed that they’re having a great time and they’re getting their degree paid for. I wanted to travel the world. My dad worked in America when I was young so I was influenced by that. I figured if I can get my degree in America then the world is my oyster. There are great opportunities for education, different golf courses, and I love that training for golf will be incorporated in my day. In the UK it gets dark at around 3pm so you’re constantly battling for time. The weather is much better in America.
Q: What differences in the athletics culture did you notice between Tulsa and Harrogate?
A: The attitude. Doing well is celebrated in America and you get praise for success. In the UK at certain times it was so political and if you did well it was like you were viewed as someone people are jealous of. You get deflated for doing well and it could be degrading. For the first time in my life I had friends when I went to Tulsa. My first proper friend was in University. No one wants to see you do badly in America. You’re happy for them even if you want to beat them, which is nice.
Q: What was your fitness journey like? How does college athletics play a role in continuing your fitness?
A: I was always very athletic. I injured my back when I was 15 doing the long jump in athletics. My core wasn’t strong enough so I had to do all this treatment for it in the gym. That’s when the gym became a big part of my life and I brought those habits to University. I was so slim when I moved away and when I got to Tulsa I gained weight. The food is different, the portion sizes are bigger, and my mental health affected my weight.
My senior year of college, my strength coach, Coach Deets, took me to run stadiums. At first I was frightened. My first time running the stadiums we did 10 sets and I was throwing up at set 8. That’s when I realized how unfit I was. I turned to him and I said “help me”. He gave me a program, and I never cut anything out. He helped me fall in love with running, sweating, and bettering myself. It was an exciting thing to push myself past my boundaries. It’s such a nice feeling. It makes you feel so much better. I’m going to do yoga today and I’ll go for a run before and I’ll feel great after.
Coach Deets was a massive impact and the moment at the stadium was a turning point for my fitness and well being. He made us read a book because we were struggling with team atmosphere and I thought that was fantastic. I couldn’t ever speak higher of him as a person. I remember being at our first tournament one year in the car with Nikki, Jo and our coach and we called Coach Deets to tell him about the win. He told us to get a celebratory milkshake which we found to be funny. He changed my mentality. I have a great relationship with sport. I love being active and doing things. Being active is a part of my life and I could never not be active.
Q: How did playing competitive golf shape who you are today?
A: The main thing is being good at time management. Being regimented. I meet many people who are good at procrastinating, make a load of promises and never follow through. As an athlete you set your mind on something and then you set the time to do it. It’s hard to get out of a routine you were so used to as a college athlete. I am very routine oriented. Employers love the intensity of playing sports in college for time management and organization.
Q: Do you feel like you would have done another degree if you weren’t a student-athlete?
A: I think so, yeah. I would have done art history, or branding, or advertising. My degree was very broad and I wish I would have done something specific. I do like that my degree is so broad because I learned a lot. I loved my art history classes. I could listen to them all day. I still keep in touch with those professors.
Q: Do you still play competitively?
A: Yes. I’m on the UA PGA Circuit tour in Dubai. I might get a chance to play in the European tour. I’m the only girl who competes in the UAE so I play against men. I won a tournament which was very exciting. I got a sponsor and they invited me to play. I don’t want to close all of my doors for playing. I compete weekly and I plan on playing a couple of tournaments at home when I visit soon.
Q: How is it different than college?
A: There’s less pressure and it’s more enjoyable. As you get older, you care less what other people think. You play with more freedom. You realize you do have the ability to play whereas in college you doubt that. There is constantly a “you have to perform” mentality. Here in Dubai, it’s just you and the golf course and you remember why you fell in love with golf. The boys are fun to play with, too.
Q: How did you get into being a coach in Dubai?
A: I had a bit of a wobble. I was thinking, “I don’t know what I want to do”. There was nothing to do at the end of senior year of University. I couldn’t go and find sponsors to play. I got offered a job and I’ve worked there for years now. I was doing the LPGA training to become a coach to add that to my qualifications and I could always fall back on that. I never wanted an office job.
One day when I was back home, someone was calling me but I didn’t recognize the number. My coach, Nick Huby, told me to answer the call because Dubai is calling for a potential coaching opportunity in Dubai. My now boss Stephen Dean and I talked for 45 minutes. He basically offered me a job at the end of the call. I said yes.
It was such a scary transition but I didn’t think I would have the opportunities like I have here. That is how I fell in love with coaching. it is fantastic growing the girls golfing in the UAE. It’s something I’m passionate about growing the game. It’s a fantastic sport, by chance, recommended by Pete himself.
Q: Did you consider being a college coach?
A: Potentially. I can still see myself doing that down the pipeline. It seems almost more managerial than actual technical work, which I would prefer working with mechanicals and technicals. Maybe, I’m not sure.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is recently done playing a sport?
A: After University, I didn’t play for 3 months because I was sick of it. I would say, it’s always going to be something you will go back to and you love it for a reason. I found my love for the sport again. If you struggled with it, give it time. If you loved your sport but you don’t want to compete anymore, just know that everything you learned in University will stick with you for the rest of your life.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is currently playing a sport?
A: Enjoy every moment and don’t forget it. Everything you learn is for a reason and take it through life. It’s a massive game changer and our experiences shape us into who we are. Our relationships with people, the things we’ve learned, we take it throughout our lives and use them and learn from our experiences.
I get emotional about giving advice to current athletes because when I was in Uni, the times I was suffering, I didn’t speak out enough. I suffered through it and in hindsight I would have enjoyed the good moments even more if I spoke up but I had a tough time. I went to counseling, so did some of my teammates.
If you’re going through it, you’re not alone. Your teammates are there for you. If not, you have your family. Lean on them. You can’t take on all of those stresses. You have sport, a degree, everything happening at the same time. Enjoy all of the good moments and when it’s over you realize you won’t see your best friends in a long time after. Lean on people that care. Trust in people that care. Enjoy the good moments.
If you have any more questions for Olivia, please leave comments below or contact me. For more information, head to my Q & A page. If you or someone you know is struggling, please call the Suicide Hotline. It’s toll free and available 24/7 at 800-273-8255.
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