Twice a week, Ashlan Ramsey jots down notes and feelings in her personal journal. It’s something she’s done ever since turning professional in November of 2014 after one season at Clemson.
The first three years of Ramsey’s professional career have been riddled with injury. Her back flared up at the tail end of 2014 and caused setbacks into 2015, she suffered from Vertigo for a couple months in 2016 and then dealt with a muscle spasm in her shoulder prior to this past Qualifying Tournament.
Each injury and the subsequent feelings were documented and she recently looked back to 2015 while dealing with her current injury – which is on the mend.
“It helps to look back on these experiences I’ve had and it gives you different perspective when struggling with what do I do now,” said Ramsey, while en route to Clemson to practice. “When you’re feeling negative, it’s great to look back and see that you have gone through a lot and you can do it again. I saw what I wrote when I had the back injury and the same feelings were coming up with my shoulder injury now so I know I can overcome this.”
Ramsey doesn’t use the injuries as an excuse or a crutch. She admits really struggling with confidence in her first full season on the LPGA in 2016. She missed the cut in five of her first six starts and things spiraled from there.
“Everything is happening for a reason and I don’t look at losing my LPGA card as a bad thing,” said Ramsey, who was the No. 1 amateur in the world according to Golfweek from summer of 2013 to mid-2014. “It was a long year for me mentally, but this is where I am supposed to be so it will be best for me long term. I want to really learn from this opportunity and move forward and get my confidence back. The LPGA season was fun, but missing cuts is not something that builds confidence.”
In 2017, Ramsey will focus on the Epson Tour and will likely get to play a full-season for the first time. She played in four Epson Tour events in 2014 and ten in 2015.
She’s ready to return to the success she had as an amateur and in college – First Team AJGA All-American in 2011 & 2012 and finished in the top 15 in nine of her 11 starts at Clemson with two wins.
“I definitely feel like I can get to a point where I can win tournaments again and that is exciting,” said Ramsey. “Getting my swing back and my confidence back is a huge goal. I’m excited to commit to the Epson Tour full-time. Getting healthy and using the things I learned this past year into 2017 are the priorities.”
Ramsey recently reverted back to the coach she has had since she was 11, Todd Anderson, who now works out of TPC Sawgrass in Jacksonville. She worked with Kevin Britt in 2015 and 2016.
During the five week hiatus from golf after Qualifying Tournament, Ramsey had the opportunity to shoot a commercial as a brand ambassador for Skechers with LPGA stars Brooke Henderson and Belen Mozo in Los Angeles.
“I have been with Skechers for about a year and we shot the commercial in December for the launch of their women’s golf apparel,” said Ramsey, who will be sporting Skechers on the Epson Tour in 2017. “I’ll be down at the PGA Show helping Skechers out. They have been awesome and a huge reason why I can keep playing.”
“It was nice to get to know Belen and Brooke more, I grew up playing with Brooke but it was nice to talk to them off the course,” continued Ramsey. “Playing a full LPGA season, you get to see a lot of people, but you don’t get to know as many. It was nice to have that day with them.”
Ramsey is going through therapy now to alleviate the shoulder pain and just started swinging again in mid-January. She hopes to get into the first event – Florida’s Natural Charity Classic – in mid-March and be ready to chase a return trip to the LPGA.
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