Sara Ovadia
ABOUT
sara
Passionate About Inspiring Others
Sara first started to learn the game at age 10, but it wasn't until competing for Dos Pueblos High School in Santa Barbara as a member of their back to back CIF-SS Championship girls golf team in 2002 and 2003, that she really got hooked by the game. She played a competitive junior golf schedule nationally on the AJGA, IJGT, and FCWT junior tours. Her success attracted the attention of several Division 1 college golf programs and Sara chose to attend Columbia University in the City of New York. She led the Columbia team to their first-ever Ivy League championship in 2007 while also becoming the first Columbia women's golfer to claim an Ivy League Individual Championship. Sara maintained a busy tournament schedule during the summer months as well, playing top national amateur tournaments across the country and in Europe. The summer of 2007 was a highlight for her, as she finished as a semi-finalist in the Women's Western Amateur and the Women's Trans-National Am and advanced to the second round of matchplay at the North & South Amateur. Her strong performances earned her a national amateur ranking of 24 in Golfweek magazine following her play that summer. By the end of her four years at Columbia, Sara had accumulated thirteen top ten finishes including two wins and three second place finishes in college events for the Lions.
After receiving her degree in Philosophy and History, the Santa Barbara native turned pro in 2009, competing for three years on the LPGA's Symetra Tour, Cactus Tour, and Canadian Tours. In 2012, she became the first Columbia women’s golfer to play in an LPGA event as she Monday qualified for the LPGA's Safeway Classic at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club outside Portland, Oregon. In the fall of 2016, Sara was inducted into the Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame.
Sara has always been a student of the game. Fascinated by different swing theories and wanting to know what makes great players great lead her to study golf instruction books, dvds, online coaching blogs and videos in her spare time. After volunteering for the role of Assistant Coach for the Santa Ynez High School girls golf team, she started to consider teaching golf as part of her career path. After three seasons of coaching, she realized there was something to be said for all the late nights analyzing her players swing videos or showing up early to practice to setup drill stations for her players. She found a new passion and drive to help her players improve. In the fall of 2016 she decided to return to her roots in golf, transitioning from her work in digital marketing to become a PGA Apprentice and Assistant Professional at the River Course at the Alisal in Solvang, CA. Sara is currently the Assistant Golf Professional at La Purisima Golf Course in Lompoc, CA.
Sara's passion as a teacher is to guide her students toward learning to manage their own game, swing tendencies, and practice time to make the game feel simpler. Her background as a competitive golfer informs her philosophy that students don't have to feel dependent on their teacher to perform at their best. A teacher's role is to advise and guide, for there is only one person that is present for every shot you hit, you! Sara strives to teach you how to be your own best coach. Learning to diagnose what went wrong on your bad shots and what went right on your good shots, will help you improve consistently.
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