Thursday, March 28

‘I feel very lucky’: Carrie Forsyth reflects on her UCLA women’s golf legacy


Coach Carrie Forsyth holds the inaugural Battle for the Bell trophy while surrounded by members of the team. In her 24 years as coach of UCLA women's golf, Forsyth won two national championships and six Pac-10/12 Coach of the Year awards. (Courtesy of Jesus Ramirez/UCLA Athletics)


Carrie Forsyth – the 24-year coach, centerpiece and mom-like figure of UCLA women’s golf – is swinging into retirement.

Forsyth has led countless golfers through the highs and lows of collegiate golf, including graduate student Phoebe Yue, who spent five years under Forsyth’s guidance.

Yue, an international student from Canada, said Forsyth has become a maternal figure in her life.

“I don’t get to be with my family very much throughout the school year,” Yue said. “Coach Carrie has been like a mom, whether that’s helping me play my best golf, or helping me become the best person, or just taking care of me when I’m sick.”

Just like Yue, Forsyth was once a collegiate golfer for the Bruins.

Nine years before beginning her head coach position, Forsyth walked onto the UCLA women’s golf team. Forsyth earned a scholarship after the team placed first overall at the 1991 NCAA Division I championship her freshman year.

Forsyth said her years on the team were very memorable.

“I still vividly remember my very first tournament in UCLA clothes,” Forsyth said. “That was in Utah. We played a tournament at Hobble Creek Golf Course – I just have distinct memories of that. It was just really meaningful to me because as a walk-on, you are never quite sure if you are going to be good enough.”

Sophomore Caroline Canales said Forsyth knows what it takes to get her golfers to the next level.

“The confidence she instills in her players is really powerful because it makes us feel like we can win at any event we are at,” Canales said. “I think that is really important for a coach to do – to help us feel confident and that we belong there.”

This leadership shines through in Forsyth’s many accolades. The longtime coach has picked up six Pac-10/12 Coach of the Year honors, twice been named a national coach of the year and led the Bruins to a pair of national championships.

Forsyth said she is most honored by the times she has won Pac-10/12 Coach of the Year.

“I really believe that our conference is the best golf conference in the country,” Forsyth said. “To have achieved that more than once, I think that’s a pretty big deal, and I am really proud of that.”

Even with her laundry list of awards, Forsyth has experienced some curveballs throughout her coaching career.

In 2020, the women’s golf season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. The team resumed tournament play the following January.

Yue, who was on the team during the pandemic, said although the season was short, it was one of her favorite seasons on the team.

“A moment I will never forget is when Coach came up to me after a particularly bad round and she was like, ‘I want you to know I am really grateful for you to be here with a good attitude even though you probably don’t want to be here, and just know that I support you,'” Yue said. “That meant so much because I was so stressed, and I had so much anxiety about not playing well, so hearing that from her was really amazing.”

Although Forsyth has formed an extensive family with all of her players, she also recognizes the difficulties of being a collegiate head coach, specifically the time away from her family.

“For me, the hardest part was the traveling and the being away from my family,” Forsyth said. “We travel so much. It is not just when we are in season and we are playing all these tournaments that are five days long, but during the summer, too, when you have to get on the road and recruit.”

On the other hand, Forsyth knows that being the head coach of any sports team can be very rewarding.

Forsyth said she has especially embraced the opportunity to make a difference in many young people’s lives.

“I feel very lucky,” Forsyth said. “In spite of anything that I might’ve missed, I am just grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had as a coach.”

After 24 years, thousands of miles traveled, hundreds of courses played and countless lives impacted, Forsyth can look forward to spending time with her family.

Canales said with Forsyth’s help and leadership, she has solidified an attitude of never giving up.

“She had a way of inspiring us to always be resilient and always give 100% effort until the very last putt was dropped,” Canales said.

Sports contributor

Baker is currently a Sports contributor on the swim & dive beat.


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