This fall season marked the first time sisters Berlin and Aadyn Long competed side-by-[side on the BYU women\u2019s golf team.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Golf] is a family thing,\u201d Aadyn said. <\/p>\n
The sisters got started in the sport when their family joined Alpine Country Club in Highland, Utah, in their childhood. Their parents enrolled them in lessons and what began as a simple family activity quickly became a competitive path. <\/p>\n
Coaches noticed early that they could be successful and soon the sisters moved from lower level tournaments into more competitive events. Their older brother later played at Southern Utah University, becoming the first in the family to compete in college golf. This put high level golf on the radar for the Long sisters.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Berlin and Aadyn Long playing golf in their childhood<\/p>\n
Photo by Berlin Long<\/p>\n
Berlin and Aadyn played one season together at Lone Peak High School before their paths split. Berlin joined BYU four years ago and redshirted last season while recovering from a nerve injury. Aadyn arrived this fall as a freshman, stepping into a program Berlin was already familiar with.<\/p>\n
For Aadyn, having her sister on the roster made the transition to college golf much easier. <\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a freshman, [Berlin] helps me in literally everything,\u201d Aadyn said. \u201cShe had to learn this all by herself, but I get to have her guide me.\u201d <\/p>\n
The long practices, often stretching four hours, feel different with her sister there. \u201cThey go by a lot quicker when you\u2019re having fun,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Berlin said Aadyn\u2019s arrival changed the feel of this season. <\/p>\n
\u201cDoing everything together has been so fun,\u201d Berlin said. \u201cThis fall semester has been my best semester and it\u2019s because of her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even with their close relationship, they still face the competitive nature of college golf. Only five players travel to each tournament, meaning teammates regularly compete against each other during qualifying rounds.<\/p>\n
Despite that, Aadyn said the competitive side hasn\u2019t affected their relationship. \u201cWe\u2019re each other\u2019s biggest fans,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are very supportive of each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
Berlin agreed and said the competitive side hasn\u2019t made things tense. She explained that practices actually run smoother because they understand each other\u2019s strengths and how to support one another.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s honestly been so fun,\u201d Berlin said. \u201cWe do everything together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even when their travel schedules haven\u2019t matched, they still find ways to stay connected. Aadyn said a text before a round or a call the night before has made a noticeable difference. <\/p>\n
Berlin added that sharing the same practices, coaching, and tournaments gives them a level of understanding that\u2019s rare on a college team. \u201cYou have someone who really gets it,\u201d Berlin said.<\/p>\n
Their family has felt the impact as well. Aadyn said their parents \u201clove it,\u201d and Berlin noted that having both daughters in the same program has made supporting them easier and more meaningful. She said her mom especially appreciates seeing the sisters help each other through the demands of college golf.<\/p>\n
Both sisters say the season has shaped them on and off the course. Aadyn said Berlin \u201cmakes me better and teaches me a lot,\u201d and Berlin said that doing everything together this year has made the experience stand out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This fall season marked the first time sisters Berlin and Aadyn Long competed side-by-[side on the BYU women\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":333869,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[49,48,622,82],"class_list":["post-333868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333868\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}