For Celina Sattelkau, there always has been more to golf than completing a round in fewer shots than her opponent. From the beginning, before there were trophies and spectators, being on the golf course offered tranquility. That, to her, is the game’s greatest allure.
“I like how in golf you can be with yourself, with your own mind,” Sattelkau explained. “I love the peacefulness of golf and how you can really just connect with nature. It’s just you. And there’s not really anybody else you need to focus on.”
That feeling is what brought her back when she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to swing a club again. It’s why she persisted when she wasn’t sure she could ever hold a club again. And perhaps it’s why, when golf is done, she feels called to work toward protecting and sustaining the natural world that shaped her passion in the first place.
An All-American at Vanderbilt and decorated amateur representing her native Germany in international competition, Sattelkau has amassed a resume that few peers in collegiate golf can match. The well-honed skills responsible for those credentials are useful when the senior stands over a pressure putt. But during the most difficult of rounds, the shots she’s learned to execute matter less than what she’s learned about herself on a golf course. When you’ve been where she’s been and found the faith to carry on, there is no more reason to fear failure.
Meet Celina Sattelkau, a #VU2023 graduate who balanced her passion for golf with her pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in psychology and communication of science and technology. #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/7gmLfvG2vf
— Vanderbilt Athletics (@vucommodores) May 25, 2023
And every reason to embrace an opportunity to grow.
Far from home and mentally drained after her freshman year, she wasn’t sure she wanted to continue in golf. Two years later, suffering from neuropathy and unable to hold a club after COVID-19, she wasn’t sure she could continue. Yet as Vanderbilt prepares for the upcoming SEC Championship and the NCAA Tournament beyond, the senior isn’t merely back. She’s on top—ranked among the top 20 in the nation in scoring average—and grateful for the journey.
“If I could tell my pre-college self something, it would be that you should not be afraid of failure,” Sattelkau said. “You should not be afraid to mess up. You should just go into everything with a growth mindset and ask for…
..