The Dreams of a Golf Teen
Make way for Fiorella Ghaboli, the young golf talent from Germany
Many golfers recall their teenage years learning the game as some of their most enjoyable time on the course. Fiorella Ghaboli, a 13-year-old golf talent from Germany, is a prime example of how the phase of discovering golf can still be true joy.
The next Jordan Spieth may be a girl. It could be a player from another country. Such is the universal nature of golf’s appeal and availability today that those learning the game find inspiration in how a player plays as much as who the player is. That’s why Fiorella Ghaboli, a 13-year-old golf talent who plays out of Frankfurter Golf Club in Germany, looks at a 25-year-old Texan on the U.S. PGA Tour and sees inspiration for her game.
Inspired by Jordan Spieth
“I’m inspired most by Jordan Spieth. I totally love his swing,” says Fiorella, whose promise at such a young age has made her one of Duca del Cosma’s brand ambassadors. “He is the best putter on tour that I know of. Is his style closest to mine? I couldn’t tell. I don’t think my swing looks like a professional one.”
We don’t like to break such news to someone so young, Fiorella, but most players are rarely truly satisfied with their swing. Even Tiger Woods is now on to the fifth different swing he has used in dominating the golf world over the last 20 years.
Fiorella practicing in colder temperatures wearing her Duca del Cosma Prado Black Waterproof boot.
Focus on the journey, not only the destination
But the process of learning the game -- the feeling of making progress and holding out hope that today could bring your best golf yet -- is a feeling you never lose. And it is most intense, as well as realistic, when you are in your teenage years.
“Golf is a fun sport. I love to play with my team, but I also don’t shy away from individual competitions,” Fiorella says. “That is what is so cool about the sport, that you can play it individually or as part of a team. When one day things don’t go as planned, I remember my accomplishments so far. That totally motivates me.”
Now that is the perfect perspective to have when you are 13!
The love for golf started an an early age for Fiorella
Fiorella first started swinging a club when she was the age of four, and by age six, she was playing in her first tournament. Sometimes young golfers struggle with the weight of their own expectations, but that doesn’t seem to describe Fiorella’s experience thus far.
“I have had many different experiences that I love to look back at through golf,” she says. “Every round brought me joy. Of course, I have to fully focus during tournaments and training so I can get better, but you need to have fun either way!”
Fiorella practisingwhile wearing Palm Springs White/Taupe
German Junior GolfTour Championship
Her most recent enjoyable experience was also quite successful -- she placed tied for fifth overall in the German Junior GolfTour Championship played in early October at the Berlin Golf Club Stolper Heide. Her four-round total included a fine 78 in the third round, which featured an even-par showing of 36 on the first nine. Her already already impressive handicap of 4,0, is now lowering even further. Fiorella’s best score so far in her career was a round of 3-over par at Golf Club Rosenhof. “That day everything went smoothly somehow,” she recalls. “I made every putt and didn’t experience any gaffes.” She was so much in the groove that she equalled that score the following round at Golf Club Rosenhof.
Highlights in the career of a young golf talent
Other highlights of her young career include winning the Hesse region championship for players 12-and-under in 2017 and taking third-place honors in the Hessen Championship for players 14-and-under earlier this year.
She also got to experience international play for the first time last summer, playing for Germany in a junior tournament in Belgium. “It was wonderful that so many totally different countries were present. I played with a Chinese girl and a Dutch girl. The communication was also great! I had so much fun to play with my team for Germany,” Fiorella says.
Attending Solheim Cup competitions
Fiorella got a glimpse of top-level pros in 2015, when she attended one of the most dramatic Solheim Cup competitions in the history of that event. It was held in Germany at Golf Club St. Leon-Rot, with Europe nearly pulling off the victory in the closest Solheim Cup in history, falling to the U.S. by a score of 14 ½-13 ½. Two Germans who are still ranked among the top 100 women in the world in the Rolex Cup rankings, Sandra Gal and Caroline Masson, were among the players on the European side, and Fiorella was thrilled when she came home with an autograph from Gal.
Never stop learning!
Fiorella is continuing with golf instruction and knows her game still needs growth as she continues to grow over the next few years. Eventually, she would like to become good enough to earn a college scholarship (to where, she isn’t sure, but she thinks she wants to study a field involving science and numbers) and hopefully progress to the point where she can become a pro.
Fiorella on Duca del Cosma Golf Shoes
Whatever her future involves, Fiorella believes the golf shoes of Duca del Cosma will give her game the foundation she needs for success. She first saw the brand when her mom owned a pair of Duca golf shoes, which Fiorella also played in at one point. She quickly realized the difference.
“I think the shoes are great and above all very comfortable,” she says. “They are different from other brands -- more comfortable and more fashionable -- in every count better than the other golf shoes that I already had.”
About Duca del Cosma
Duca del Cosma is dedicated to developing golf shoes and apparel collections that are unique, comfortable and functional, featuring both Italian design flair and sports functionality. Originally founded in Italy by Baldovino Mattiazzo in 2004, Duca del Cosma is now headquartered in Vreeland in The Netherlands and is one of Europe’s most popular golf brands, with distributors located in over 20 countries. For more information or to access our online store, visit us on the Web at ducadelcosma.com
