Valeria Martinoli
Date of birth : 19.05.1992
Nationality : Swiss
Home club : Golf Club Patriziale Ascona
Pro since : 2015
Hobbys : ski, snowboarding, squash, fitness, fans of Hockey club Ambri-Piotta
Languages: Italian, French, German and English
Valeria
Before Golf
I have always been very sporty. Until the age of 15 I performed in rhythmic and artistic gymnastics at the highest levels, training up to 22 hours a week. In 2007, when I was 15, I stopped gymnastics and began to practise golf more intensely. Since I was enjoying it more and more, I decided to go for a golfing career.
Beginning of golf
I tried to play golf for the first time at the end of 2005 and 3 months later in March 2006 my parents bought me my first set of clubs. In 2007 a new Head Pro, Steve Rey, was hired at GCP Ascona and with him I immediately had a good feeling and was able to improve my game a lot. I then attended the Scuola per sportivi d’élite (School for Elite Athletes) in Tenero allowing me to practise in a professional way and to graduate from Swiss High School. I started competing internationally in 2009 at the DUTCH Junior Masters in August 2009, where I finished 5th. During the winter of 2009/2010 I was in Florida at the Gary Gilchirst Golf Academy. I competed on the Hurricane JGT where I won twice and finished 3rd once. Following my return from America I won the Ticino Championship with a total score of -3. Given this result I was invited to participate with a wild card in the “Deutsche Bank Ladies’Swiss Open” of the LET. In July 2010 I was appointed a member of the Swiss National team to play the European Girls Team Championship. In September 2010 I became a scratch golfer. The good results in 2010 meant that I won the Swiss Order of Merit and qualified for the Junior Orange Bowl in Miami. In 2011 I again received a wild card to play in the “Deutsche Bank Ladies’Swiss Open”. This time I made the cut with rounds of -1 and -2 and ended up as the best placed amateur. During 2012 and 2013 I continued to participate in national and international tournaments without being able to achieve the desired results.
Turned Professional in 2015
In 2015 I decided to turn professional and start the Swiss PGA apprentice program to become a teaching pro at Golf Club Patriziale in Ascona. During this time I played many national tournaments of the Swiss PGA tour and also a few tournaments on the LetAccess Tour. In December 2017 I qualified for the final round of the qualifying school for the European tour and finished in tied 87th place. 2018 started good for me: On the Sunshine Ladies Tour in South Africa I played in 4 tournaments and made every cut. In the last “Dimension Data Challange” tournament I even came 3rd. I left South Africa on February 20, 2018, ranking 5th in the Order of Merit of the Sunshine Ladies Tour.
Coach Steve Rey
A big thank you to my coach Steve Rey who since 2007 helps me constantly improving my game and my swing.
stevereygolfcoaching.com