May 14, 2008
Thanks to his strong play this spring, junior Greg Forest has helped the UCF men's golf team enter the top-25 in the nation. During his first season with UCF, the team was ranked No. 79 by Golfstat. The following campaign, the team jumped to No. 48.
"We've always had a good team," Forest said. "As far as rankings, when I first came in we were somewhere between 60 and 70. Now we're ranked in the top-20 in the country. We've got a great core group of guys who are pretty good and we think we're good. You have to think you're good to win... you can't be scared."
Forest, a business finance major, has found that meeting demands for athletics and academics can be challenging. A strict schedule must be followed in order to produce results on and off the green.
"I've been working on my time management. In the past it's been bad and it's still not great, but I'm getting better at it," Forest said. "You have to focus on school when you have to, focus on golf when you have to. I knew finance was going to be tough, but I wanted to do it because it interested me."
A typical week for Forest consists of early morning work outs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, followed by class and practice. On Tuesday and Thursday, the team practices in the morning, followed by class in the afternoon.
"I'm tired a lot," Forest commented, "but I try to get to bed early. It's tough when you've got a major like I do because I like studying and it's tough to stay up late and study. I'm busy all of the time. Anyone will tell you that I don't like sitting around doing nothing. Time flies because I'm doing a lot of stuff, but I'm accustomed to that."
Forest's hard work and dedication paid off this spring when UCF hosted the Rio Pinar Invitational in Orlando. He and teammate sophomore Mike Stern shared medalist honors and the Knights claimed the tournament win. The victory was the first for Forest at the collegiate level.
"It was cool, Forest said. "I talked to coach [Nick Clinard] before that tournament, he said, `just go out and do your thing and don't worry about it.' I stayed patient and did my thing. It was satisfying. I had never won medalist honors since I had been here with the team. It's a good feeling when you win. It keeps you motivated."
The enjoyment and competitiveness are what drive Forest. His ultimate goal is to become a part of the PGA Tour right out of college. As for now, he is concentrating on school and golf and enjoying the benefits associated with a Division I golf program.
"I like traveling and seeing new places," Forest said, "but being with the guys and having fun and enjoying it are the things that are most important."
- Beth Everhart
This story appears in the April edition of KnightVision. Produced 10 times per year, KnightVision is the official publication of UCF Athletics. Each issue includes stories about UCF teams, student-athletes and coaches. To order 10 exciting issues from August through June, call 1-888-877-4373 (ext. 121) or 336-768-3400 (ext. 121).