Dedication leads Trammell to Crimson Tide

Mary Mac Trammell currently has no Plan B.

She hasn’t taken the time to develop one because she’s fully invested in Plan A. 

“Golf is pretty much all I do,” Trammell said.

Trammell, a recent graduate of Mountain Brook High School, got serious about the game of golf near the beginning of her teenage years. She’s been locked in ever since.

It’s safe to say that focus and persistence has paid off. Trammell earned a preferred walk-on spot to play at the University of Alabama, the national runner-up this past spring.

“She is very focused on golf and very dedicated to working on her game daily and that’s really what it takes to get better,” said Marilyn Ingram, the Mountain Brook girls golf coach. “She’s been that way all her life.”

Trammell said Alabama coach Mic Potter expressed interest last December, shortly before she went to Las Vegas to play in the Alabama Junior Golf Association Senior Showcase tournament, and things progressed from there. She will be the first female golfer from Mountain Brook to play for the Crimson Tide.

“It’s awesome,” Trammell said.

Trammell played on the high school golf team at Mountain Brook the last six years, beginning with her seventh-grade season in 2013. That year, the Lady Spartans won their third consecutive state championship with a team featuring Tatum Jackson, who recently completed her time on the golf team at Rutgers University.

Seeing someone like Jackson excel at the highest level in high school and college gave Trammell the belief that doing the same in her own career was a possibility.

“It’s definitely helpful for me and anyone who knows her,” Trammell said. “I know that it’s not that far-fetched.”

High school success was certainly not far-fetched for Trammell. Although the level of the team was not the same as it was from 2011-13, Trammell advanced to the state tournament as an individual each of the last two years.

In her first appearance at the state tournament as a junior, Trammell fired a pair of 77s to finish with a two-day total of 154. This spring, she shot 75 on the first day and followed it up with an 81 on the second day to finish at 156, good enough for ninth place overall in Class 7A.

“I had a pretty good first day, but the second day was a bit more of a struggle,” she said.

Trammell has several tournaments lined up for this summer before she heads off to college. She said her best round was an even-par 71 she shot to win the Mountain Brook Club women’s championship in August 2017.

Trammell credits much of her strong final two high school seasons to the training she received at The MindSide, a local sports and performance psychology practice. By working with Dr. Bhrett McCabe and Meighan Julbert, she changed the things she focused on during a round of golf.

“Beforehand, I was very focused on the end result and how everything affected the end result,” Trammell said. “They helped me focus on one shot at a time and not letting one shot get to you.”

Julbert has worked with Trammell for over a year and has noticed a difference in her maturity on and off the course.

“The shift wasn’t just in scores and dropping that,” Julbert said. “You could tell a shift just in the times she’d walk in my office and what she was talking about. It was less about the problems and more about what’s better for her long-term development.”

Julbert said Trammell displays leadership qualities despite not being the most vocal person. She also has a calm demeanor that allows her to handle the challenges on the course and in life. Julbert even called Trammell “one of the most impressive people, from a mental standpoint, I’ve seen.”

But there is one trait that stands out above the rest.

“Her humility is unique in athletes her age, especially ones who have been given opportunities like she’s been given,” Julbert said. “We talk about how athletes need to be confident. That belief that doesn’t always have to look like arrogance.”

The most marked improvement in Trammell’s game in recent years has come with the putter. Trammell claims that she was a “pretty bad putter” before going to The MindSide, but has worked hard to improve that aspect of her game. 

People who have witnessed Trammell’s career are not at all surprised she has been able to consistently improve. 

“She was willing to commit the time daily to going out and practicing, working on her short game, chipping and putting, and going to the range,” Ingram said. 

Ingram commended Trammell for being willing to enter a “competitive environment” at Alabama, and Trammell said she is looking forward to the many ways playing with the Crimson Tide golf team will help her improve her own game.

“Just getting to play and practice with the girls at Alabama will help you a lot because they’re very experienced,” Trammell said. “I have a solid game right now. It’s just where can I save a stroke here or there.”

As for Trammell’s future, it’s anyone’s guess. 

“I don’t really have a plan,” she said. “I obviously think everyone’s dream would be to play after college. I’ll just have to see how college will go for me.”

Until then, there’s no Plan B.