Gabriela Ruffels is one of the hottest new names and faces in the golf world. She is a 2024 rookie for the LPGA. Ruffels shares a lot of videos of herself on the course on Instagram. In May, she shared a video of herself shooting. Ruffels captioned the post, “Tuesday prep.” How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Gabriela Ruffels stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.
Since she plays golf, Ruffels is enjoying a lot of benefits. Circle Health Group states that golf is a great cardio workout. “Golf gets your circulation going, encouraging your heart to work more efficiently, and helping to build its muscles. So, golf exercises your heart and keeps your heart rate up. This will naturally lower your risk for heart disease and other cardiovascular issues, as well as potentially lowering your levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol. Regularly playing golf may even lead to an increase in life expectancy.”
Ruffels opened up about her career to Golf Digest. She says that she started out playing tennis and is very competitive. “Though I was done with tennis, I still needed something to compete in. I get that from my parents. They showed me that excellence comes from putting focused effort into a goal every day. I love that lifestyle. My brother, Ryan, was playing golf (he’s a professional golfer now, too), and my mom thought I might enjoy it. I joined Victoria Golf Club and took regular lessons. My brother has answered all of my golf questions from the start. Matches between us are super competitive, and he always tries to get in my head, so he credits himself with making me mentally stronger.”
Ruffels shared that she plays feel-based golf to Golf Digest. “In tennis, there’s no time to think about where your racket is or what angle your wrist is at. You must react to the shot that’s coming at you. I play my best golf when I react to each shot. It keeps me in the present and makes me a better ball-striker. I had a lot of fun in 2023. I won three times and finished No. 1 on the money list, earning my LPGA card.”
Ruffels shared with Golf Digest that she is working on keeping herself composed in competition. “I’ve been working with my dad on how to handle emotions in competition. He tells me to remain poised. I do that by not thinking too far ahead. One birdie is not the key to winning the tournament, and a double is not the end of the round. When you consistently practice this thinking on the course, it becomes a habit.”
Ruffels tells USA Today that she wants to maintain any confidence she has, and she says that this helps with golf. “Just having that confidence knowing that I played well last week and everything in my game felt really well and then just doing the same things, not thinking too much about it and riding with the confidence.”