My name is Janell Howland. I was born and raised in Boise, Idaho. I started playing golf at the age of 15 when my uncle took me and my dad out to the course. Growing up I wasn’t interested in golf at all. While I did play golf on the high school team, I played volleyball year round and that was really the sport I loved. My senior year I was injured during volleyball and my doctor told me that I had to have knee surgery. I could either wait to have surgery and finish out the volleyball season and miss golf season or I could have the surgery, miss the rest of the volleyball season and be ready for golf. I took a long time to make my decision, but I decided to have the surgery and be able to play golf my senior year. That was one of the best decisions I made.

After my senior year, I went to Tri-State University in Angola, Indiana for college. I played number 1 for my 2 years on the team and we were very successful as a team and I had a successful career there as an individual as well. We were fortunate to win the NAIA National Championship my freshman year which was an experience that no one can ever take from us!!!! Not everyone can say that they have a national championship under their belt and it really is an amazing experience!!! My sophomore year we had the entire team returning but we didn’t fair so well at Nationals. We finished 4th place, but I had a successful year as an individual finishing 6th place. After my sophomore year I knew that if I wanted to pursue golf, I was going to have to go someplace warmer, so I transferred to Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.

Going for the green in my lime green.

My junior and senior years were great. I played in the number 1 spot again and loved that I had to fight so hard to keep that spot. I won 3 times while playing at Lamar and those were great experiences to have under my belt. It wasn’t until after I graduated that I really made my mind up what I wanted to do with my life. I stayed in Beaumont for 2 years working at Beaumont Country Club and practicing. I knew that professional golf was something I was thinking about but I wasn’t sure if it was really what I wanted to do for a career. In 2001 my parents made me go to LPGA Qualifying school for the first time to see what it would take and what it would be like. It was a huge eye opener for me. An experience that I wasn’t sure was worth the money at the time, but looking back, parents usually know best.

The fall of 2001 I also went to Qualifying School for the then FUTURES golf tour, now the Duramed FUTURES Golf Tour. I qualified but with not so great status so I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do for the next year. I ended up playing in 6 events as an amateur to see what professional golf was like. To see if I would enjoy the travel, the lifestyle, the atmosphere. That was another one of the great decisions of my life. My dad came and caddied for me in New Mexico and I’ll never forget him asking, “This is what you want to do isn’t it?” And my only response was, “YES!!”

I turned professional in the fall of 2002 at qualifying school. I didn’t make it to the LPGA so I went back to the FUTURES tour for my first full year in 2003. I had ok years the first few years, and in 2005 I earned my conditional card on the LPGA tour. I could finally call myself and LPGA member! It was such an awesome feeling. I played in 5 events that year, making 1 cut, and having a great week that week. I learned so much about me, about golf and about what I wanted that year and it was great. I have since lost my status and have been playing on the Duramed FUTURES golf tour again. Every year I learn more, I improve and I love the game that I play more and more. I could never imagine myself doing anything other than playing golf for a living. In the spring of 2007 I had my first professional win on the Duramed FUTURES golf tour. I won the Louisiana Pelican Golf Classic and that was truly an amazing week. My parents were there to share in it so it made it even more special. This year I will be playing on both the LPGA tour and the Duramed Futures tour.  It will be a fun year of working hard and continuing my dream.