University of Georgia Athletics
A Quick Chat With ... Manuela Carbajo Ré
February 04, 2016 | Women's Golf
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By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
Manuela Carbajo Ré is one of the voices of experience on a young fourth-ranked Georgia women's golf team. Not only has the senior seen and done plenty during her collegiate career, but golf has taken her around the world and given her insights and perspectives beyond the game.
Carbajo Ré, from Necochea, Argentina, sat down for a wide-ranging chat Wednesday at the Boyd Golf Center. Georgia returns to action for the first time since October on Saturday, in the Lady Bulldog Invitational at the UGA Golf Course.
Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: This is basically my standard starting question -- what's the funniest or strangest thing you've ever seen on a golf course?
Carbajo Ré: I've seen spiders, I've seen snakes -- one time I remember this girl couldn't hit the ball because she had a snake next to the ball. ... I've seen crocodiles in the middle of the fairway, so we had to stop the game. Things like that, I guess, are the most odd things.
Frierson: You've spent a lot of time in the United States now, so have you picked up any American habits? When you go home do people point out anything you say or do as being kind of "American"?
Carbajo Ré: I guess the time I eat my dinner, that's way too early people at home. I start eating dinner not after 8 or 8:30, that's my top, and 9 is too late. But at home, people usually eat dinner at like 9:30 or 10, or even 10:30 sometimes. That's a change, because right now when it's 7 and I'm like, "I'm starving."
Frierson: Are there any words you use now or expressions that are different?
Carbajo Ré: Definitely I do some kind of Spanglish. Whenever I need to talk in Spanish I do translate it from English to Spanish, even though it doesn't make sense in Spanish sometimes. That happens. Of course if I think about it it won't happen because I know Spanish really well, but that happens when I talk to my friends or my family.
Frierson: If you could have played with or against anyone in history, who would it be?
Carbajo Ré: It would be Annika Sorenstam, even though she's not on the tour anymore. I think she has a lot of experience that she can share and she's a great person. I met her before, in a tournament, and she was willing just to tell you everything you asked for in order for you to get better.
She has so much confidence in herself that she has no problem telling you what she does and what's best for the golf game in general.
Frierson: I know you have teed it up at courses all over North and South America, but have you played in Europe and other places too?
Carbajo Ré: I have played in Turkey and I've played in England and I've played in Japan.
Frierson: Are you still amazed by and appreciative of how golf has allowed you to see so much of the world?
Carbajo Ré: It's amazing, honestly. It's a unique opportunity and experience that I could not have done if it wasn't for the golf game, so I'm very grateful for the opportunity sports has given me.
Frierson: What do you do to get away from from golf and school? In the quiet moments of your day, how do you spend your time?
Carbajo Ré: Well, golf is pretty quiet, so that's why I love it so much. (Laughs) It's just relaxing for my mind sometimes. And then when I'm home and I'm not studying, I read books, news, it just depends. I have a [keyboard] piano here and I'll play the piano; I used to play the saxophone back home but it was going to be too loud in the dorm.
I also watch shows and movies -- it just depends on what kind of day and what kind of season I'm in.
Frierson: If you could play any other sport for the Bulldogs, what would it be?
Carbajo Ré: (Laughs) I don't know, maybe ... I really like tennis but I cannot run. (Laughs) So that's going to be hard. I love track and field but it's so much effort and so much running, too. I don't have the training so I don't know if I could have been good or not.
I do love volleyball, too. Just playing beach volleyball, I think that's fun.
Frierson: Do you remember the moment when you made the decision to really commit to the sport and began putting in the work that eventually got you to where you are today?
Carbajo Ré: I think when I 15 years old I realized how great golf was going to be just for gaining experience for my life. ... When I was 13 I started playing international tournaments and I loved it so I just kept going. And then when I was 14 or 15 I realized, hey, this can go even farther.
Frierson: What part of Athens culture or American culture do you look at still and go, I don't get it?
Carbajo Ré: I can't really think of one thing, but the cultures are definitely different. Something that is very important here that I cannot miss is timing or schedules. Whenever I've got an appointment I know I've got to be on time, but back home a lot of people think that way but it's not like here. Here's it's everybody, but back home it's, hey, we're meeting at 7, and you know you have to be there by 7:30. That's how it works there. Not if you go to work or something, but I'm talking about the culture in general.
That's something I've gotten good at since I've been here, but back home it's different.
Frierson: In terms of traveling, is there a place you've been that stands out more than any other?
Carbajo Ré: I think every single place is different and has something that stands out to me. I'm always amazed and you always discover new things and get new experiences. I'm telling this to you and it seems like what everybody says, but it's actually true. In every single place I find things that I like.
Like Japan, that was a place where I was never expecting to be playing golf in. And Turkey. Honestly, I'd never thought about traveling to Turkey for a vacation or playing golf, so that's something that I could not have done if I was not playing golf.
Also, we had the luck to go to Augusta for the past three years and just play a normal round of golf with your caddy. It's just golf and you just go there and there's nothing. There's no noises, just a lot of trees and the clubhouse and it's just golf. That has something special, I think.
When I went to England, that was just different as well. Every single place is different, as I'm telling you. I've had a lot of experiences in a lot of places and I'm glad about it.
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.