Northwestern University Athletics
Getting to Know: Pete Griffith
1/13/2016 11:00:00 AM | General, Men's Golf
As the Wildcats prepare for the 2016 spring season, NUsports.com caught up with Pete Griffith to learn a little bit about the newcomer. Griffith discusses his first semester at Northwestern, his experience in Scotland this past summer and why he chose to attend Northwestern in this edition of "Getting to Know."
NUSports.com: How has your first quarter been?
Pete Griffith: It was great. I definitely enjoyed it. It wasn't as big of an adjustment as I thought. I kind of liked how we had a strong routine with the team, so it was pretty easy to get into the swing of things. It was exciting to travel and compete with the team, and academically, the team did great.
NU: What was the hardest academic adjustment from high school to college?
PG: Getting on top of all your academics before you travel. I get some help setting up tutors, and then I just make sure I get my work done before I go.
NU: What was it like traveling to Scotland with the team?
PG: It was incredible – hopefully not once in a lifetime, but it was on that level. The courses we got to play were the best in the world. It was amazing just to hear about the different courses and how they came to be, and even where our coach grew up. To be in his hometown, to go to the course where he grew up playing was incredible.
NU: Had you been overseas before?
PG: I'd been to London before, but I hadn't been to Scotland.
NU: What was the biggest difference in your golf game overseas?
PG: The style of courses is very different. You can definitely see how there's a difference between American style golf and links style. When it comes to how you approach a course, you hit a lot of different shots. You want to get the ball on the ground around the putting green over there as opposed to the U.S.
NU: Did playing that style translate back to playing back states side?
PG: For sure. It definitely improved coming back here – it improved my game a lot. From a course management perspective I was just able to take some things I learned over there and apply them to my game back in the states.
NU: You're from California, so how has it been adjusting to the weather?
PG: It's not been too bad honestly. I've been walking around wearing two layers right now, and I'm fine. But I mean I'm not spending a lot of time outdoors—I've been spending a lot of time indoors working on my game.
NU: What is your favorite part of the greater Chicago area?
PG: There is so much to do, especially places to eat. It's a really cool city. I don't know of too many other colleges that have a location that's not too busy, but you are easily able to get down into one of the most exciting cities in the world.
NU: Why did you choose Northwestern?
PG: The attention given to the student athletes here is noticeably different than at other schools. It's focused on making you not only a better athlete, but a better person. Whether it's a coach teaching you how to organize your schedule, or plan your workload, you learn a lot of unique values here.
NUSports.com: How has your first quarter been?
Pete Griffith: It was great. I definitely enjoyed it. It wasn't as big of an adjustment as I thought. I kind of liked how we had a strong routine with the team, so it was pretty easy to get into the swing of things. It was exciting to travel and compete with the team, and academically, the team did great.
NU: What was the hardest academic adjustment from high school to college?
PG: Getting on top of all your academics before you travel. I get some help setting up tutors, and then I just make sure I get my work done before I go.
NU: What was it like traveling to Scotland with the team?
PG: It was incredible – hopefully not once in a lifetime, but it was on that level. The courses we got to play were the best in the world. It was amazing just to hear about the different courses and how they came to be, and even where our coach grew up. To be in his hometown, to go to the course where he grew up playing was incredible.
NU: Had you been overseas before?
PG: I'd been to London before, but I hadn't been to Scotland.
NU: What was the biggest difference in your golf game overseas?
PG: The style of courses is very different. You can definitely see how there's a difference between American style golf and links style. When it comes to how you approach a course, you hit a lot of different shots. You want to get the ball on the ground around the putting green over there as opposed to the U.S.
NU: Did playing that style translate back to playing back states side?
PG: For sure. It definitely improved coming back here – it improved my game a lot. From a course management perspective I was just able to take some things I learned over there and apply them to my game back in the states.
NU: You're from California, so how has it been adjusting to the weather?
PG: It's not been too bad honestly. I've been walking around wearing two layers right now, and I'm fine. But I mean I'm not spending a lot of time outdoors—I've been spending a lot of time indoors working on my game.
NU: What is your favorite part of the greater Chicago area?
PG: There is so much to do, especially places to eat. It's a really cool city. I don't know of too many other colleges that have a location that's not too busy, but you are easily able to get down into one of the most exciting cities in the world.
NU: Why did you choose Northwestern?
PG: The attention given to the student athletes here is noticeably different than at other schools. It's focused on making you not only a better athlete, but a better person. Whether it's a coach teaching you how to organize your schedule, or plan your workload, you learn a lot of unique values here.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To interact directly with the #B1GCats, visit our Social Media page!
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
Lacrosse - Lake Show Wins 9th National Title, Defeat UNC 14-11(05/24/2026)
Sunday, May 24
Lacrosse - NCAA Final vs North Carolina Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, May 24
Lacrosse - NCAA Semifinals vs Johns Hopkins Postgame Press Conference
Saturday, May 23
Lacrosse - NCAA Semifinals vs Johns Hopkins Preview Press Conference
Thursday, May 21
