From Golf Course Fashionista to National Fitness Councilwoman
Natalie Gulbis took life by the (golf)balls from day one, and has no plans of slowing down.
Born of Latvian ancestry in 1983 and growing up in the Sacramento, California area, Natalie Gulbis won her first event at age seven. At the age of 14, she competed in her first LPGA event as an amateur.
Not having a girls’ golf team at Granite Bay High School certainly didn’t deter her. Instead, she used her vast abilities to become the top player on the boys’ golf team. Many in the professional golf world grew up with economic advantages, but Natalie’s situation was much different from the standard. Her parents couldn’t afford for her to play in national junior tournaments which only made her a better player, working even harder to get noticed.
Gulbis’ hard work paid off, earning her a golf scholarship from the University of Arizona, a team which included Lorena Ochoa. Their team dominated and won the national championship, and Gulbis jumped at the opportunity to turn professional in 2001, finishing third at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to earn LPGA status for 2002. She didn't simply settle into her new life as a pro, however. She began her career with the same credo she's stood by since: Play your best, live your life, work hard for what matters to you, and be yourself.
Skorting the issue
Before the first time she ever stepped into the tee box as a pro, Natalie had already begun to influence the bending of the dress code rules. She worked with Adidas to not only bring skirts back to the course, but to design a "skort" that married the style of a golf skirt with built-in shorties for modesty and comfort. That spirit of innovation has carried her through her career, both on and off the course.
From the very beginning, Gulbis had the desire for financial security and wanted the ability to take care of her parents. Though the first few years on the LPGA Tour were a bit of a struggle for the new pro, she began to put it all together both on and off the course by the middle of 2004.
Just before the 2004 US Women’s Open, Natalie released a swimwear calendar, and taking full advantage of her allure and her athletic 5'9" figure, also posed for FHM later that same year.
A rising star
In 2005, Gulbis’ star continued to rise, becoming more of a threat on the course, earning over $1,000,000 — good for sixth on the money list — and her play earned her a spot on the winning US Solheim Cup team. Continuing her off-the-course career, Gulbis starred in her own reality television show, The Natalie Gulbis Show, on The Golf Channel.
Despite not earning a victory, she continued her stellar play, finishing in the top ten in four consecutive majors through the 2006 Kraft Nabisco Championship, and finishing second at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.
Gulbis earned her spot in the winner’s circle for the first time as a professional at the July 2007 Evian Masters in France, sinking a putt for birdie in the first playoff hole to secure the title. At the age of 24, she was putting it all together in a major way. While building a cosmetics company, apparel line, and handbag company, as well as earning contracts with numerous Fortune 500 companies, and licensing deals on half of the continents in the world, Natalie was absolutely killing it on the golf course. She closed out the year on the winning US Solheim Cup team for the second consecutive time and took the Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge with Cristie Kerr and Morgan Pressel, who by the way has been known to credit Natalie for helping revolutionize the way women dress on the golf course.
From Reality Bites to Reality TV (a.k.a. Natalie Doesn't Miss a Beat)
Right as Gulbis appeared to be on the verge of stardom, her back issues, which she admitted began in 2006, started to become a real issue. She missed the cut in three of the next seven majors she played through 2009, with a best finish of 9th at the 2008 Women’s British Open.
Still having some top moments on the course, for the third straight time, Natalie was a member of a winning Solheim Cup team and won the Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge with Suzann Pettersen and Cristie Kerr. Her off-the golf-course life continued in the limelight with a role in the second season of Celebrity Apprentice and an appearance on The Price is Right.
With lingering back issues limiting her practice time and appearances, Natalie considered retirement in 2010. She made two top ten finishes in majors from 2010 through 2013, but has missed all eight cuts in majors since then, not appearing in a major since 2018.
While her golf game was on ice, Natalie’s off-course professional life continued to heat up. She posed for the jaw-dropping 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue wearing only body paint (which is clearly a short-term solution for modesty when swimming but a great way to sell magazines). Her personal life reached an apex in 2013 with her marriage to former Yale quarterback, Josh Rodarmel, with whom she is still happily married — much to the chagrin of her adoring male fans.
Making Sports [Fitness and Nutrition] Great Again
Not one to shrink from the limelight, Natalie forged onto the political scene, demonstrating her staunch support for Donald Trump at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Less than two years later, she was appointed to serve as a member of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.
Four surgeries later, Natalie has reported that her back feels great, but lingering issues limit her practice time and hinder her ability to play on courses that feature uneven terrain and deep rough. As a professional athlete, her ultimate goal is to win. Her drive, work ethic, and track record for self-made success make it impossible for her to continue in any activity where she isn’t able to give 100%, and for this reason has announced that 2020 will be her last season on tour.
She's got her foot on the pedal, and the drive to take her anywhere
Detractors have argued that part of her lack of wins on tour was due to being distracted by modeling shoots, political aspirations, television appearances, and business deals, but Natalie apologizes for none of it. In reality, she says that most of her time — and a very small percentage of her net worth — was on the golf course. It was the die-hard competitor in her that kept her fueled up to put in the time (often against doctor’s orders) to tee it up with the best.
With the rest of the 2020 season uncertain, there is no way to know if Natalie has teed up for the last time in an official event. Regardless of what her “official” final season looks like, she doesn’t plan on taking her foot off the pedal. She continues to forge new roads with her marketing partners, her company, and the President’s Council... all alongside her numerous other ventures. Most importantly, she plans on using her own positive experience in the sport to grow girls’ golf!
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Natalie has appeared in only one event, missing the cut. We are all hoping that she gets at least one final opportunity to tee it up on the LPGA Tour. Regardless, you can be certain that the world has not seen the last of Natalie Gulbis. Her determination, drive, and numerous ventures will yield to success for years to come!
