Trading One Uniform for Another

Whitney Simons took a different route than many former student-athletes in transitioning from competitor to the work force. After graduating from South Carolina in 2008 with a degree in international business, the former Gamecock golfer (2004-2008) joined the United States Army, and now she’s back in civilian clothes, working as a dentist in Lexington, South Carolina. She joined the military for several reasons.

“Service to country, obviously, as well as a good, continuing education, and they paid for dental school,” said Simons, who was a four-time NGCA All-American Scholar for the Gamecocks. “It’s hard to beat that! I received a scholarship when I got into dental school. So, I was technically in the reserves as a Second Lieutenant.”

After graduating from dental school, she direct commissioned as a captain and went to Basic Officer Leadership Course in San Antonio, Texas which prepares Army officers physically and mentally before going straight off to residency.

“I did a one year residency at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Washington, and then three years at Fort Benning in Columbia, Georgia. Then three years at Fort Jackson here in Columbia.

“Being in the military is a completely different culture. I had not experienced any kind of military anything ever before. It was a lot of learning new languages, traditions, and expectations. It took me about a year to get acclimated. Looking back, I’m so glad I went into the military and had that experience because I met so many people from so many different places.”

The native of Aiken, South Carolina, comes from a family of Gamecocks.

“My dad (Chuck, pictured above with Whitney in Ireland) played golf for South Carolina, and my grandfather went to South Carolina,” Simons said. “My parents never put pressure on me, but when I started talking about other schools, you could see my dad get really uncomfortable. It’s very deep in the blood, and I’m so glad I came here.

“The opportunities it provided, and the places I got the chance to go, and the people you get to meet, there’s nothing like it! I made friends from other schools and other countries that I still remain close to.”

While she doesn’t compete for championships anymore, she’s happy she played a sport where she can still shine.

“Golf is a lifelong sport. Every athlete ends up playing golf at some point, so it’s nice to have a leg up on every other athlete,” Simons said with a laugh.