Amy Ihm said she has been living and breathing golf since she was 5 years old.

“You can just tell golf has been in her blood for a while. She comes from an entire family of golfers,” assistant coach Laura Cilek said of the freshman.

Amy’s father, Jim, played collegiately at Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Her sister, Ashley Johnson, recently finished her golf career at Clarke. And her older brother, Steven Ihm, is also a golfer for Iowa.

The Ihm family even lives on a golf course. Amy said that having that long line of golf in her family played a huge role in her decision to pursue golf.

“I think growing up in that family and living on the golf course made it too hard to not want be outside playing all the time,” she said.

Being a Hawkeye offers a unique opportunity for the Ihm siblings. Amy, the younger of the Hawkeye Ihms, said the idea of having her older brother at the same school wasn’t the reason she came to Iowa City, but it certainly has helped her in the transition.

“He was by no means the determining factor, but his being here makes it all the better,” she said. “I aspire to do the things that he’s done on the golf course.”

Amy’s head coach, Megan Menzel, has also noticed that having Steven at the same school has helped Amy tremendously in her first year in Iowa City.

“I think that source of support for Amy has been great. To have a sibling that you’re very close to right on campus is huge,” the second-year head coach said. “It’s also helped connect our men’s and women’s teams even more, too. Everyone can learn from each other and encourage one another. It’s just a great set up for everybody.”

Since she began playing, Amy has picked up countless lessons about the game from her older brother. Steven’s mental side of his game, though, is what she truly hopes to learn the most.

“He’s taught me so much about being mentally prepared. He does have a great golf swing, but his mental skills have improved so much,” the freshman said. “That’s the quality of his that I especially want to gain.”

Amy has not competed in a tournament for the Hawkeyes yet, but that hasn’t stopped her from contributing to the winning atmosphere that Menzel and Cilek hope to create at Iowa. It didn’t take long for the freshman to gain the respect of her teammates and coaches.

“We just love her attitude,” Cilek said. “She’s what any coach would want in a player. She’s always positive and excited to learn new things out at practice.”

Many people around the team believe Amy Ihm is another reason for fans to be excited about the future of Hawkeye golf. According to her head coach, no one wants that to be true more than her brother.

“I know they have a great family and support each other very strongly,” Menzel said. “Amy and Steven are each other’s biggest fans.”