Joshua Hess
I'm from the Canton of Uri, Switzerland, and I picked up a golf club for the first time at age seven. What started as pure fun quickly turned into a passion as I worked my way through the SwissGolf Junior ranks — and by 2019, I knew I wanted to make golf my career. From that point on, I committed myself fully to the process: hours of practice, constant refinement, and the discipline it takes to compete at a high level.
None of it would have been possible without the support of my family, coaches, and sponsors, who helped me fund two years at the International Junior Golf Academy in Florida, where I graduated in May 2025. In 2023, I earned a spot on the Swiss National Team, and I'm proud to continue representing Switzerland at the international level while also competing collegiately for Eastern Michigan University. I've just completed my first year there and will begin my second in late August 2026.
How it Started
At seven years old, holding a golf club for the first time in my garden, I instantly knew that golf was something I wanted to pursue. What I did not realize then was how profoundly it would shape my life.
David Crawley (right), the local golf professional, introduced me to the game and showed me what is possible with the right mindset. Daniel Wunderlin (left) taught me the importance of fitness, discipline, values, and hard work. Together, they guided the beginning of my journey and remain my mentors to this day.
With their support and the unwavering encouragement of my family, I progressed through the Swiss junior ranks and earned a place on the Swiss National Team in 2023. Soon after, I began achieving success in international junior tournaments.
New Climate
My first golf trip to the United States in 2020 made one thing immediately clear: this was the environment I needed to keep growing, both as a golfer and as a person. That realization led me to enroll at the International Junior Golf Academy (IJGA) near Orlando, Florida. Over those two years, from summer 2023 to summer 2025, the academy became far more than a training center — it became a second home. What I value most from that time are the genuine relationships I built with people from all over the world, each bringing a different culture, background, and perspective. Those friendships shaped me just as much as the golf did. Add to that outstanding coaches and staff, and I received the best possible preparation for my next chapter: competing at the collegiate level and pushing my development to the highest level I can reach.
First Year at Eastern
Heading into my first year of college, I was excited — and grounded by advice from my former IJGA coach, Gary Wise, who remains my mentor to this day. He told me to treat my first year like a practice round: no matter how well you prepare, some things can only be understood by living through them. That doesn't mean loosening discipline; it means being willing to accept when reality doesn't match the picture you had in your head. The college environment already comes with high expectations and real pressure — which is exactly what makes it such valuable preparation for professional golf — but I went in knowing I didn't need to be flawless, simply because so much of it was new to me.
From the start, it was clear I had joined a passionate team with high aspirations — coaches who give everything for their players, and teammates from all corners of the world who make the environment socially fun and competitively sharp. That international mix is part of what made my first college year so unique.
