Dani Holmqvist on flying helicopters, swilling wine and fighting off venomous spiders
Swedish golfer Dani Holmqvist on training to be a sommelier, learning to pilot a helicopter, squeezing venom out of a spider bite and this week’s “home” Aramco Team Series event in Florida.
For some, a long recuperation following a crash would be the perfect excuse to put feet up, reach for the biscuit tin and plough through every box set on Netflix.
Not Dani Holmqvist. When the Swedish LPGA Tour golfer injured her back in a cart collision in 2018, she dedicated her new-found free time to quaffing wine and attempting to fly a helicopter – although crucially not at the same time.
It’s no less than you would expect from a woman who reacted to a black widow spider bite during a tournament in Australia by squeezing out the venom and finishing her round.
“When I got injured there in China I needed to do something. I just can’t just lay at home and watch Love Island. I wish I could. That’d be nice,” she tells CityAM
“So I started studying. I had two choices: flying or studying wine. So I studied wine for two and a half years and I became a Level 3 sommelier.
“And now it’s the helicopters. Planes might be more useful, but helicopters are just [about] mental toughness. You’ve got to be so focused.
“Also, I never see any females doing it and I think that pushed me a little bit. I wanted to prove women can do the same thing. There’s nothing physical about just being tough and focusing on the task at hand.”
Holmqvist, 35, had already proven her teak-toughness in 2013, during her rookie season on the Ladies European Tour, when she was bitten by an Australian black widow in Canberra.
As her leg rapidly began to swell, she instinctively reached for a golf tee, pierced her skin and squeezed out the venom – before resuming play.
“I got so much backlash because people were like, ‘Well, you could have gotten severe blood poisoning by doing that’,” she says.
“And it’s like, okay, I get that but when you feel so much adrenaline and shock it happens. I think it was just all instincts.”
It’s not just venomous arachnids that bring out Holmqvist’s survival skills; she has also proven to be an exceptional clutch player when her LPGA Tour card is on the line.
Since joining the US circuit in 2015 she has reconfirmed her membership at the last opportunity via qualifying school, a gruelling fortnight-long end-of-season shootout, six times.
“I can’t lie, you feel like crap and LPGA Q School is two weeks long so it’s a really long period of time,” says Holmqvist, whose father Hans was a Swedish international footballer.
“But I think I kind of push that aside and perform my best under those circumstances, when my back is against the wall. I wish I could bring that mentality out a little bit more.”
Holmqvist on playing her ‘home’ Aramco Team Series event
Holmqvist is hoping to be inspired by home comforts rather than hardship this week when the Aramco Team Series visits Florida for the first time.
The Sunshine State resident calls Trump West Palm Beach her home course, meaning she can count on plenty of support and won’t have to live out of a suitcase.
“It’s really nice to be playing here and sleeping my own bed. I only live 25 minutes away and I’m also a member of this course,” she says.
“It’s an opportunity to have friends and family come out and just a really fun week. I’ve been looking forward to this event pretty much ever since it was announced.”
Holmqvist enjoyed her second best result of the season – a tie for 11th – when the Aramco Team Series, a string of $1m tournaments on the LET, visited the US last year.
The venue might have switched from New York to Florida for 2023, but she is hoping the combination of team and individual scoring brings out her best again.
“It’s just a different vibe,” she says. “Of all the tournaments I played last year, the most fun were the two [Aramco Team Series] events I played.
“There are two components but I’m looking forward to playing the best game I possibly can and hopefully with some good teammates this week.”
Holmqvist, who has three professional wins, is also excited about seeing compatriot Linn Grant, the LET’s 2022 order of merit winner, tee it up in the US for the first time in two years.
Grant, 23, has racked up eight wins since turning pro in August 2021 with fellow Swedish sensation Maja Stark, who has claimed seven titles including one on the LPGA Tour.
“I think Swedish golf is in a really good state. I think they’ve just been pushing each other – I don’t know if they know it. Subconsciously, they definitely have,” she says.
“It’s exciting that Linn is back playing in the US. I’m sure she’s thrilled about being able to play over here again, too, and I’m guessing we’ll see her a lot more on the LPGA.”