It’s safe to say Katja Dammann loves golf.

Dammann moved down to Georgia about a year ago and she stopped at J.P. Moseley Park in Stockbridge, where she met friends to play disc golf. Dammann says she tries to play at least one round of disc golf a week and a tournament once a month. She currently works in sales at Bridgestone golf. So as you can see she’s around golf 24/7.

Dammann, born in Schwerin Germany and now living in Porterdale, was able to place 46th in the intermediate division in a women’s disc golf tournament played all over the world recently. In two rounds, Dammann shot even par and two under par, which was her personal best.

“I think my game is still improving constantly and I’m still getting better,” Dammann said.

“It was a great event that was ladies-only being held all over the world that day,” Dammann said. “The course played fairly short, much shorter than the other tournaments I’ve played in, but it definitely had a lot of risk and reward shots.”

This is intriguing not only because she placed so high but because she just picked up women’s disc golf a few years ago. She picked it up while playing at Western Carolina University on a golf scholarship. Because its driving range featured a disc golf course around it.

“I fell in love with [disc golf], as well,” Dammann said. “I have many passions and I’m always looking for a new challenge.”

Challenges are definitely something Dammann has faced, some with success and others simply with unrelenting determination.

In 2006 Dammann played in an Amateur Golf Tour and won her division, beating a bunch of guys as she was the only girl in her division.

“It was a very fine moment, being the female,” Dammann said. “I won that division, and I’m very sure that a lot of men [were] very jealous,” she added laughingly.

Dammann’s dream growing up was to become a professional golfer. She played women’s golf at WCU and UNC-Pembroke. In 2011 she helped lead UNC-Pembroke to a Peach Belt Conference women’s championship. She has since given up on that dream to face other challenges.

“I went to LPGA (qualifying) school twice to try to qualify to play at the LPGA tour, but it’s very competitive and I did not make the cut to make it to the next step and that’s the reason I didn’t continue,” Dammann said.

Dammann added that disc golf hasn’t replaced her love for golf, and she’s glad she picked up disc golf.

“I never played [women’s disc golf] with women before. I never met any females that actually played until I moved down to Atlanta. When I moved down here and I went to play my first course I met up with several females that played, I joined up with them, and we’ve become friends ever since,” Dammann said. “They are the ones who’ve got me playing tournaments in disc golf and [I’ve] become more competitive.”

Whether it’s regular golf or disc golf, Dammann said she’s pretty much into it.

“Even though I’m very competitive at heart, I also play for fun as well,” Dammann said. “I try to do both, I try to have fun and still be competitive.”