After playing a key role in reviving the boy’s golf team at Galileo, senior Dragon L. hopes to pass along his knowledge of the game he’s spent almost half his life playing, so golfing at Galileo will continue as a sport long after he graduates.
As the player with the most experience on the team, Dragon looks forward to sharing his knowledge of the game of golf with as many people as possible. In the future, he plans to give golf lessons once he graduates from college. “I love the game of golf and I just want to share it with everyone that I know,” says Dragon.
At 9 years old, Dragon’s father signed him up for a Youth Program at the Golden Gate Park Golf Course called “First Tee”. Dragon didn’t enjoy playing golf at first, but after making friends, he started to love the game. “I enjoy playing golf because not only is it a great sport, it is also a good way to connect with nature and make new friends,” says Dragon.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 forced the cancellation of ‘First Tee, eventually leading Dragon to quit the sport at 12 years old. Dragon said, “When I heard that ‘First Tee’ got cancelled, I felt like I got separated from my family, and I didn’t know what to do with my summer because I enjoyed playing golf.”
When Dragon entered high school in 2021, he hoped to join Galileo’s golf team, but since he was the only person to sign up, there weren’t enough people to form a team. Instead, Dragon joined the football and swim teams during his sophomore year.
Although he enjoyed playing these other sports, Dragon went into his junior year with a focus on making sure there was a golf team at Galileo for him to compete on. However the sign ups for the team were initially low, which prompted Dragon to take matters into his own hands.Dragon said, “I went around and convinced all of my friends to join the team even though they were hesitant and didn’t have experience. They eventually joined because I told them that playing golf would be a very fun experience.”
Golf coach, Mr. Mendoza credits Dragon for getting boys golf restarted again at Galileo. He says,” Dragon was a big part of making the golf team come back. His energy and his way of recruiting other players have done a lot to bring this team back.”
Dragon is trying to make his last golf season count as his personal goal for this season includes helping lead the team to the playoffs after just missing it last year. Even after he graduates, Dragon hopes to play golf as a hobby and teach more people how to play.
