Will Meyer, a senior at Plant High School, is a veteran golfer of 12 years with experience in the sport, including having played on Plant’s team all four years of high school.
Golf helps in many areas beyond the game itself. Meyer stated, “Golf has helped me in other areas like my analytical skills, time management, and networking.”
Whether played seriously, like Meyer, or every so often for fun, time management and problem-solving skills can be gained from participating in the sport.
Being on a team can bring many positives, but it can also bring stress in certain situations. Meyers’ thoughts on the Plant golf team are, “My favorite thing is being part of a team since golf is usually an individual sport. It’s nice to have teammates to support and cheer on. My least favorite part is probably that it’s a fall sport in high school and it’s either super hot or raining all the time.”
With many colleges offering golf programs, it is a significant factor in some golfers’ decisions. “My goal is to play for my college’s club golf team instead of focusing on recruitment for a smaller program,” said Meyer.
Because golf is a competitive sport, players often must shoot even par (a score of 72 at most courses) to make a Division One team. Currently, the top five golf programs in the United States are “Auburn, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Ole Miss, and the University of Texas,” According to Clipped.com.
When reflecting on what golf has taught him, Meyer said, “I’ve learned that I can bounce back from setbacks. Golf has showed me the importance of quickly moving on from the bad and staying positive even after tough rounds.”
Throughout the United States, there are many different courses golfers from all backgrounds can play. When asked what his favorite courses were, Meyer’s response was, “Some of my favorite courses I’ve played are Sand Hollow in Utah and the Seaside course at Sea Island, Georgia.”
The RSM Classic, one of the yearly PGA events, is held at Sea Island every year. With 3 different courses to play at Sand Hollow, all of which are situated among the Sand Hollow National Park with its ranking as 96th on the top 100 public courses for 2023-2024, according to golfdigest.com.
Meyer was also asked what course he dreamed of playing, and his answer: The Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland. Widely known as the birthplace of golf, St. Andrews offers some of the most difficult sand bunkers and narrowest fairways on any course in the world.
When talking about professional golfers, and who Meyer enjoys watching, he stated, “My favorite professional golfer right now is Bryson DeChambeau because he approaches the game in a different way than most other golfers.”
DeChambeau, with a huge social media following, has created and participated in trends that have raised youth engagement in the sport. Additionally, DeChambeau plays an aggressive golf game, with the stock yardage of his driver being 340 yards, further than any player on the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour.
Even if Meyer doesn’t play in college, he can still play golf as a hobby for years to come, due to golf being both a recreational and competitive sport.
