Learning to play golf changed my life. I played other sports before, but playing golf was unlike soccer or track or anything I can think of comparing it to. Golf is so much more brain than brawn. So much more than just physical strength and speed. I discovered that training the brain is a lot harder than training the body. Playing golf requires serious discipline. Practice, concentration, practice, focus, and then more practice. I was encouraged that the more I practiced, and with knowledge shared by my coach as well as being able to accept criticism from not just my coach, but from teammates who played better than I, was key in developing myself not just as a golfer and a teammate, but as a sportsman, athlete, and overall more well-rounded individual. When I first started learning to golf, I have to admit I thought it was going to be a lot easier than it turned out to be. Boy was I wrong. When I got home that first day, in describing it, I compared it to trying to write without knowing how to hold a pencil, how to spell, and how to compose a sentence without knowledge of grammar. It was humbling, to say the least. I am grateful to my coach, Coach Tippett, who had faith in me and spent extra time on me, sharing all his helpful knowledge and tips to get me on the right path to being a better golfer. I am also grateful that instead of bashing the old clubs I showed up with on that first day of practice, Coach Tippett managed to find a nice newer set for me to use for practice and matches. I felt a lot more confident using better clubs. Nothing personal to my dad who made what seemed like quite a sacrifice letting me use his clubs, but I think secretly he was quite relieved to get his clubs back in one piece. I’m grateful to my teammates, who I know must have been cursing under their breath when I messed up shots time after time in the early days, yet didn’t lose faith, but continued to encourage and support me. They were kind to acknowledge my improvement, and remarked about how often they ran into me at the driving range, and made sure Coach heard it. I am grateful to the staff at Spanish Trails Golf Club for allowing our Spring Valley High School Golf team practice on their beautifully maintained, private golf course three days a week, and to all the resident “pros” who happened to be on the course, who offered advice and tips, in hopes of making us better golfers and more enjoyment out of the game. When I think of how much time, collectively, was spent by so many people in an effort to improve our games, it’s amazing. Golfing has taught me much more than how to play the game of golf. It has taught me perseverance, discipline, drive, responsibility, respect and appreciation. As I watch the Master’s in Augusta this weekend, I have an entirely new appreciation for the players, as well as the sport. (And the maintenance crew.). Thanks for the opportunity to apply for this scholarship. I enjoyed writing this essay.