Golf: more than just a game

By Emma Harkavy

At St. Mary’s, we know the golf team as St. Mary’s first sports team ever to win state. Read more about how golf has personally shaped the life of Megan Tang (11) here!

Hit the ball into the hole. This is what most people think of when they think about the sport of golf. But, Megan Tang has a little more to offer on the subject.

Everyone knows Megan Tang (11) as the girl who plays golf, and she says, “golf has become a part of me that I could not live without.”

Megan has been interested in golf since the third grade when her older brother took up the sport. While accompanying her brother on the golf course, Megan realized that not many girls were with him on the course - not many girls played golf. So, Megan started the sport and sought to break the gender stereotype.

Since then, Megan dedicates nearly ten hours a week to the sport and follows a strict schedule. She tries to practice every day during the spring and summer, five days a week during the fall, and two days a week during the winter. And that is just for practice!  On top of practice time, a golf match is lengthy, typically about two and a half hours. Although daunting to most, it is this rigorous dedication that allows her to achieve the results she expects in tournaments.

Megan justifies her hard work saying, “I want more people to realize that, contrary to public opinion, golf is actually an interesting sport, and it takes a lot of time and effort to succeed.”

Mr. McCalla, the St. Mary’s golf coach, says “the first word that comes to mind when I think of Megan is resilience.” He adds, “she does not give up. Even if she makes a bad shot, she keeps playing and tries even harder.”

Megan doesn’t mind the demands of the sport because she is appreciative of what it has provided her. Megan says, “Golf is a very humbling sport that takes a lot of time and effort. Even if you are doing well during a match, it is so unpredictable that one mess up could cost you the whole game.”

“Golf has taught me patience and determination because playing golf takes a lot of time to be able to be competitive and good at the game,” she adds.

Megan’s states her primary aspiration is to play Division I golf in college and possibly even continue playing after college, and Mr. McCalla says, “golf has made her more confident over the years, and I see Megan playing golf in the future.”

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