Golf Is For Old People - Angelina Gong
Angelina Gong is a sophomore at Phillips Exeter Academy. A successful golfer, she describes her rocky relationship with her sport and the role her father plays in her athletic journey.
2009: University of Washington Golf Course
I remember snow the first time I played golf. Early January in Seattle is far from the ideal playing conditions, but the rounds are free. Well… technically. My dad packed up my flimsy plastic clubs, loaded the old Toyota, and we snuck onto the course before the sun rose. Fluffy snow fell all around us and the greens bore a thin layer of frost.
“Yingtao, by the time the snow melts, you will be a superstar. Like Tiger Woods” he said. I had no idea who Tiger Woods was.
Contrary to what my dad would later tell coaches, I had no natural talent, no love at first sight with the sport. In fact, after that first day, I didn’t play for six years.
2015: Golf Club of Dublin, Ohio
The second time I played golf would be the catalyst to a years-long, life-altering journey. But at that time, a nine-year-old myself was just an accomplished basketball player who happened to accompany her dad on a Sunday. He had told me we were going to the gym before ending up at our local course. Huffing and puffing, he dragged me out of the car and onto the range. Sitting there with my arms crossed, he told me:
“I’ve decided, basketball is too dangerous, you will now play golf.”
“You can’t just decide that. Golf is for old people!” I screamed.
All the old men at the range turned to look at me disapprovingly. My dad shoved a club into my arms. With tears in my eyes, I picked up the club and started to swing.
2018: State Junior Girls Championship, Parking Lot
Before I quit golf, I almost ripped the door off that old Toyota. I remember slamming the door, hot tears streaming down my face, sunscreen burning in my eyes, and the mid-July sun cooking me in the backseat. I grunted in frustration and broke my trophy over the front seat.
“Hey, calm down-” my dad said.
“I don’t want to do this anymore. I really hate golf. It’s not the tournaments, I just hate it. I’ve given every moment of the past two years for this cursed sport, I’ve given up so much…my relationship with you, and every second I wonder if it’s worth it.”
For the first time, my dad in the front seat had nothing to say. He stared blankly at the steering wheel. My shuddered breaths seemed to take up the entire car, I was scared of what he would reply.
“I’m sorry,” he said, turning around in his seat to face me. It was the first time I’d seen my dad cry.
“I pushed you too hard. You are right, it’s taken a toll on our relationship. I only wanted you to be happy, I promise. If you don’t want to do this anymore, that’s okay. We don’t have to. Wo dui bu qi ni.”
2019: Kinsale Country Club
The best part of golf is taking a cart out to the course right before the sun is setting. Looking out at the hole from the tee box; ignited in gold. The feeling of the spring breeze blowing my hair around me, birds in the distance. Studying the neatly trimmed grass of the green, watching your ball roll in, the precision of iron shots, landing within yards of the flag. Especially after realizing in the past ten years I had played golf, I’d never played a round with my dad.
“Y’know you’re not half bad for an old guy.” I teased.
“Ah, I played some back in the day, in China. Plus you did always say golf was for old men.” he chuckled.
“Dad, I thinking about starting to play again.”
“Aren’t you playing right now?”
“No, in competitions, practicing. Might even apply for that boarding school-”
“Are you sure? You know I’ll support you anyways.”
“Don’t worry dad. I’ve had some time to think. I’ve fallen in love with golf, I can see the beauty of it, truly. Plus it isn’t just a game for me anymore, it’s a bridge. It ties all the great golfers I’ve met together, both friends and rivals, and ties opportunities together. I’ve been able to go to places and access things I’ve never done before. And ties us together. The course helps bridge the customs, decades, and distance between us. I know what I want now dad.”
My dad smiles and tees up a ball. “If you wanna get back into the game, you’ve got to beat me first.”
1991: A Field in Qidong, China
A future immigrant boy, with dreams of a better life, steals his college roommate’s old irons and a cracked ball. He runs out to the farm fields outback and takes a swing for the first time.
