By Yalan Zhu
Staff Writer
ILLUSTRATION/ Ella Chang
Calculating her distance to the hole, freshman Merida Ding hand-picks the most suitable club to strike the ball. She plants her feet, adjusting her position, and straightens out her thoughts. With a smooth swing and focused eyes, Ding drives the golf ball towards the hole with precision and control.
Ding is placed top 500 out of 4,253 ranked players on the Junior Golf Scoreboard, or JGS, a competitive ranking consisting of players from ages 12 to 18 nationwide, and is fifth in the school league.
“[Through golf] I develop time management and problem-solving skills,” Ding said. “But I play mostly to win.”
JGS placement is determined by the average of every player’s scores in weighted tournaments, where points are awarded depending on the level of competition and importance.
Scores in each tournament are determined by whoever hits the fewest strokes to the hole.
“I started when I was six years old as a hobby to play for fun,” Ding said. “My dad plays and wins money, so I was like, ‘you know what, let’s try it, let’s try it.’”
Ding competes in the 12 to 14 age division in the Southern California Professional Golf Association, where she plays tournaments in the highest division, the Toyota Tour Cup.
In high school, the lowest scores from the top five players are added up and compared to other schools. Ding has led the team twice in league.
“I train every single day for three hours,” Ding said. “I hit around 200 to 300 balls, then I go putting for an hour.”
Ding balances schoolwork and golf practice, with many important competitions adding to her workload.
“In important tournaments, my hands shake; they always shake,” Ding said. “I can’t actually get rid of it. It depends on my score for the hole. If I do really good for the first hole, I feel more confident usually. But if I had a bad score, I’d usually just think, ‘Okay, let’s set my goals a little bit lower for this round. I’ll just try to hit average today.’”
To improve and keep her form consistent, Ding records videos of her swing, then reviews them in slow motion to assess any problems.
Her dad, who used to play recreationally and now coaches, continues to support her behind the scenes, analyzing videos and offering feedback to help her touch up her form.
Ding continues these individual strategies in the team-based league system.
“Individually, I feel like I am a lot more nervous, and there’s so much stress,” Ding said. “But if I’m in a team environment, I just feel really calm, like nothing bothers me. [Coach Bacon] is like ‘be calm, have fun, play good’, that’s it.”
Despite her competitive spirit and demanding schedule, Ding still finds time in her days to enjoy video games and hang out with her friends.
She hopes to be a finance advisor or physiatrist in the future.
“There’s a specific sound when your ball is on the green,” Ding said. “You’re putting, and then you hit it really, really solid; the ball, from a long distance, just goes straight into the hole. And it makes that really nice sound I love.”