It never ceases to amaze me the wonderment of stories that present themselves either planned or by chance. Being in the right place at the right time creates the opportunity to make a connection that generates the storyline. Without exception, I believe there are hundreds of unique “Chance” storylines out there to be told.
I have been very lucky over the years to have come across some incredible individuals who through a simple conversation reveal something about themselves that could be inspiring, motivational or just interesting to share with others.
Just such a chance encounter revealed yet another storyline just a few weeks ago. Now, this is not a fairytale, but a fairway tail. Every so often I get the chance to play a round of golf. I love the sport, but at best I am a marginal player. I would fall under the category of a “Social Golfer” which is code for not very good. My Son and I were zipping around Crosswinds golf course when we caught up to a single golfer who was walking the course. There were two holes left to play on the front nine and he asked if we wanted to finish the last couple of holes with him. Of course we said yes as I noticed this young golfer was toting a Greenwood Gator golf bag.
So that prompted a series of questions about his game and background and within a few short minutes I realized this is one of the “Chance” storylines that should be shared.
Get ready to meet Dylan Ross a recent graduate from Greenwood high school that received a full scholarship to play golf at Union College. Here’s the catch, he started playing golf as a freshman in high school and was cut from the team as a sophomore. Need I say more…?
ST: How did I you get started playing golf?
DR: I never had really played golf before my freshman year, I had only mini golfed, I grew up playing baseball and basketball and had never really considered golf, but my aunt and uncle asked me if I would go to a clinic at the local range to see if I would be interested in playing golf, so I said I would go and during the clinic the teachers handed me a iron and told us to all work on chipping, after showing us the grip and the way to swing they put a trash can down about 30 yards away and said every time you hit it you got a free bucket of balls, so after a few tries I got the hang of it and began hitting the can, I ended up with like 20 buckets by the end. After the clinic I realized I had some talent and also had realized that I loved golf. My uncle bought me a set of clubs and then I began to play.
ST: Tell us about your high school experience?
DR: I didn’t make the high school golf team until I was a junior, after I was cut my sophomore year coach Newton told me that I had talent and to start getting lessons to improve. I began getting lessons from Adam Gary after and I practiced hard all year and until I made the team my junior year. I continued with the lessons and got better.
ST: You have played a lot since you started, how did you get the attention of college coaches?
DR: During the summer I played the Pepsi junior golf tour, I played well and that’s where I got a lot of attention from coaches. I finished the season overall in top 25 and had numerous top 5 and 10 finishes.
ST: What colleges did it come down to for you and why did you choose Union?
DR: I was interested in I had offers from a few schools but they came down to 2 they were Hanover college, and union college
I choose union because I felt that it was a better fit, I loved the coaching staff, and also the campus. But a big factor was the majors they offered and the academics they have.
Majors I plan on majoring in political science with a minor in business management
“People I would like to think for success Parents and grandparents as well as others in my family for help throughout Also my golf team and the coaches who recruited me. I also feel that I owe a lot of my success to coach newton and my swing coach Adam Gary because without them I don’t know if I could have made it this far in golf” said Ross.
One thing for sure, Dylan is proof that if you want something bad enough, no matter how late in the game you start, with hard work and a positive attitude anything is possible.
