“What the JGA has meant to me”
I’ve been playing golf since I was four years old back in Venezuela. I used to be pretty good—I won several tournaments and practiced about five days a week. Golf was a huge part of my life.
However, when I moved to the United States at age ten, things changed. I lost motivation to play because I didn’t have any friends here who played golf. I got into other popular sports, like soccer, and eventually stopped playing golf altogether. I even started to dislike the game.
Everything shifted during the summer going into my sophomore year of high school. My dad signed me up for a GCJGA tournament, even though I hadn’t practiced in a long time. I felt like I was starting over from zero. I tried to practice a bit before the tournament, but I wasn’t confident at all. When the tournament day came, I shot around 120. I was really upset with myself.
But that day ended up being more important than I realized. I made new friends—Mason Sterner, Andrew Del Cristo, and Mathew and Lukas Gorzilia. These friendships helped me start to enjoy golf again. I also found a lot of motivation watching great players like the Crowe brothers, TJ, and Sean and Terry Moore. Seeing their level of play inspired me to work harder and improve.
Later that summer, since I had enjoyed playing in GCJGA, I was encouraged to try JGA. I ended up liking it even more because it was based on skill and offered a more consistent tournament structure. I found myself competing more often, and it was a lot of fun. The best part was that many of the same people from GCJGA, the volunteers and the players were also part of JGA, which made it feel familiar and welcoming.
Now, looking back, GCJGA and JGA have made a huge impact on my life—not just in golf, but in who I am as a person. I used to be very introverted, but thanks to the friendships I’ve made and the support from volunteers, I’ve become much more confident and outgoing.
I’m truly grateful for everything GCJGA and JGA have done for me. It’s helped me rediscover my love for the game and grow as a person both on and off the course.
Best Regards,
Andres
