Freshman swings her way onto golf team

Sarah Lo stands about 5'4" and weighs no more than 100 pounds. She might not look like a star on the golf course. But don't be fooled.

Lo is the only freshman player on the girls’ golf team. She has already earned the position of fourth best player.

Amazingly, Lo started playing golf just last year and has mad her rapid improvement by practicing once or twice a week. Even though no one else in her family plays the sport, her mom thought it would be a good personality fit, because of her ability do well under pressure.

Lo used to play tennis before golf, a background that she says helps her with accuracy and coordination.

“I didn’t miss the ball [like many beginners usually do],” Lo said.

She continued playing throughout the summer, now practicing with the team four times a week at the Saratoga Country Club.

Her improvement has been lightening fast; she now averages five strokes per hole vs. the 10 she took just a year ago.

Coach Dave Gragnola said Lo’s concentration and ambition are her primary assets.

“She has a lot of poise for a new player,” Gragnola said. “She is serious about her game and as she adds length [to her stroke], she will become one of the better players in our league.”

Lo says that the secret of her score is a slow backdraw of the club and her an evenly paced swing.

“I try to have a good, even tempo so it’s the same every time,” Lo said.

Lo’s favorite club is a 6 hybrid, which helps her achieve distance as well as loft on her balls.

Being new to the sport, Lo has especially enjoyed competing against other schools’ players, saying the adrenaline of winning makes up for the hours of practicing the same stroke over and over again.

“The players from other schools are really good, but I know what I’m competing against, so I can rise to the challenge,” Lo said.

However, when practices or tournaments are especially long, Lo can feel burned out and overwhelmed.

“At times I’m on the verge of almost losing interest,” Lo said. “But then I think about how far I’ve come. It makes me work harder and keep doing my best.”