Props: The Internet & Social Media, even you, Tinder.
After walking out the doors of Cathedral High School, I packed my car up and headed to the grand state of Oklahoma. One moment I am writing in morning detention till my hand falls off and the next thing you know I am trying to figure out why people around me are wearing cowboy boots and pearl snap button downs when it’s not Halloween. I didn’t adopt that style quite yet, I still missed the daily no-brainer of my khakis and white polo Catholic school uniform with a tie dye undershirt if I was feeling aggressive. I spent the next four years getting lost in the day-to-day of a Student-Athlete. The Oklahoma State Golf program is of a different class; a fraternity that was dug out of the dirt through sweat equity and holds ten national championships with more alumni on the PGA Tour than any other university.
While most students were getting home at 6AM from a late night of binge drinking, four days a week I was just waking up at that time for workouts. (Yes, I workout for golf. Am I going to be cage fighting anytime soon with my golf muscles? Nah.) Never fear, I found plenty of time for social activities and maintained a healthy relationship with a pretty little bird named Whiskey. I’ve been very lucky in that I grew both as a man and golfer in my time at OSU, lucky enough to turn professional last June in 2013. Starting out as a professional golfer isn’t quite as glamorous as some of you might see it. While spontaneity drives some people to get up and go places, I do it for work in pursuit of the PGA Tour. Needless to say, I’ve put plenty of miles on the truck and had more than enough hotel coffee. But in no way is this a bad thing, we all have to start in the trenches and work our way up. I grabbed my first professional win in March and currently have status on the PGA Tour Canada. The things I have been able to see and do in the last 12 months have been nothing short of incredible. All in all, I get to do what I love every day, even if it takes me away from home.
This brings me to my props to the Internet. Shout out to the Internet for allowing me to never once feel apart from home and my high school class of ‘09. Whether it’s an occasional Twitter update, Instagram post, or even a casual Skype sesh, social media has allowed me to keep home right where it should be. The 317. This golf thing has taken me all across the map, and it can get hard staying in touch with my people. Our generation is special in the fact we are just old enough to remember what it was like to stunt with a Razor flip phone and make a mean mix CD. We remember what it’s like to actually go to the library and check out books, or go out on a Friday and not have to snap story your entire night with your besties. But we are just young enough to own the selfie game. Throw out a hashtag and have it actually make sense. (Mom, #gehlfamilygolftrips is never going to be trending) Can you even imagine how many re-vines we could have gotten with our student section’s roller coaster!? 2009 didn’t have these social media outlets while we walked the halls of Cathedral, but now we do. With our class now spreading its wings, lets always try to stay connected with this web called the Internet. This Cyberprops thing is awesome, and I encourage more people to step up and let us know where the wind has blown them since our last Irish Blessing. I hope my short checkup makes y’all want to get your followers up, and let us know how ‘09 is doing.
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