For junior Will Markham ‘27, golf stands out from other sports because of how social it is.
“I think golf is a good activity to do with friends because you can play it your whole life,” Markham said. “When you’re 50 or 60 years old, it’s harder to play football and basketball. The whole thing is very social, and golf is a social sport.”
Markham golfs most of the time with his good friend Blake Brislin ‘27, someone who helped introduce and coach him on the game.
“Around freshman year, he got me out there and helped me find some good golf clubs,” Markham said. “He taught me everything I know about the game, and we’ve kind of bonded since then. If golf wouldn’t have taken place, I don’t think we would be as close as we are today.”
Golfing outside of school, especially at Brophy, is prominent. Places like Phoenix Country Club, Talking Stick, and Encanto are hotspots for student golf. Since there are only a select few who are on the highly competitive Brophy Golf team, this leaves so many students to golf outside of the program and build connections through a sport that is much loved.
William Koster ‘26 has had about the same experience of creating friendships through golf. Although he first met his friend Mateo Berastegui ‘26 through basketball, it wasn’t until they played golf together that they really connected.
“Mateo and I first met through basketball, but I didn’t know that he even golfed,” Koster said. “After I learned that he did, we decided to play at Talking Stick over the summer of junior year and were able to talk more in depth. If it wasn’t for golf, I wouldn’t have one of my best friends.”
Golf can really create a unique environment to build connections because of how much time the players spend together and converse.
“It’s a chance to talk to someone on a deeper level for five hours and really learn about their work ethic, how they respond to adversity, and what type of person they are,” Koster said.
At Brophy, Golf is much more than a regular sport to pass the time. It’s a means of making new friends, tracking improvement, relaxing the mind, having fun, and so much more. The friendships made from golf last way longer than the nine or eighteen holes played.
