The first notable memory that comes to mind when senior Trystan Tilton thinks about golf—his all-time favorite sport—is the time he got drenched working at a golf club.
“There’s a hill where we park all the cars that go into the car garage, [and] there’s a little sewer holding [that] we had to clean one time,” Trystan said. “One of my friends put the power washer in it with all the mud and stuff and sprayed it, and it got all over me. It was not fun; I couldn’t change, and it was like 95 degrees out, too. It was wet, and I was hot for a while, so I just had them spray me with a hose because I was already muddy.”
But from putting the ball at the young age of five to participating in country clubs and junior golf leagues in the sixth grade to now working at a golf club, it is no surprise that this hobby has always been an intrinsic part of Trystan’s life.
However, these factors haven’t been the only contributing ones; his father has also played an important role. Trystan’s aspiration to become like his dad, combined with his prior experience with playing Division 1 Golf in Iowa, only adds to the enjoyable aspects of the sport.
“My dad’s a really big golfer,” Trystan said. “He played in high school and plays as much as he can still, [and] he’s really good, so I’ve always wanted to be like him. He’s always wanted all my siblings to be golfers too, but since I was the best at it, he’s always chosen me to go golfing with him. [Golfing is] kind of like a personal way [of] wanting to be like my dad.”
Even though Trystan had an amazing role model to pave the way, this isn’t his only reason for continuing to play. It’s also the only activity that has remained a constant passion that he has shared with his dad. Golf is a way for him to become closer to his dad while enhancing his ability to become even better at the sport.
“I wouldn’t say I do golf because of him,” Trystan said. “But I feel like he did inspire me when he was younger, which is good because then it made me want to do it on my own. I love doing it myself.”
It’s because of experiences like these that remind Trystan of all the moments that he cherishes with his dad. However, one core memory that always comes to mind is when he would watch films with his dad every week.
“We always used to go to the movies all the time,” Trystan said. “That was our thing; every weekend, we’d go see one or two movies [at] Celebration [Cinema] North. That was our place.”
Regardless of how Trystan chooses to spend time with his dad, one thing that will never change is the way that he looks up to him. Whether they’re out playing on the hills or relaxing at home, Trystan cherishes every moment with him.
“He’s just always cracking jokes all the time,” Trystan said. “If he knows stuff about you, he’ll like to make a funny joke for you; he’s always like that personally to people. He’s also very social, which I think I get a lot from him too [and is] just a nice person, [who is] always laid back and chill.”
However, aside from the active aspects of Trystan’s life—ironically—through the influence of his family, he hopes to enter the chiropractic realm after high school.
Devoting his time to helping others has always been a goal of his, and practicing it through a profession his family is heavily entrenched in has only made the field that much more intriguing.
“It’s complicated because just like with golf, I want to be like my parents, [and] I want to be like my family,” Trystan said. “Almost all of [my relatives] are chiropractors. My aunt, my uncle, my great-aunts, my great-uncles, [and] some of my cousins are all even physical therapists or masseuses. It’s a really big thing in my family, so I would think I could see myself doing that.”
