Dylan McCoy has been playing golf for as long as he can remember, dating back to when he received his first set of plastic golf clubs as a toddler.
“I got my start in golf when I was really young,” says McCoy. “It’s always been a part of my family. It’s always been something that I’ve always loved.”
As a multi-sport athlete, McCoy opted to focus on golf as he entered Servite High School, with the thought that the golf course was where he could make the strongest impact as a Friar.
“I always played other sports,” says the 17-year-old junior. “But once high school came, I sort of had to put my priorities in the right spot. I realized golf would probably be the right one to pick.”
And McCoy is no doubt leaving his mark on the program. As captain, the second-year varsity player helped lead the Servite golf team to their third consecutive Trinity League title, as they finished with a perfect 10-0 record in league play. The Friars were also runners-up in the CIF-SS Championship, and McCoy was named 2nd Team All-League.
“Dylan is an exceptional young man who brings leadership and stability both to our team and to the whole golf program,” says Servite head golf coach, Dane Jako. “He’s a player who never gets too high or too low in any given situation, which is exactly what I look for in a captain.
“The younger players look to him as a perfect example of how you’re supposed to carry yourself on and off the golf course. You might say he is a perfect example of what a Servite student represents; he is giving and always puts the other person and teammate before himself.”
Away from the course, McCoy serves his community through a Servite outreach program called Her Servants’ Kitchen, a ministry where food is prepared and served to the homeless each week in Anaheim. Having the chance to help those in need has had an impact on McCoy.
“It’s a really cool moment because you actually get to talk to people,” says McCoy of volunteering with Her Servant’s Kitchen. “You get to hear their story.”
McCoy is inspired by professional golfer Jordan Spieth, and the Villa Park resident would love to take a similar path as Spieth by playing NCAA golf for a Division I collegiate program prior to turning pro.
With encouragement from his parents, especially his father who plays golf as well, McCoy draws off of his family’s support and has learned several lessons about patience, integrity and how to be a good competitor, all derived from a game that has been said to imitate life.
“My dad has always told me,” says McCoy, “that you get to actually know how a person’s character is by how they play the game.”