DGS junior Andrew Calek, strives to continue his golfing career after a tournament win at Fox Bend with a score of 77, five over par last year. Calek plans to practice hard with the team and working out on his own time to achieve his goals this season. 

“I want to go to state because once you go to regionals or sectionals you can either advance as an individual or a team,” Calek said. 

Playing competitively takes dedication as Calek travels up to an hour away for matches. Calek also practices Monday through Thursday, and on Saturdays if their team does not have a tournament or match. As a high school student, Calek also has to balance his academic and sports responsibilities.

“After practice I get home at seven and normally have a little bit of homework… I like to workout as well,” Calek said. 

Golf is considered an individual sport based on individual success; however, Calek enjoys the team atmosphere of the golf team at DGS. He looks up to his teammate Matt Frauendorf because of his drive to practice every day and the time he commits to better himself in the sport. Calek looks forward to being a leader on the team as a senior next year for DGS. 

“We are all friends, there are only ten of us, so it is a really fun environment. Especially, the coaches, Tiesman and Christy, [they] have a lot of fun with us,” Calek said.

Calek has fun with the competitive environment of golf at DGS, but also enjoys playing leisurely with his family members on courses that he loves. He enjoys playing at many different locations such as Village Greens in Woodridge and Cog Hill in Lemont. 

“I really like playing at Cog Hill because they have four courses and two of them are very challenging,” Calek said. Calek enjoys traveling to nicer courses with his dad. 

Calek has fun with his family and friends off the course and feels like he can be himself around them. Family has always been an important part of Calek’s life and he has learned a lot about golf from his family members growing up. He was first introduced to golf by his grandpa and looks up to him as both a golfer and a grandpa to this day. 

“He’s always been a big part of my life and he was the one that got me into golf in the first place… he’s pretty good too, he puts in a lot of work for it, even for his age,” Calek said admiringly. 

Calek’s dream score in golf would be a 72, which is par.