With a strong stance, feet firmly planted on the ground, he channeled all his power and effort into his swing. 

Independence. Opportunities. Devotion. Confidence. Hard work. This is what prompted Coppell senior Zachary Frazer to shift from his childhood sport of soccer to one which provided him an entirely new experience: golf. 

With soccer being an important part of Frazer’s life from early on, the transition to golf was a difficult decision. 

“I’ve been playing soccer since I was 3 or 4. I stopped playing club soccer after my freshman year and then decided to quit soccer all together after my sophomore year,” Frazer said. “There were people who told me [to quit soccer]. Some of them were on the golf team, some of them were my golf coaches. Ultimately, I didn’t let their opinions dictate what I did because I didn’t want to do something that I didn’t want to do.”

Although several factors played a role in Frazer’s decision to quit soccer, the primary reason revolved around independence. 

“I enjoyed that in golf, you can practice by yourself,”  Frazer said.  “In soccer, sometimes, it’s hard to work really hard because you have to have two or three other guys around you who you can go out and practice with. I enjoyed golf more because I could go out and practice by myself without having to rely on other people.”

Despite his past history of excellence in regards to sports, Frazer faced many challenges as he first transitioned to golf due to the sport being significantly different from soccer. 

“I’d always been good at every sport I played and I never had to worry about not making a team or not being good enough. With golf, I wasn’t good at all when I started, so it took me two or three years where I had to work really hard to get good enough,” Frazer said. “It was definitely challenging for me to have to be patient to just trust that the outcome would take care of itself as long as I put in the work everyday.”

Similarly, Frazer found leaving soccer challenging, bringing forth many obstacles. 

“I was very close with a lot of guys in soccer,” Frazer said. “Having to switch from soccer, which is a team sport, to golf, which is more individual, was really hard for me. I miss soccer a lot.”

Despite these initial challenges, Frazer put forth great effort and hard work to reach his full potential. Through 30-40 hours of practice each week in the summer, Frazer found that his hard work provoked great improvement. 

“Freshman year, I was shooting in the high 80s and 90s, and sophomore year, I was shooting in the low 80s. This past summer I shot in the low 70s. I’ve taken off around five strokes every year,” Frazer said. 

Frazer claims this improvement occurred largely due to his mental strength, hard-work and positive mind-set. 

“I’ve always pushed myself to be the best that I can be. I don’t like to fail at things. Knowing that, I just push myself to work as hard as I can so that I wouldn’t look back and regret what I had passed up on had I not worked my hardest,” Frazer said. “I’m proud of how hard I’ve worked. There were a lot of times where it would be easy for me to give up.”

Coppell senior Andrew Chow, a friend of Frazer’s and captain of the CHS boys golf team, sees positive characteristics in Frazer. 

“He’s got a good attitude. He works hard. He’s a good leader for the team. He’s really solid all around,” Chow said. 

Frazer also gained several other important skills and lessons from competing in golf. 

“Learning how to take advice from others is a big thing. You’ve got to be able to listen to your coaches and listen to people around you,” Frazer said. “Being an athlete helped me realize there are people better than I am at certain aspects, so instead of trying to do it all myself, I have to allow those other people to help me.” 

In addition to athletics, Frazer excels in academics and finds that he must balance to two in order to be successful. 

“It’s definitely difficult. You have to sacrifice hanging out with friends,” Frazer said. “Instead of hanging out with my friends on a Friday or Saturday night, I have to stay at home and do homework or go to the golf course, but you just have to be good at time management.”

As Frazer approaches the end of high-school he starts to consider his future aspirations in regards to golf. 

“I’ve always wanted to play a sport in college,” Frazer said. “Golf may be the best opportunity to do that.” 

Follow Drishti (@drishti_gupta_) and @SidekickSports on Twitter.