From Shanghai to the back nine, Oscar Xiao (9) arrived in America last summer as a foreign student, unsure of what to expect. But amid the unfamiliar classrooms, cultural changes, and homesickness, one constant remained: golf. Through chaotic bus rides and tournaments with the Westview Varsity Team, Xiao said he found not only teammates, but a community that made San Diego feel more like home.

Thanks to Xiao’s father, he got early exposure to the sport and started playing at the age of 5. According to Xiao, it was because of these early leisurely days that he learned how to enjoy golf.

“My dad is a big fan of golf, so he took me to the course when I was very young,” Xiao said. “It wasn’t professional, just practice.”

This eventually led him to play golf on a more serious level because of his passion for the sport. After his move to the U.S, Xiao, seeking the familiarity of home and to find an accepting community, tried out for the golf team.

“I’m outgoing so I would like to be a member of our school that makes me actually visible,” Xiao said. “I didn’t know that many people when I first got here, but after joining the team, it gave me something from home that I could hold onto. Even though I was really nervous at first, everyone was really nice.”

Xiao said he has found that golf has helped him build relationships with his team members and find people that share his passion for the sport.

“When I was younger, the only experience I had with golf was playing with my dad and his friends,” said Xiao. “He would take me along to the golf course, and while I enjoyed it, it is even better here, with the other players and coaches.”

With the support of his team, Xiao said that his language barrier is almost never an issue, and with it is, his teammates and coach are happy to help him navigate through the difficulties.

“The coaches and students are all really understanding of my language difficulties,” Xiao said. “Whenever I struggle with speaking, all of them are patient and supportive, helping me past the issue.”

Still, Xiao said his first season came with its share of challenges. Xiao said playing golf in America brought a lot more pressure due to the amount of competitiveness between schools, unlike in China, where he would play independently..

“I didn’t have a golf team in China or play many tournaments,” Xiao said. “Here, it’s really different because you’re actually playing for other people, and everything that you do counts.”

Xiao’s view on golf and its impact on his life has also been affected by his transition. According to Xiao, the extreme pressure of academics makes it difficult to participate in other activities.

“In China, there’s no option to dedicate yourself to both sports and academics,” Xiao said. “It’s either you only go to school, and don’t do anything else, or you only do sports and don’t do anything else. Here though, you can do both sports and school well, and they actually promote each other.”

America gives Xiao the opportunity to balance both his sport and his academics, a change welcomed by Xiao.

“There’s so much more freedom here,” Xiao said. “For example, after class, instead of just spending hours studying, I can go to a golf course. There are not as many restrictions here as in China, and this freedom to choose what I want to do is why I like it here.”

Throughout the time he’s spent on the team, Xiao’s passion for the sport has continued to grow, especially with the upperclassmen on the team pushing Xiao to his full potential and inspiring him to improve.

“I want to perform well on the golf team, like the juniors and seniors on varsity,” Xiao said. “Right now, I feel like there is a lot of room for improvement. I want to play at the level of my other teammates.”

Xiao said the opportunity to play regularly with others who share his passion has opened up new ways for him to connect with others.

“It’s really obvious when I speak that I’m a foreigner, but when I play golf, it’s a sport; it acts as a carrier between me and my teammates,” he said. “Golf is a common hobby I have with everyone on the team, and because of it, I can have a way to communicate with others without having to actually talk.”