Zostrianos Giordani-Gross heads to Alabama for college, golf

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/12/2023 (876 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

By Thomas Friesen

Thousands of golf shots, dozens of tournaments and 700 e-mails later, Zostrianos Giordani-Gross is set to become an NCAA Division II golfer.

The Brandonite epitomizes the preparation it takes to become successful in one’s craft. He has spent many a long day beating balls at Mulligan’s Driving Range, driving around Manitoba and Saskatchewan for events, and even layering up to hit balls into a net in his family’s old barn in the winter months.

The Crocus Plains senior can trade the hoodies and sweats in for sunscreen next year as he heads to Alabama’s Miles College of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the 2024-25 season.

Miles Golden Bears coach Leonard Smoot was one of 700 coaches Giordani-Gross contacted and one of five he had serious talks with about joining their program.

“It took a long time, but it was worth it,” Giordani-Gross said, adding being far enough south to play year-round was big for him, as was Smoot’s resume as a retired Chief Warrant Officer in the United States Marine Corps.

“What I’m looking for in a program is something that’s pretty structured and I think he’s going to be the guy to give that to me.”

It’s clear through his actions how much Giordani-Gross wants to continuously improve. He can thank himself for that work ethic, but is much quicker to credit his parents, Derek and Chiara, for investing time and money to get him to tournaments and Winnipeg for Golf Manitoba team sessions.

He has spent the past three years working with coach and Canadian Professional Golf Association pro Derrik Goodwin to refine his game.

Being in an individual sport, Giordani-Gross has learned to find comfort in the solitude of golf and a willingness to embrace its challenges.

“I love the game, I guess. I like those ups and downs,” he said. “Golf’s the only game where everything’s up to you. No matter what the factors are, the weather, everything’s up to you and how you play it and I like that pressure.”

Giordani-Gross came close to quitting a few times and even tried once. He recalls a tournament in 2022 when he told his dad he was done. Derek told him he’d support him either way, but if it was something he loved, he should stick with it.

Giordani-Gross rebounded to new highs, stringing together three Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour wins and representing Manitoba at the Canadian junior boys championship this year.

It was one of the few he didn’t win which motivated him the most. He led the Steinbach Fly-In MJT stop with an even-par 72 on Day 1 and felt he was hitting the ball incredibly well, then fell to fourth place with an 81 in the second and final round.

“That tournament really motivated me to keep going,” he said. “That feeling of being really close and just not quite making it really set in me and I didn’t want to feel that again.”

He went on to shoot a blistering 67-66 to dominate an MJT at The Legends Golf Club in Warman, Sask., and qualified for the MJT national championship in Arizona last month.

From provincial to national championships, the game has certainly taken Giordani-Gross a long way. His next stop is Fairfield, Ala., where he plans to study history and political science while chasing NCAA tournament victories.

It’ll be a big step, no doubt, especially in moving away from home. The good news is Giordani-Gross has subconsciously learned a lot about independence through golf.

“I think when I first started playing, you gotta learn to take complete control of your actions and responsibility,” he said.

“I had to learn it’s not the course’s fault. It’s all on me if I want to get better, I have to go out and put in the work. Sometimes it maybe gets a bit lonely out there all the time, but I love the game and it’s worth it in the end.”

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