Eric Castellon is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Liberty High for AZPreps365.com

With how many times he has moved around in his life, you would figure that Brayden Gilpin has some trouble adapting to different circumstances.

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Born and raised in Temecula, California, the Liberty freshman spent a good majority of his childhood on the southern California coast, despite moving more than a handful of times throughout his 10 years there.

But he never attended a different elementary or middle school while in Temecula.

It was there that he eventually found a passion for a sport that would fill his competitive spirit and take up a majority of his time.

“I’m very competitive, I enjoy having a challenge,” Gilpin said. “Golf is a very challenging sport, so naturally it was the perfect sport for me.”

While the 2020 AIA Division I golf season is over -- Liberty’s Maddie Frick won the girl’s individual state title last month in dramatic fashion when she birdied the first playoff hole -- Gilpin’s peripatetic journey just recently came to an end.

He did not qualify individually for state, although some of his teammates did. As a team, the Liberty Lions’ boys golf team missed the cut for the state championship, marking the end for Gilpin’s freshman season. 

A golf swing came naturally for Gilpin, as he did not play any golf until he was 10. Within six months he was playing in his first competitive match, and just two years later he played in his first tournament.

His first tournament came in an entirely different part of California, when he moved from the warmer, drier confines of Temecula in the southern part of the state to the much cooler and windier Discovery Bay in northern California in 2018. 

After adapting to the Bay Area climate, it was time for Gilpin to attend a completely different school for the first time in his life. 

“Making new friends for the first time was tough at first, being shy and in a completely different city for once,” Gilpin said. “But the school I went to was very nice and the people there were a lot more friendly and accepting. It didn’t take me long to fit in there.”

Gilpin also met a golfer his age at his local country club. It gave him his first sense of teamwork and friendship when it comes to playing golf. 

They played as often as possible, whether it was after school or on the weekends, as Gilpin was preparing for that tournament he couldn’t wait to play in. 

It was at Franklin Canyon Country Club, in Hercules, California, where he got his first taste of real competitiveness. He shot 75 on the first day, and shot 76 the next, and he didn’t let the experience get overly nerve wracking. 

“Seeing how many people were there definitely got to me at first,” Gilpin said. “After playing through the course and coming back the next day, I settled in and became more comfortable with my swing too.”

Just a couple years later, he once again packed up his belongings and headed to a completely different state, moving to Peoria this past summer. The change from cooler climate to the Arizona dry heat is nothing new to Brayden.

As a freshman at Liberty, Gilpin, 15, tried his best to make things work in what has already been a hectic and unpredictable 2020 due to COVID-19. With all of the regulations and his choice to stay completely remote for all of his classes, his high school experience is definitely different than most kids’ first days. 

Gilpin was able to join the Lions’ golf team a little late, and also experienced having teammates for the first time.

“Playing on a team for the first time was different and new to me,” Gilpin said. “I was shy at first, but I got to know them all, and now I look forward to seeing them at practice every day.”

Despite the late start, Gilpin proved he was ready to play, as he was the No. 4 golfer for the Lions in every match since he joined the golf team in early September. 

Coach Ron Anderson said he has really enjoyed having Gilpin on the team, despite a later than usual arrival, because it allowed him to see the type of player Gilpin is and can be later on.

“Brayden has a great temperament, especially for a freshman, and he handles adversity pretty well,” Anderson said. “He doesn’t seem to let a bad hole or round negatively affect his game, he has great potential and I’m excited to see what the future holds for him.”

Gilpin’s father, Bradley, is really proud to see how far his son has come since his first days as a golfer, and what golf has done for him.

“Golf has really taught Brayden how to be more respectful and just have good etiquette in everything he does,” Bradley Gilpin said.

In Gilpin’s first match against Thunderbird and Desert Mountain, he shot 44 in what he said was a learning experience.

“It was more of learning how to stay mentally sharp,” Gilpin said. “My short game wasn’t the best, and that’s the area I need to stay focused and make those easier putts.”

HIs best match with Liberty came in the PUSD Boys’ Invitational, when he shot 37 after nine holes at Sun City Riverview Golf Course on September 18.

Gilpin is looking forward to what the rest of the semester, and his high school career, will have in store. After going from the temperate courses of Temecula, to the wind-blown greens around San Francisco and now to the Valley’s arid desert, he and his golf game continue to evolve.

“I’m really excited for the future,” Gilpin said. “If my teammates and I keep improving, I can’t wait to see what happens in future years."