Student Spotlight – Ignacio Placencia

By David Smith, USGTF Certified, Torrance, CA

I met Ignacio Placencia in March of 2022 when I started teaching at Montebello Golf Course in Montebello, California. This young man was on the driving range with the Bishop Mora Salesian High School golf team and was having a hard time with his swing. Being that I saw him with his golf team, I automatically assumed that they were there for lessons with their coach. I was right, but I could also see that Ignacio needed help – really needed help – before he hurt himself.

 

I gave him some instruction, and then a couple of weeks later he called me to sign up for lessons. Ignacio has put in the work and has been going through “the process.” He has grown so much in the game in such a short period of time due to his work ethic, discipline and desire to be good at the game of golf. He will play his last season on the golf team at Bishop Mora Salesian in the spring of 2023 and as his instructor, I am quite sure he is going to surprise everyone at how good he has become. I am proud of Ignacio for sticking with the process and he deserves this spotlight.

 

He wants to attend the University of Texas at Austin. The field that he is most interested in and that he plans to study is finance. He wants to be able to provide financial advice and information to families and individuals regarding financial planning and investing.

 

In Ignacio’s own words, “The game of golf has provided me with the skills to be patient and disciplined. Golf has taught me what hard work could do for you. The beginning of the year I wasn’t practicing that much and you see it in my swing. Then, during the summer, I started taking golf seriously. My swing was better and so was my on-course game. The way I see golf being a part of my future is by connecting with new people every time I play.”