What began as fun childhood afternoons on the course with her dad grew into a lifelong passion for Westside junior Chloe DiPrima
“I got into golfing when I was three. I did clinics with my friends and my dad would drive me around the course while I ate goldfish and drank lemonade,” DiPrima said. “We would occasionally stop at the pond to fish. This made me want to be on the course and eventually grew my love for it.”
DiPrima is one of the best players in the state. So far she has finished in the top 10 individually in nearly every tournament this season, including a 1st place finish at Tiburon Golf Course. With this success comes a lot of great moments.
“There are two of my favorite golf moments at Westside. The first one happened my freshman year when we tied for first at districts and our whole team went into a playoff. I made a birdie to secure the win with everyone watching and cheering,” DiPrima said. “My other favorite was last year at state when I drained a putt on the last hole on the last day at state to secure second place for us while hundreds were watching. This was the first time in history Westside had gotten second. It was a huge accomplishment.”
Westside has one of the best golf facilities in the country with the Swede indoor golf training facility that was opened in the February of 2021. DiPrima talked about how it has improved her game.
“The Swede Center is unlike any other in a high school,” DiPrima said. “It is an amazing opportunity for us to get in practice during our open mods. I love to work on my short game and get into a routine.”
Diprima talked about how she has balanced the physical and mental side of golf.
“It’s been very tough for me to balance it. I have read books and talked to professional athletes on what they say. As I have gotten older I take in what they say,” Diprima said. “The biggest helper for me has been yoga and meditation. This helps calm the nerves and focus at the task at hand.”
Head Coach Jered Hellman has known DiPrima for many years and has watched her love of the game grow.
“I’ve known about Chloe since she was a little girl, primarily through our tight-knit Westside community,” Hellman said. “It was clear from a very young age that she had a remarkable passion for the game. I started hearing about her from friends and family who are members at Happy Hollow Club, all of them impressed with this young girl and her beautiful golf swing.”
Coach Hellman recalled the first time he reached out to Chloe about her potential.
“I reached out to her in middle school to let her know how excited I was about her potential,” Hellman said, “And our relationship grew from there. When she started at Westside as a freshman, there were already high expectations. I knew she’d need a support system to navigate the challenges, not just of the game, but also of being a top player on a team with older athletes.”
For any athlete to be successful at the varsity level, they must continue to make strides after their freshman year.
“Chloe had a solid freshman season, but her sophomore year showed a big leap in consistency and maturity. She’s been working hard on all aspects of her game, and her hard work paid off. She finished fourth at the state tournament and, even more importantly, she led our team to a runner-up finish—our highest since 1990,” Hellman said. “Now, as a junior, she’s really matured into one of our team leaders and a captain. She’s already won an event and has a great chance to be a medalist at the state tournament.”
Coach Hellman also spoke about how Chloe is handling the pressures of success and recruitment.
“Chloe’s incredible play, strong work ethic, and positive attitude have rightfully attracted a lot of attention from college coaches,” Hellman said. “This is an exciting but also stressful time for her. She’s balancing the demands of the season, conversations with college programs, and the academic toll of missing school for tournaments. The way she’s handling all of this shows immense growth. She’s an impressive young woman and a true leader.”
DiPrima and the other Warriors are looking to continue their stretch of dominance this season and take the state title in October.
