Nobody Owns the Game of Golf

There are a lot of ways to look at golf.

For Ryan Medina, it’s more than the scorecard.

You're Never Too Old

There’s a weird thing that happens when you start something later than everyone else. You look around and assume everyone knows something you don’t. They’ve been doing it longer. They took lessons. They competed in college. Maybe you missed your chance.

Ryan Medina is a pretty good argument that you didn’t.

Ryan came to golf later than most professionals. Growing up, his grandfather and uncle would take him to the course during the summer and simply let him play. “They just let me go out and play rather than fixate on the technique,” he says. “I had no junior career or really an amateur career.” Until he took the game seriously at 19, his game was almost entirely based on feel.

Eventually, Ryan found himself competing against golfers who had taken the traditional route—players who had been swinging clubs since childhood and competing for years. But being around them led him to a simple realization: nobody owns the game of golf. They may have started earlier, but once they stepped onto the course, Ryan had just as much right to be there as anyone else.

That idea has followed him beyond golf. “Remember that no one’s negative opinion matters in any way,” he says. “Life is moving so fast that you may as well just go for it as soon as possible!”

Want to learn golf at 19? Go play. Want to learn how to kickflip at 40? Get a skateboard. Make the thing. Try the shot. Put yourself out there.

Nobody owns it. You don’t need permission to start.

The Game Outside of the Game

For Ryan, becoming a better golfer isn’t only about what happens on the course. The people and interests around the game have become just as important to the player he is becoming.

His family and friends give him people to celebrate the highs with—and somewhere to go when the lows come. “Sometimes it’s nice when I have a hard day on the course and I go out to eat with my family afterwards,” he says. “It allows me to just take my mind off of my game.” Having people who care about Ryan beyond his score gives him a chance to step away and come back with a clearer mind.

His creative life gives him a different kind of perspective. Fashion, art, photography, and content all shape the way he sees the world and, in turn, the way he sees golf. “When I get too technical or mechanical with the game, things can start to get sloppy or feel off,” he says. That creativity shows up in how he reads a green, imagines a shot shape, or finds an unexpected way out of trouble.

And, of course, it shows up in what he wears. Ryan pulls inspiration from old Ralph Lauren, J.Crew and Eddie Bauer catalogs, ’90s Giorgio Armani runway looks, vintage Americana, and Tiger Woods in the ’90s and early 2000s. For him, the course isn’t just somewhere to compete. It’s another place to express himself.

The things outside of golf don’t pull Ryan away from the game. They give him the balance, perspective, and creativity to play it his way.

Hydrating for What’s Next

For Ryan, hydration isn’t just about getting through the round. It’s about being ready for whatever comes after it. The next shot. Another bucket at the range. Or dinner with friends and family when the round is over.

He’s learned that lesson the hard way after dealing with dehydration during big tournaments. “When I hydrate properly I can feel it improve my mental and physical focus and energy very quickly,” he says. Staying on top of it helps him stay present for the shot in front of him without feeling drained by the time the next opportunity comes around.

Because golf doesn’t always end on the 18th green. Sometimes the best part of the day is what happens afterward. Ryan wants enough left in the tank to say yes to that, too.

That’s where SALTT fits into his routine. “It makes it really easy to say yes to whatever the next moment is. I don’t even have to think about it.”

What Comes Next

If Ryan gets to design his life exactly the way he wants it, golf will still be at the center.

He wants to play at the highest level. He wants to keep creating. And eventually, he'd love to bring those worlds together in a way that doesn't really exist yet.

If he got to design any kind of event? “I think an art show type of vibe would be amazing. But also including displays of clothes. And then maybe a movie and food that ties everything together. So maybe like show up, view the art and clothes for an hour or two, and then take a seat and enjoy a good film with really good food and drinks.” (And, of course, SALTT somewhere in the mix.)

When Ryan talks about the future, the vision doesn’t sound like just winning tournaments. It sounds like golf, art, clothes, food, friends, and whatever else he decides to bring along with him.

Maybe that’s the point. Ryan never let the traditional path into golf define how he had to play the game. There’s no reason it should define where he takes it next.

Rapid Fire Questions

Number one tip to help Golfers shoot lower scores?

Work on your short game. You can literally do it anywhere and it’s free. 

Morning or evening golf rounds 

 love a good morning round.

What’s your favorite flavor of Saltt

It’s always been Feelin’ Peachy!

What’s the biggest challenge with going pro?

The biggest struggle for me is the financial side, I am constantly grinding on other things outside of golf to make sure I am able to get to as many events as I can.

What is one of your favorite golf brands right now?

Metalwood