Mason Golfer Branson Real: the Real McCoy

By Broadside Sports Editor Michael Coppinger

For Branson Real, golf is more than a sport—it’s an escape from the everyday rigors of life. “My favorite thing about golf, is that I can go out on the golf course and just get rid of everything in my life,” Real said. “The problems disappear. I know I can’t take care of them while I’m out there. It just gets me away from the struggles of life.”

The 21-year-old Colorado native is in his first year at George Mason University, after playing two years at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. Before attending Hutchinson CC, Real lettered in basketball and golf at Wray High School, capturing the Regional Golf Championship and making the All-Conference team all four years, while also being named to the All-Conference team for basketball once.
As a newcomer to Division I golf, Real is still finding his way, and learning every day.

“My strengths are probably my wedges. I usually hit them pretty close,” Real said. “My weakness is scoring. I’m not very good at it. That means that when you have to make the putt, like it’s a critical moment in the round to keep it going, I usually miss it. I’m working on getting more experience, putting myself in more pressure situations. The more you’re in there, the more you succeed, the more confidence you build up, the better you’ll get.”

Being a Mason golfer means representing the university across the country. The team plays in various tournaments, taking the athletes to places they may have otherwise never been. Real doesn’t take this for granted, savoring every trip.

“We have one of the better schedules of the mid-major teams in America,” Real said. “We went to a tournament in Bethpage, N.Y., that was our first one. Every tournament we go to is a blast. Our coach is really cool, and every guy on the team fits in to their own place, and we make fun of each other, a lot. After that we went to Louisville, Ky. We play a lot of good teams and usually get beat, but we’re competitive. I’m from Colorado, so I haven’t really got out to the East Coast very often, so every trip is a new
place.”

The team has also traveled to tournaments hosted by Duke University and San Diego State. Mason tees off with its last tournament of the fall, competing in the ODU/Seascape Invitational in Kitty Hawk, N.C.

“Mason golf really prepares us for life,” Real said. “We get a lot of experiences everywhere we go. We meet a lot of new people, someday maybe one of those contacts that we meet on the road will help me out with getting a job. Golf is a universal sport, almost everybody plays it and it’s a really good opportunity to meet new people up there on the golf course. It’s such a relaxing sport and everybody likes it.”
While Real tries to fine-tune his short game, he is exploring the country, one tournament at a time.