Kayla Hess is the winds section captain in the Columbia High School marching band.
She’s treasurer of the student council, and a member of the school’s Mini-Thon, which raises money for kids with cancer.
A straight-A student, Hess has just been accepted to the National Honor Society. She recently joined Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Other than that, there’s not much going on in the sophomore’s life.
Oh, wait.
She also plays disc golf — lots of it. She’s won 39 times in her 81-event, four-year amateur career and can claim to be the nation’s premier 15-year old disc golfer after winning the 2023 PDGA Women’s National championship in the 15-under division.
The U.S. Women’s Disc Golf Championship is one of four “Majors” conducted by the Professional Disc Golf Association.
Hess is blazing a trail for young local disc golfers and has the earmarks of a great future in the sport.
“My fall progress has slowed because of school and all the extracurriculars,” Hess said. “There’s definitely things I want to work on, but I’m very happy with the progress made during the year, especially being able to compete at the big events. That’s been really cool.”
Hess has won 13 times in 2023, highlighted by her national championship, her victory at the Women’s Open of Maryland in the Women’s Amateur I division, a win in the same division at the New Jersey State Championships and a fourth place at another major, the PDGA Junior Disc Golf World Championships in the 15-under division.
She won her first women’s pro open division last month at the Codorus Autumn Open, a B-Tier even in Hanover, but did not accept the small first place prize money.
Just last week, disc golf products manufacturer Latitude 64 announced that it has added Hess to its junior team.
“I’ve made a lot of progress this year and I’m very happy how my year has gone,” she said. “Very early on in the season, I was very frustrated. I felt like I wasn’t making progress, I wasn’t playing like how I wanted to. Then, I don’t l know, a new head space came about me and I started changing certain aspects of my game, looking at things in a different light and ever since then — April-ish — there was a jump in my game.”
Next season likely brings a mix of youth division, women’s amateur 1, mixed amateur division and women’s open pro events to Hess’ docket.
Maybe a Disc Golf Pro Tour Elite or Silver Series event? Kristin Tattar won $116,000 this season on the DGPT tour.
“It’s definitely tempting,” Hess said. “I feel like a lot of time I doubt my ability, like ‘No, I couldn’t compete in that.’ I think there are a few of those events in the Silver Series where I could potentially shoot well — I don’t think well enough to win or anything.
“It really hasn’t been on my radar yet. I feel like I have to take the step to go pro, then see about the bigger elite events.”
Her peers feel like she has the game to take that next step and beyond.
“She’s won a major,” said 18-year-old pro Jesse Longenecker of Lancaster. “That’s very telling.”
Pro Emily Dale of Lititz knows Hess’ game better than most. Their friendly rivalry has blossomed into a strong friendship.
“Kayla’s amazing,” Dale said, a huge smile coming over her face. “There’s not a single doubt in my mind that she’s going to get scholarships and sponsorships. She definitely has what it takes to get to the next level.”
But there’s a big gap between being a 15-under national champion and a force on an elite level.
“Not as far as you think,” Dale said. “She has the potential to do it.”
Fallback career choices read like an abbreviated list of her extracurriculars: engineering, business, finance.
Big time pro disc golf may never see Hess’ spirited, expressive face, but somehow, she’ll survive ... in spades.
“I love disc golf, it’s one of my passions,” she said. “I don’t know what I’d do without it. I love playing tournaments and casually, but I don’t want to count on it. I just want to go to college, get a degree and have plans so that if disc golf doesn’t work out, I have something else I could rely on.”
