Music plays.
Gabriella stands on a golf course, wearing a red hoodie. Her breath turns to steam as she talks.
Throughout, Gabriella is often on a golf course, practicing different shots, performing tricks with her clubs and golf balls, explaining what she does.
On-screen text:
Charles Schwab Presents
Gabriella DeGasperis: There’s a lot of fake stuff on YouTube, but I’m not interested in that. I want to give people the real me.
On-screen text:
The Challengers.
A series about people who
Question. Engage. Succeed.
Gabriella DeGasperis
Gabriella: I’m Gabriella DeGasperis. Golfer and social media content creator. Most people know me as Gabby Golf Girl.
Her Gabby Golf Girl golf bag stands upright on a course. Then Gabby is driving balls. Then old footage shows Gabby as a very young girl, playing golf.
Gabriella: I started playing golf when I was two years old. My parents got me a set of golf clubs. They were pink. And I kind of just fell in love with it.
Gabriella is on a course, practicing putting. She misses her first putt.
Gabriella: I love the game so much. I love that I have to put in a lot of work to get better. I love a challenge, and I love sharing that with others. In my experience, junior golf is so competitive that it can take the fun out of the game. And that’s not me. I don’t want to be a part of that.
On-screen text:
Can positivity make me a better golfer?
Gabriella: Can positivity make me a better golfer?
On-screen text:
Shorter backswing warmups
Grab each end of the club
Stretch the take away
Clips from some of Gabriella’s YouTube videos play.
Gabriella: I make all types of videos. Tips to help people get better. Tricks for fun. I challenge people at the random golf courses. I do collab. I always try and choose the tips that I’m working on myself.
On-screen text:
This is a great feel drill to do for chipping off extremely tight lie
Gabriella [in a video clip]: This is a great feel drill to do for chipping off an extremely tight lie.
I’m working on something, I’m like let’s do a tip about that. I just want to make it as authentic as possible. Right now, what I think needs the most work in my game is putting. And I think that’s just because I’m more of a mathematical person. Not really that feel-oriented. So I have a hard time with speed on putting.
On-screen text:
For me, this is the best putting drill.
Best putting drill
Line up 6 balls
Gabriella [in a video clip]: For me this is the best putting drill.
I’m learning the game, and I’m teaching the game at the same time. Helping someone else play well makes me feel just as good as playing well myself.
On-Screen text:
Oh.
Gabriella: I’ve had a billion coaches, but my best coach is my dad.
Ron DeGasperis: My name is Ron DeGasperis, and I’m Gabby’s dad. And obviously as a dad, I’m super proud of her. I’d love to tell you that I’m there really managing her time. The fact is that she really is managing her time on her own.
Gabriella: Every day I kind of set out to do two things: Get better at my game and help others to find their love for the game.
On-screen text:
I’m the first tee time in the entire club.
Gabriella: I’m the first tee time in the entire club. I play for about an hour and 30 minutes. That’s 18 holes. And then right after that, I usually go home, early lunch, do some homework. Then I’ll come back, practice, film for social media. Anything that I have to do for Instagram reels or any other social media, I’ll do then. Then I come back, edit all of it, do homework, 9 to 11 o’clock at night.
Gabriella and her dad use a phone to make a video. Then she uses her phone and a laptop computer to edit the video.
Gabriella: I analyze what I do a lot. If you open my laptop, it’s YouTube analytics on the top. And we’ll have a spreadsheet. We’ll say, okay, which videos gained the most followers? Which videos have the most comments? And we kind of put them in categories, and then whatever’s doing the best at that moment, we’ll put out more. The best video that ever performed was the one where I just introduced my mom.
Her laptop screen shows her YouTube page and then the number of views some of her videos have gotten.
On-screen text:
Meet my Mom
Gabriella [in a video clip]: It’s Mother’s Day, and I’m bringing out my mom. So meet my mom.
Mrs. DeGasperis [in a video clip]: When Gabby was little, my husband and I would write on her gloves motivational quotes.
Gabriella: I don’t know if I can remember the best comment. But really, I do like the tips comments because I feel like I’m helping others. That makes me feel so good. They’ll say, “You shaved five strokes off my game.” “I loved when you said this.” I’m like, that’s what I’m trying to do, you know?
[A very young Gabriella in an old video clip]This is the two-ball chip shot.
When she hits the balls, one goes straight up and she catches it; the other ball rolls toward the hole and sinks. The young Gabriella screams joyfully and runs off.
Ron: I think the exciting thing about this journey on social media for Gabby is the fan base that she’s created, and it’s growing so rapidly. So for us, it’s exciting as a family to see her wherever she goes to build that momentum and that support of the fans that she has. And if she does make it to the LPGA, then it would truly be unprecedented to have that massive following going into that LPGA Tour.
Gabriella: A fan base for any player, I think, is extremely valuable. But women apply a lot of stress to themselves. Whether it’s in sports or in just regular life. And sports even heighten more. I do it. So do a lot of the girls I play with. And so do a lot of women on the LPGA Tour. And I think that if women can make themselves a little bit more relatable in those tough times, people would sympathize and understand.
Gabriella [in a video clip]: I always want to be transparent and honest with you guys about my golf game. I shot 80 today.
Ron: We obviously have concerns of her being in the public eye. But I think there are concerns in anything you set your kids out to do.
Gabriella: Sometimes the comments are negative. But most of them are really positive, so I’m super grateful for that. Listen, I can’t control what people say. I can control what I put out there.
[in a video clip] I’m just gonna go after every shot the best I can, be as confident as possible. Here we go.
Ron: She’s super mature. She’s super responsible. And we definitely, as a family, have a good management over it. I think she’s gonna have a lot of opportunity just from what she’s learned along this journey. And we’re proud of her no matter what.
Gabriella keeps a golf ball in the air by repeatedly tapping it with a club; then, before the ball can touch the ground, she drives it down the course.
Gabriella: If I played you on golf, I will pick that based off how much do I love the team. Not necessarily the level of golf, but I would want to love the campus, the coach, and the kids that I play with. That is most important.
On-screen text:
Ask questions. Be engaged.
[Charles Schwab logo]
Own your tomorrow®
Gabriella: You know, golf is my life. But there’s more to me than just golf. I’m still 16. And I don’t know the future. I don’t really know what’s gonna happen.
On-screen text:
[Charles Schwab logo] [PGA Tour logo]
The Official Investment Firm
©2024 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Member SIPC. (0224-4P5E)
On-screen text: THANKS TO:
Thomas Szymanowicz
Jeff Massa
Music fades.
