Tracy Drake’s FORE story being made into documentary

One of FORE Magazine’s most popular articles over the past several years is now getting the Hollywood treatment. Published in the magazine’s Winter 2023 issue, “Unbreakable Spirit” narrated the true story of Tracy Drake’s remarkable rise from homeless youth living in the woods beside Arroyo Seco GC, to Academic All-American golfer at Cal State University, Long Beach, to nationally renowned naturalist and park services manager for the City of Torrance.

The article caught the eye of veteran L.A.-based producer Jeffrey Schenck (Hybrid, LLC), and wheels were soon set in motion to transition the story from the magazine’s pages into a documentary based on Tracy’s life. Schenck, with production credits on over 260 movies, tabbed four-time Emmy-winning director and editor Sean Olson to direct the documentary; Drake is a producer on the project (as is the writer of this article, who also penned the article on which the film is based).

Filmed across three full days in late May with a seven-person production crew, the doc’s settings borrow from the article’s backdrops, including ample interviews and footage shot at the Madrona Marsh Preserve and Nature Center in Torrance and Arroyo Seco GC in South Pasadena. Calling the opportunity to direct the project “an honor,” Olson’s reaction to Drake’s life story echoed those of countless SCGA members. “When I heard Tracy’s story from Jeff and read the article in FORE, it really moved me,” said Olson amid the second day of filming. “She took something that was a horrible situation and was able to persevere and to change her life through golf, through getting a Master’s degree, through becoming a naturalist and through mentoring others.”

Initially hired to edit a smaller scope project, the course of pre-production and eventual filming saw Olson’s vision grow across seven secondary interviews and deep swings into both the depths and ascent of Drake’s arc. “We don’t yet know how long this documentary will be until we go through the entire process,” added Olson, “but with all the aspects of her story, this feels like it’s getting bigger by the day.”

In concert with myriad responses from FORE readers and the article receiving a national writing award, Drake says she received well over 100 messages from friends, colleagues and strangers alike; among the reactions, one inspired reader went on to obtain a Master’s degree in golf course sustainability. “And now she’s making a difference in the world,” Drake said. “How great is that?”

Describing the film revisit of her life as “surreal,” such enthusiasms extend to her own realizations of unveiling her life on camera. “I am so excited that this opportunity to help inspire others came forth; I can barely contain myself,” she continued. “Last night (before the first day of filming), I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep. Just thinking back through this process, to the beginnings of the magazine article until today, it’s just incredibly exciting.”

Initially reluctant to share her story, Drake has continually embraced the positive impact that her narrative has had on others. “My goal isn’t necessarily to change their lives, but to help people reach their potential,” she said. “And it’s made me so excited that this [documentary] platform may help us do the same thing the magazine article did, on a new scale.”

In revisiting moments and places of her tumultuous youth, she has further impacted the story’s most crucial character — herself. “This entire process has been healing for me,” she says. “Having never shared my story before in its entirety … I’m no longer as afraid as I was. I’m not getting that fear anymore, that very debilitating fear.”

With golf as a vehicle for her redemptive rise, Drake has also received no shortage of requests for golf lessons. “A huge amount of people getting in touch,” she smiled. “In particular, our Japanese and Korean communities have reached out a lot, asking for golf lessons for themselves and their friends and families.”

“My goal isn’t necessarily to change their lives, but to help people reach their potential, and it’s made me so excited that this (documentary) platform may help us do the same thing the magazine article did, on a new scale.” – Tracy Drake

Freshly inspired to pass along the swing study of her own mentor, Henry Hoople, she has discovered a newfound infectiousness for instruction. And while golf lessons come in many forms, there is, as FORE readers are well aware, only one Tracy Drake. “A few days ago, I was trying to get to work and not be late,” Drake whispered while a colleague was being filmed at Madrona. “But I drive by this neighborhood kid swinging in his yard, and saw this sweep-away takeaway and am thinking, ‘Oh no, he’s going to have this major hook.’ So, I pulled over and just had to help him and gave him a three-minute lesson.”