Tap Into College Golf

This episode features some great insight about playing golf at the DIII level and how that may just be the perfect fit for you! Kelsie Warren joins me to discuss her experience as the former head women's coach at Washington & Lee and now the head women's coach at her own alma mater, Methodist University. Methodist offers the rare opportunity to both play college golf and pursue your PGM degree. But don't disregard the level of golf that is played at Methodist as they have won the DIII National Championship 25 times since 1986.

After both playing her college golf and serving as an assistant coach at UC Davis, Coach Dobashi then headed to join the Stanford golf program. There she served as an assistant coach for 6 years, then as director of operations for both the men's and women's teams for 2 years. In August 2021 she was named the new San Diego State women's head coach. As she wraps up her second season with the program, she shares her journey into the college coaching world and some really insightful advice for junior golfers who want to prepare as much as possible for the transition to college golf.

This is an episode I've been hoping to get recorded for a while now. Being from the Anderson, SC area myself it's been so fun to watch the Anderson University women's golf team become one of the top DII women's programs in the country. As of this episode, they are ranked #5 and coming off a great win in KY. Coach Denton Moore joins me to discuss his first year as the women's head coach after serving as the associate coach for men's and women's programs. We dive into the competitiveness at the DII level and how they have managed to develop into such a strong program over the years.

Many times I hear girls and parents say “I played great during my practice round” or “I can shoot X score when I play at home”. Bottomline is those are not and never will be the same as tournament golf. The goal is to better prepare for the difference and how you are inherently going to feel and react during tournaments. Create confidence in your game by preparing for those feelings and planning for worst-case scenarios. Learn how to make your practice feel more like tournaments vs trying to make your tournament rounds feel more like practice.

After successfully building the women's golf program at Lipscomb, Coach Jesse Lawley had the opportunity to return to UAB, her alma mater, and take over their program. Despite being a very quick transition, Coach Lawley has been full speed ahead to instill her coach philosophy and expectations into the Lady Blazers program. She shares about her journey to this point and advice for those up-and-coming young golfers wanting to play college golf. 

Former college and professional baseball player Kenny Trapp has earned his status as one of the best college coaches and recruiters in the game of golf. He led the Dallas Baptist University women's team to a DII National Championship back in 2021 and continues to build and develop a nationally top-ranked program. Listen to how his philosophy on simply winning the day vs setting goals has led to his team's success. And why he thinks "bad bounces" is the worst thing a golfer can say bc "everything is an opportunity". 

Do you think it's all about playing DI golf? Well, think again! You will have a hard time finding a coach with more success than Brent Nicoson who has led the University of Indianapolis Men's and Women's teams to 13 conference titles, 10 regional crowns, and two DII national championships. He has been named GLVC Coach of the Year a combined 12 times. He is also part of four straight generations of Nicoson's who have been a part of Greyhound athletics. Coach Nicoson shares with us his approach to coaching a top-ranked DII program and how he implements the 4 C's (Culture kid, Coachable, Consistent, and Competitor)

When should you as a young golfer start performance and resistance training? Should you continue playing other sports? What does golf-specific training actually consist of? What are some of the more common areas of need and concerns for young female golfers when it comes to training and injuries? What are things you can do at home or at the gym if you don't have access to a personal trainer? These are some of the questions and topics that Ryan Mckie, Performance Coach and Co-Owner at Knight Performance Factory, will discuss and shed light on from his experiences of training athletes, including high school, collegiate, and professional golfers. 

I'm sure you've caught yourself wondering, "why her and not me" or just in general "why her" when you've seen a player post their verbal commitment or learn that they received the offer you were hoping to get from a coach. You may be asking yourself, "What did I do wrong?", "What did she do better?", "What can I do better?". Well in this episode we discuss 6 scenarios I've seen be the reason that a coach selects one recruit over another, and how you can be more aware of these aspects that may impact your chances of getting that college golf offer you've dreamed of. 

From a collegiate golfer and head coach at a Power Five conference program to a move to NYC with no college coaching plans, Amy Weeks shares her journey of becoming the head women's golf coach at Columbia University. An Ivy League in the heart of NYC certainly has its share of perks and advantages, but it can make life a bit difficult for the girls on the golf program as they balance golf course time with their studies. We dive into their program and season, plus some insight on the recruiting process for Ivy League programs. 

Coach Adam Gary has had quite the impact on the Western Kentucky women's golf program since he got the coaching job 7 years ago. The program has earned its spot in the Golfstat Top 100 for the last three years. His love for the game of golf and player development is evident in his passion for coaching. Hear all about it in this episode.

Season 3 continues with another stellar episode featuring Coach Judy Pavon. Coach Pavon has led the Volunteer women's golf program for the past 20 years. As college coaches continue to navigate life in the midst of the pandemic, Coach Pavon took the time to share what she has learned during this time and her advice on the transition from junior golf into college golf.

This episode kicks off the 2020 Fall Season with insight from one of the most competitive DIII women's golf programs in the country. The Rhodes College women's team has won 3 National Championships (2014, 2016, 2017) and has a head coach with 40+ years of coaching and leading the athletic department at Rhodes. If you want to learn more about how the DIII athletic route might be the perfect fit for you as a prospective student-athlete then be sure to listen in as Coach Mike Clary shares his experience leading the Lynx ladies golf team. 

After a stellar collegiate and amateur career, followed by a 6-year professional golf stint on both the LPGA and Symetra Tour, Coach Glaser thought she would leave the golf biz and head in a totally different direction. After the opportunity to serve as the assistant coach at Duke University presented itself, she entered the college coach field and has made her mark there as well. 

She just wrapped up her 8th season at the University of Florida, where the team had captured two titles before the season was suspended. Coach Glaser shares some insightful advice about playing college golf and managing life during these uncertain times. 

You may not think much when you hear the name UNC Charlotte. Even Coach Holly Clark admits she didn't when she was considered for the first-ever women's head golf coach back in 2015. But that has certainly changed. Coach Clark joined the UNC Charlotte coaching staff after 6 years as the assistant coach at Vanderbilt. Prior to that, she started the Carson Newman women's golf program. When the opportunity to build another program from scratch presented itself, Coach Clark and her husband headed to Charlotte and with that came a determination and confidence for not just building a program, but being one of the best. Tap in and listen to her story and journey that led her to UNC Charlotte and how the excitement for their program's success continues to grow. 

In the Take 3 Series, I cover your questions about recruiting, junior golf, college golf, player development, parent involvement, and much more.

This episode discusses:

"Can I find out which programs are not fully funded?"

"What is qualifying like in college?"

"Should parents be present during visits?"

Coach Amy Bond didn’t have plans of being a college coach, but when the opportunity to continue playing professional golf while also being the assistant coach at her alma mater was presented, she felt like it was a no-brainer. That was the awakening of her new-found passion for being a college coach. She went on to be the head coach at Princeton for 4 years, before the chance to return back to Florida State as their new head coach was given to her in 2010. And she has loved every minute of it and shares that love for coaching in this episode. 

In this episode, we hear a new perspective as former Furman women's golfer Taylor Totland joins the podcast to talk about overcoming injuries as a junior, collegiate, and professional golfer. Injuries, illnesses, accidents, and setbacks are all part of being an athlete, how you come back from them is key in staying on the path to success. Taylor has battled both chronic and acute injuries throughout her golf career and learned a tremendous amount from them. We talk about knowing when to take breaks, when to push through, and how to take care of injuries to continue playing pain-free.  

In the Take 3 Series, I cover your questions about recruiting, junior golf, college golf, player development, parent involvement, and much more.

This episode discusses:

"Are scholarships negotiable?"

"Which college golf camps should I attend?"

"What is a verbal commitment?"

In the Take 3 Series, I cover your questions about recruiting, junior golf, college golf, player development, parent involvement, and much more. 

This episode discusses: 

"What tours and tourneys should I play in?"

"Does a coach prefer resume or online questionnaire?"

"How do I handle expectations when I've been working hard?"

Discipline, Attitude, Will, Gratitude, Selfless (DAWGS) is what you will see when you walk into The Barn in Starkville, MS, home of the Mississippi State Bulldogs men's and women's golf teams. Coach Ginger Brown, in her 10th season as the women's head coach, proudly gives a tour of their facility and shares a few of their team traditions before we sit down to chat. A PGA Class A Professional, Coach Brown has developed a culture of "team first" among her players with a big emphasis on leadership and personal growth. She shares insight into her passion and excitement for what she considers to be the best job in the world.

You've heard many of the stories and references to my college golf days at Furman University, well this is your chance to listen in while I sat down to chat it up with my college coach Mic Potter. Coach Potter (better known as Mic in the college golf world) is in his 37th season of coaching, his 15th as the head coach for Alabama's Crimson Tide Women's Golf team. With 38 WGCA All-Americans, 36 WGCA All-Scholar Team selections, and 21 LPGA Tour Players produced during his coaching time his record clearly speaks for itself. But we dive a little deeper into how his coaching philosophy has changed over the years and what he feels that it takes to play at the next level. 

The official kickoff to season 2 of Tap In To College Golf. This is just a short episode to welcome in the new year and the new season with some insight as to what is to come in the 2020 season. A big addition is the launch of a new series to tackle your questions and stories as listeners. 

In this episode Coach Doell chats about her move to the University of San Francisco after spending 7 years building the program at Seton Hall. She shares some of her own personal growth and lessons learned from her early coaching career. And be sure to stick around for the whole episode because we cover some great recruiting process tips during the last 20 minutes.

Wisconsin's Head Women's Golf Coach Todd Oehrlein shares a couple of his favorite practice drills, including an indoor winter drill he uses with the team during their offseason.

After 19 years as the Head Women's Golf Coach at Georgia State, Coach Cathy Many retired back in April 2019. I caught up with her to provide a different perspective for this episode as she reflects back now that she is no longer coaching. She shares about her time with junior players when she was an instructor prior to becoming a college coach. And also the experiences she had as a college coach with collegiate players for 19 years. 

High Point University Head Coach Alexis Bennett joins me for the Quick 9 series. In this series coaches get 9 questions to answer in less than a minute. We discuss college golf, junior golf, the recruiting process, and being a college coach. 

After earning his license as a chiropractor and coaching both basketball and golf at the DIII level, Coach Todd Oehrlein took over the women's golf program at the University of Wisconsin in 2003. Tap in to listen to his unique perspective on coaching and how his philosophy has changed over the years. 

Bringing you a new perspective in this episode as I chat with Limestone Men's and Women's Head Coach Zack Siefert. Don't let the lack of a "DI name" keep you from tapping in to listen to this episode. Coach Siefert played college golf at Clemson University so he knows the appeal of playing for a powerhouse DI program but his energy and enthusiasm for developing his players at a DII program is second to none. You will get some great insight on how he manages both programs and the struggles he sees for incoming freshman as they take on college golf. 

In the Quick 9 segment each coach gets a chance to share their favorite drill. In this episode Coach Erika Brennan from University of South Florida shares a drill she likes to call Chaos. 

If this episode doesn't get you excited to play college golf then I don't know what will. USF Coach Erika Brennan has such a passion for coaching, mentoring, and developing young athletes, along with being a dedicated mom and wife, that you can feel the energy radiate as she speaks about it all. She shares how she got started as a college coach and what inspired her to follow that path, along with some advice for junior golfers going thru process and how they can work towards being the best athlete they can be.

This is a rare opportunity to hear from a coach who is in the midst of transition from one program to another. I caught up with Coach Lisa Strom as she was selling and and buying a house in the same day, meeting with her new players, and getting settled in at her new home of Kent State University. After 3 years as the head coach at Texas State (5.5 years as assistant coach at her alma mater Ohio State prior to that), Coach Strom received the call to take over the 10th ranked program at Kent State. It was an opportunity she was humbled and flattered to receive and wanted to take on the challenge. You'll hear her talk about that transition and how those scenarios can affect both the player and coach, along with Coach Strom's own journey from tour player to coach and what she has learned along the way.

Coach Kuhle knew early on that even though she loved playing golf she was meant to be a coach. She does not take her role as a coach lightly and feels like the example she sets for her players is one that goes well beyond the golf course. She also feels blessed to coach in her home state of Colorado as she puts a top priority on her family. 

In this episode, I chat with Auburn Women's Head Coach Melissa Luellen about her journey from playing college golf for her mom, to playing on tour, to how she ended up at Auburn. She shares some great perspective on how she has balanced her family life with her coaching life and what she expects of her players on and off the course. 

As a Furman Women's Golf Alum I was excited to sit down with Head Coach Jeff Hull to chat about this journey that led him to Furman. After his college golf career ended at University of South Carolina, Coach Hull went the route of being a teaching professional, before taking on the assistant coaching job at UGA. His insight as a former instructor and now as head coach at a successful women's golf program with rich history like Furman University is a unique one. 

In this episode Kelley Hester, Clemson Women's Head Golf Coach, shares how she first got into college coaching and her unique coaching path that has spanned the country before landing her at Clemson. She talks about her time as Stacy Lewis's coach while at Arkansas, her return back to UGA, the uniqueness of coaching a program like Furman and all the highs and lows along the way. 

After 11 years at UVA, Coach Kim Lewellen decided to come back home to NC and take over the women's golf program at Wake Forest University. 

I caught up with Coach Lewellen right after the team won the ACC Tournament to cap off an exciting and eventful spring season. We talk about how she got started as a college coach, being there as Wake Forest Senior, Jennifer Kupcho, won the Augusta National Women's Amateur, the traits of a successful college athlete and much more.