Feb. 24, 2008

Men's Golf Winter Blog - February 23 by USF Head Coach Dr. Gary Nelson

Golf, unlike most other college sports has two seasons, which utilize the better part of the entire school year. The Christmas holiday, which at USF spans over a month between December 20 and January 22, provides the student athlete a needed break between fall and spring. Often it provides the time for team bonding and things that would be hard or impossible to schedule during the playing seasons. The NCAA restricts the number of days in the combined spring and fall seasons to one hundred and forty-four days, which allows us to fit in a fundraiser, and equipment fitting session at Taylor-Made just before school starts.

Such was the last week of this winter break. The team returned a week early to participate in some very special events. First was our team fundraiser in San Diego, which was played at Stone Ridge Country Club. Here the team gets to play a fun round of golf while practicing the communication skills that will lead to success after college by interacting with diverse business men and community leaders, all while raising a great deal of money for our program.

The next day was spent at the Kingdom at TaylorMade. This facility is normally reserved for TaylorMade's tour staff, and several of our team have been at the facility flanked on the range by Mike Weir and Tom Lehman, trying to be cool while being fit for woods and irons. On this particular day TaylorMade had closed down the Kingdom to exclusively service our team, and Mr. Jim Flick's private students. Irons were re- shafted, new wedges, drivers and new utility clubs fitted, while many of the players went through the Putting Research center, either tweaking their equipment or seeing how they could improve their strokes. This facility, as well as the full swing diagnostic center are amazing, and far beyond what other manufactures have to offer. Nine cameras and computers analyze every parameter of the swing, and can superimpose any number of tour pro's swings on top of the player's. At the end a DVD can be printed and taken to work on during the year.

The coaches have been busy as well during the break. We were working on finalize our own, on campus, diagnostic studio. This facility is complete with launch monitors, video cameras, hitting nets and putting green. Being indoor, and near the center of campus, it allows the team to work on their putting and full swing, in a controlled environment, and a place to practice between classes and on rainy days.

The break also allows the coaches to sit down and evaluate the hundreds of inquiries, from prospects, as well as put together our "A" list of individuals from the classes of 2009 and 2010 who we will evaluate not only during the winter break, but also in late spring and summer. There is much more that is done during the break of course, deciding on next year's fall tournament schedule, reserving times at some of the more fabled courses in the world, such as Spyglass Hill and Cypress Point Club, selecting the uniforms for the upcoming year, making sure that we have enough logo balls, and gloves on hand when the players return, and writing personal letter to those friends, alumni and previous players whose support is helping to raise our program to the top of Division I golf, to name just a few.

Until I sat down to write this, I don't think that I realized how busy, coach Yokota and I were during this time. I knew that we didn't have much time for our own golf games, and now I realize why.

Dr. Gary Nelson Head Men's Golf Coach University of San Francisco