Weekend with Ben Crane, Matt Chandler and Coach McGraw!

Below is the blog that senior captain Nick Jarrett wrote during his time with PGA Tour Pro Ben Crane last weekend.  Nick, Kyle Lewis, and John Potter had the opportunity to spend an extended weekend with Ben at his home in Dallas, TX.  They did not have wireless while down there so that's why they didn't post while they were there.  It sounds like they had a great time.  Pictures will follow soon...

Thursday

We started our trip Thursday night by leaving the Twin Cities just after 5pm. Kyle Lewis, John Potter, and I are traveling with two coaches and several members of the NorthCentral University men’s golf team. We are all going on a retreat through College Golf Fellowship (CGF). Our final destination is Ben Crane’s house in Dallas, TX. We will be driving though the night in order to make it down to Dallas the next morning for our tee time at Dallas Cowboys Golf Club. On the van ride we watched movies and played PGA Tour golf trivia to pass the time.

Friday
Once we arrived in Dallas Friday morning we headed to the Cowboy Golf Club. It was a windy day in the mid 40s but it was outdoor golf so we were all still excited to play. After filling up on a late breakfast at the course we headed out to play. The course was in great shape. It took a few holes to get used to playing again but it was a great way to start out our time in Dallas. After golfing we headed to Ben Crane’s house to meet all the other golfers for dinner. We arrived to his house around 5pm and met up with the other 60 college golfers and staff of College Golf Fellowship. After a great dinner we all sat down to listen to our speaker for the weekend Matt Chandler. He is a widely known speaker and a pastor at the Village Church in Dallas we would be attending on Sunday. Friday night he started by speaking on Roman 1:21-25. We discussed three main issues many Christians face in life on their walk. After the large group discussion, we were split up into small groups and shared our individual thoughts. Our group was made up of those traveling down from Minnesota. This concluded our night as we were all pretty tired from our travel down the night before.

Saturday
After breakfast Saturday morning, Matt Chandler came and talked to all of us again. This morning he talked to us about I Corinthians 6:9-11. Afterwards we once again split into our small groups to have further discussions. After our small groups we came back together. First Ben showed us his new workout videos that will be released in the beginning of next year. These are the sequels to his popular first workout video.  Next Ben and his wife, Heather, talked about what life is like on the PGA Tour and how they rely on their faith to get them through life. It was interesting to hear both discuss how each one of them has continued to grow in their faith over the years through their experiences. After listening to Ben and his wife, everyone headed to a local school’s football field to play wiffle ball and flag football.

Our team was made up of our small groups but our team was lucky enough and had Ben Crane join our team. I was thinking in my head “right now we are playing wiffle ball, a game we each have done in our backyards as kids, with a PGA pro. After wiffle ball we played flag football and represented Minnesota well by going 3-0 against the other teams. It was fun to be outside playing backyard games against other college golfers from around the country.

Later that night we left the house to go eat dinner at Babe’s Chicken. It included all you could eat fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and rolls. I think Kyle would agree it was some of the best fried chicken we ever have had as he went on to eat probably more than 10 pieces of chicken.

After dinner, Matt Chandler spoke for the last time. He discussed Colossians 3:1-4. For the last time of the weekend, we split into our small groups and discussed what Matt spoke on. After small groups we all gathered for a Q&A with PGA veterans Ben Crane and Paul Stankowski along with rookie Martin Piller. We were able to ask any of the players any questions we wanted. We asked everything from their most embarrassing moment while playing in an event to how each one of them kept the game fun and enjoyable. Following the Q&A there were several other players and myself that talked to Martin Piller for another hour or so about his experiences so far in his life. It was a once in a lifetime type of experience to be able to ask several PGA pros any question you want.

Sunday
Sunday morning everyone gathered after breakfast and listened to two players talk about their experiences over the last several years. Each one had a unique several years and had completely different paths to decide to make their faith the center of their lives. After packing, we all headed out to a worship service at the Village Church where Matt Chandler is the pastor.

After attending the Village Church, our entire group headed to play Whirlyball. This was a game that we all had heard about continually throughout the weekend but no one would describe it to us. They kept telling us we could only experience Whirlyball, it could not be described. And they were right, Whirlyball was extremely fun but it cannot be explained; only played. Afterwards we said our goodbyes to all the players, staff of CGF, and Ben. It was an unbelievable experience that each of us will remember for the rest of our lives. While many people headed home, our group made a pit stop on the way back to Minnesota. The head coach of Oklahoma State Men’s golf team, Coach McGraw, was going to let us stay at his house that night so we could split up our drive. Coach McGraw is the head coach of the top golf program in the country and probably the most successful athletic team in the nation.

We met Coach McGraw at Eskimo Joe’s restaurant in Stillwater, OK. At dinner we talked to Coach McGraw and learned as much as we could from him. After dinner he asked us if we would like a tour of Karsten Creek’s clubhouse. We all instantly said “YES!!!” This was the home to the most dominant golf program in the country.

As we entered the clubhouse we saw a hallway filled with National Championship trophies, All-American awards, and every other award/honor one could think of. Oklahoma States men’s golf team is probably the most decorated team ever and their clubhouse displays all these awards. As we walked through the clubhouse it felt surreal as the names of many great PGA pros were on the walls. Coach McGraw then took us into his office and showed us the U.S. Amateur trophy that was won by one of his players this past August, Peter Uihlein. We looked on the trophy as saw the names of some of the greatest golfers ever such as Tiger Woods and Bobby Jones who also once held the same trophy. Each one of us was speechless as we walked through the clubhouse.

Afterwards we left the clubhouse to go spend the night at Coach McGraw’s house. That night we continued to ask Coach McGraw questions about his team and past players on his team. Coach McGraw asked if the following morning we would like to practice at the team’s practice facility at Karsten Creek and once again it took no time for each of us to say “Yes!!!”

Monday
Monday morning several of us woke up around 5:30am to make the most of our time at Karsten Creek. We piled in with Coach McGraw into his golf cart and traveled up to the course well before the sun was up. We went on to hit pitch shots in the dark for almost a half hour before the Sun crept over the horizon. Once we could see past 40 yards, we went on to practice and talk with Coach McGraw throughout the morning. Karsten Creek has a practice facility like none other. It is one of the best practice facilities in the nation. Once again it was an experience of a lifetime.

After taking a few photos with Coach McGraw and thanking him for his generosity, we packed up the van and left to travel home to Minnesota. The experiences we had over the last weekend were ones we will never forget. We met some of the most gracious hosts who shared their faith and life experiences with each of us.

Conference wrap-up and visiting a PGA Golfer!

The NGCA coaches convention in Las Vegas went great.  It is always good to connect with coaches you don't see that often and meet new ones.  There were over 160 women's golf coaches, from all 3 divisions, in attendance.  They had two great speakers.  The 1st was Rick Rigsby.  Rick spoke on "Making an impact."  How do we live our lives and make an impact in others.  If you've never heard of Rick, go visit his website.  He ended his talk with a great quote "Good enough isn't good enough if it can be better; better isn't good enough if it can be best."  The other great speaker was Tim Elmore.  He spoke on how can we relate to this "Generation iY."  He has a couple great books that I purchased and plan on reading over break.  You can find more information on Tim here. 

On a different note, three of our golfers on the men's team (Kyle Lewis, John Potter, and Nick Jarrett) have an awesome opportunity this weekend.  They will be traveling down to Dallas, TX to spend the weekend at the house of PGA Tour Golfer Ben Crane!!  Ben has won twice this year on the PGA Tour and is currently ranked 39th in the world.  This is a tremendous opportunity for these three and a wonderful learning experience.  Kyle, John and Nick will be updating this blog on a daily basis this weekend and hopefully will have some pictures to post also.  Keep checking back for the updates! 

Lastly, next week we will also start the "Get to know them" feature.  Basically this is a quick Q&A with a current player. 

Coach Higgins 

We are staying busy...even in the winter months!

I wanted to update you all on some of the exciting things happening with the CU golf programs. 

First of all our early signing class was released this past week.  We are very excited to have Molly Mullins (Caledonia), Andrea Dwyer (Elk River), Adam Petterson (Lakeville), and Kyle Hagglund (Lindstrom) joining our CU Golf family next year!  They all will be great additions to the program!

The CU Golf staff is keeping very busy during the winter months.  I am staying busy continuing to recruit, oversee athlete workouts and fulfilling NCAA chair duties.  I have the great opportunity to attend the National Golf Coaches Association Annual Convention next week in Las Vegas.  There will be over 100 women's golf coaches from all divisions at this convention.  Also, as the Chair of NCAA Women's DII Golf, I have the wonderful opportunity to facilitate the DII breakout sessions.  I'm really looking forward to this convention.  It's a great way to catch up with some friends and network with others.  Coach Waryan is currently down in Arizona working with the Bird Golf Academy.  He stays busy traveling between Phoeinx, Palm Springs and Las Vegas meeting with clients and giving lessons.  He also helps me with recruiting and future planning.  Coach Maize is staying busy traveling between MN and Sarasota, FL.  She does many private clinics and private lessons during her time down there.  She just recently returned from the 2010 World Golf Fitness Summit in Orlando, FL.  This was put on by the Titleist Performance Institute.

With Coach Maize's help, we just finished putting the last few team members through the TPI testing.  They all now have individual workout plans that they can do to enhance their golf games.  It will be exciting to see how all the hard work pays off this spring!

Lastly, I would like to congratulate Senior golfer, and women's captain, Molly Noser for being accepted into the University of Iowa Dental School.  After her graduation this spring from Concordia she will attend graduate school in Iowa City and sadly become a Hawkeye! :) 
Congrats Molly!

That's all for now,
Coach Higgins

Where are they now...

This blog is to update you on our former golfer, Jennie (Eyberg) Schader.


Jennie transferred to CU from Waldorf College and played golf at Concordia for three years from 2003-2005 and 2007-2008. She graduated with her undergraduate degree from Concordia in 2005 and her graduate degree in 2008. Jennie has been married for 4 years to her husband-Nick and they reside in St. Paul, MN with their Yorkshire terrier-Boji. She is still involved with golf, working as the Membership and Marketing Director at Hillcrest Country Club in St. Paul, MN

Nick, Jennie and Boji

When asked about her favorite memory about golfing at Concordia she replies- “I have many! I was fortunate enough to be one of the very first recruits on the CU women's golf team so I would have to say that some of my favorite moments were our "growing pains" in working to become a well-established and respected Division II women's golf team. There was a lot to learn which I think Coach Higgins can attest to! I would have to say some of the memories that stick out the most to me were the car/van trips-watching Matt try to learn how to deal with a van full of girls on so many overnight trips! Our first ever spring break trip out to California will always be at the top of the list! I still can't believe Matt let us stalk Beyonce and Jay-Z for almost 2 hours!!! Of course being the first player to make it to the Regional tournament will always be a great memory too. Most of all I am thankful for the great friendships I developed while playing for CU.

Where are they now...

This blog is to update you on our former golfer, Amy (Peterson) Peck.

Amy played golf at Concordia for two years. She graduated from Concordia in 2005. Today Amy resides in Schuylerville, NY. Amy is married to Bill who is a 6th generation dairy farmer and local politician in the Schuylerville area.  She has three boys- Hansen 3 1/2 years old, Hudson- 22 months and Hayden who is 11 weeks old.  Here is a picture of their family (minus Hayden). 

Amy writes that one of her favorite CU Golf memories was "The whole thing, traveling to tournaments was always a good time!"  Amy also was a short track speed skater who participated in 5 consecutive Olympics winning 3 medals.  She stays active in the speed skating world by doing consulting coaching work but she writes "My main job is a stay-at-home mom!" 

Fall Pictures

Here are some pictues from this past fall....

Women's Team at Wildwood Lodge Invitational- Tartan Park GC, Lake Elmo, MN

Women's Team at Fall Conference Championships-Hillcrest CC, St. Paul, MN

Men's team at NSIC/RMAC Crossover- Wildhorse GC, Gothenburg, NE

Coach Waryan, Coach Maize, Scott, Joe and CJ at the Men's Fall Conference Championshps
at Troy Burne GC- Hudson, WI

Hole 11 at Troy Burne GC- Hudson, WI

Women's Team at UNO Invitational- Pine Valley GC, Omaha, NE

We're back!!!

Well, I know why I never started a personal blog... because I never update them!!!  We will be updating this on a more frequent basis now.  Over the winter months we will post the "where are they now" blogs, an athlete "get to know them" Q&A, and other misc. things that are happening with the Concordia University Golf Program! 

Obviously our fall season has finished.  Both programs played really well.  The men's team currently sits in third place, and the women's program is in second, after the fall portion of conference championships.  The hard work that each athlete put in over the summer paid off. I'll post some pictures of the fall very soon.

The athletes are now doing their conditioning and winter workouts.  Our first tournament of the spring will be in Palm Springs, CA.  We will be going back to the Classic Club for spring break.  This is where the men's team played their regional last year and they will be our host course for the week we are in California.  I'll write more about spring break as we get closer to March. 

I know both teams are motivated to get the spring season started.  Before you know it, the snow will be melted and we'll be out on the course again.

If you have any question or comments you can direct them to Coach Higgins. 






 

New season is upon us!

Finally the season kicks off this weekend.  I'm very excited for this year!  The women play in a 1-day triangular against MN State and Southwest MN State.  We've been practicing hard this week and I know the ladies are very excited for this Saturday!  Also check out our team photo's for this year!  I think they turned out really well.  Thanks to our SID-Josh Deer!

After taking some time off this summer, I will be updating this blog on a regular basis now.  We willl be posting results and videos, resuming the "where are they now" features on past athletes and sharing some tips throughout the year.  I thank you for your support of our program! 

Go Golden Bears!

UPDATE

Well, it's been awhile since our last posting.  Summer is almost gone and the season is starting in the next few weeks!  As a staff, we've been busy recruiting, teaching, and getting in a few rounds ourselves! :)  I'll write more next week but I wanted to post this link real quick.  One of our Assistant Golf Coaches, Sheryl Maize, was featured on Rosen's Sports Sunday on WCCO Channel 4 this past week.  She did a fantastic job and gave some great tips.  You can watch the segment here... www.myfitv.com/videos/414773

Season Wrap-Up

A quick wrap-up of the men's and women's successful seasons:

The men had their most successful season to date as they became just the second men's team at Concordia to qualify for the NCCA tournament. They had a wonderful time at the regional tournament in Palm Dessert, AZ where they finished in 17th place and were the second best NSIC team. Individually, Nick Jarrett earned NSIC All-Conference Honrable Mention and was named First Team Academic All-District.

On the women's side, the team completed another successful season. They placed 2nd at the NSIC Conference Championships, behind freshmen Laura Petterson and Taylor Auman, who were both named part of the All-Tournament team. In their second appearance at the regional tournament, the women placed 5th, just seven strokes out of qualifying for the national tournament. Individually, Molly Noser tied for 8th, Taylor Auman tied for 13th, and Kaytie Spangler tied for 20th. Laura Petterson was awarded with NSIC First Team All-Conference honors. Molly Noser and Kaytie Spanlger excelled in the classroom earning Second Team Academic All-District honors.

Looking forward to a summer filled with recruting and excited to start the fall season with stronger teams on both sides.

Stay tuned for the next "Where are they Now" blog coming soon!!

NCAA Tournament time!

Whew! What a hectic past few weeks. This weekend we head into the NCAA Regional Tournament. The men fly to Palm Springs today. They have a practice round tomorrow and their tournament is Monday-Wednesday. They are playing at a fantastic looking track called The Classic Club. www.classicclubgolf.com

The women have their practice round today and the tournament is Sunday-Tuesday. They play at The Jewel in Lake City, MN. www.jewelgolfclub.com

you can follow along with live scoring. The women can be found at http://golfstatresults.com/public/index.cfm?tournament_id=1844. The men can be found at http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/index.cfm?tournament_id=1846

update

Sorry it's been so long since the last update.

the men's team is coming off 2 very successfull weeks. We went to the UIU tournament in Ankeny, IA the first week of April and the guys played very well. They had the lead after the 1st day and ended up placing 2nd in a very strong field. Last weekend they played in the second half of the NSIC Championships in Lake City, MN. After the 1st half we were in 8th place. We had a great weekend and ended up moving up 4 places to place 4th in the conference!

The ladies team has also played well over the past couple weeks. They also made the trip to Ankeny, IA for the UIU tournament. They ended up taking 5th. This past weekend they traveled down to the Park University Tournament in Kansas City, MO. The team ended up winning the 12 team tounament by 29 strokes! This weekend we will be down at the Jewel in Lake City for a important regional competition.

That is it for now. I'll write more later and also post another "where are they now."

American Idol Wannabe's???

This is a quick post of what happens on our team bus when two of our players get bored on the 6 hour bus ride back to campus.  Do you think they would make American Idol?  John Potter is on Lead vocal and guitar and Alex Timm is on... well just watch the video! :)  Turn up the volume...pretty funny! 

Wayne and Springfield Wrap-up

Last week the guys took off for the 8 hour drive to Springfield, IL.  The 1st day was about 30 degrees and rainy.  The second day was a little nicer!  We placed 5th.  It was a good tournament to start our year. 

This week both teams hopped on a bus and traveled to Wayne, NE.  They had to battle 30mph winds, a strong field and the horrible smell of Wayne, NE =)!  The women's team won the tournament by 9 strokes.  Kaytie Spangler shot 82-74=156 to place 2nd overall.  Laura Petterson placed 4th with a 76-82=158.  Taylor Auman also shot her career low round of 79 today.  I'll post pictures tomorrow.  The men's team placed 5th again but played pretty well.  Cory Pike led the men's squad with a 74-75 to tie for 9th.   Congrats to the women's squad on their second win of the year!!!

Where does the time go?

First of all I'd like to thank Amanda Bearson for blogging during our spring break trip.  Besides all the Miley Cyrus references... the blogs were very good! ;)  I've posted a couple pictures from our trip. 

Spring break went by too quick.  One of the good things about coming back this year is when we had our first practice back here in St. Paul, we could practice outdoors! There were many courses open this week.  It was the earliest we've ever been outdoors and practiced in the spring.  What a great surprise!  Tomorrow the guys team leaves for Springfield, IL for a regional tournament.  Besides the weather forcast (cold and rainy) it should be a fun trip.  I'll have a player update the blog on a daily basis during our trip.  The course they're going to play looks great!  I know the guys are excited to get into another tournament.  That's it for now!

Coach Higgins

Hopped off the plane at PHX with a dream and a cardigan.

Amanda Bearson here with another installment to my blog...for my followers - hello again :) These past few days have been fun-filled, golf focused, and packed with hilarious, unforgettable moments. Here is a quick recap - Saturday the team played Apache Creek, Sunday was the AMAZING Estrella Mountain, Monday was Johnson Ranch, then Tuesday through Thursday we were at Poston Butte and to close out the week we ended at the gorgeous Longbow Country Club.




Now for the juicy stuff.



Sunday - Estrella Mountain Country Club was breathtaking - the girls and the boys both played qualifying rounds in the midst of the awe-inspiring mountain range in the distance.

Monday - Picture this.... the most competitive Batman (Matt Higgins) ever and his reliable Robin (Jacko) taking on the spry, good-looking, blonde haired, blue eyed, did I mention good-looking, duo of myself and Jeremy Tetrault (or as I like to call him JT). What ensued was a dominant beating all thanks to me, JT, and Batman's wild drives and skulled shots.

Mini-golf followed where I found out a sad truth. Yes, it is possible to actually lose your ball in the middle of a putt putt course. Tragically, this was not the worst thing to happen - Jacko met her worst fear ever, she was attacked by the world's largest toothpick. There are pictures to prove this (album coming soon).

Later into this night I was fooled with trickery and quick handedness and ended up drinking a full gulp of grease – ridicule followed and I still have the occasional grease burp.

Tuesday – One word….Monsoon. The CSP women and men’s teams were both caught in the midst of a freak, Arizona down pour/wind storm/worst weather you could imagine weather. As the clouds cleared and the sun peaked out the Golden Bears charted and practiced at Poston Butte to prepare for their upcoming tournament.

Wednesday and Thursday – Nick Jarrett, John Potter, and Laura Petterson led the way for their respective teams. The head-phoned Potter took 1st place Wednesday, the white-spiked Jarrett careered it with a 66 to take 1st Thursday, and the high pony-tailed Petterson led the Lady Bears to a respectable 3rd place finish with a 74 on Thursday.

Friday – The final day in Arizona could not have been more perfect. Not only was the bright morning sun rising as the two teams tore it up at Longbow but I and JT triumphed once again over Batman and his Robin.

As I write this I am sitting in the Sky Harbor Airport in sunny Phoenix, Arizona waiting to board my plan and fly back home to Minnesota – I can honestly say this trip has been a once in a lifetime experience. Sure there was cleaning and Taylor admitting to all that she had never swept, sure there were early morning tee times, sure the guy’s team had to babysit Kyle, sure Jacko cringed at the thought of lunching at In and Out Burger when the team could eating her delicious culinary creations, sure Laura kept me up late with Wikipedia articles, sure there was Molly screaming and Missy wandering, sure there were Higgins’ bad jokes, sure there were sunburns, Kaytie’s giggles, grease, lost balls, and missed birdies…But we all enjoyed ourselves more than ever anticipated and surely will never forget this amazing trip.

P.S. The 3rd annual fruit eating contest was yet again won by the expert devourer…Mr. Matt Higgins. I tried to cheat, I tried to hoard food in my cheeks like a chipmunk, I tried to steal his water bottle chaser, yet I failed. Please, underclassmen you must dethrone this fruit eating king – his reign has been 3 years too long and his bragging 3 years too much.

It begins!

Just wanted to write a quick note.  We're getting ready to leave for our first tournament of the spring.  Should be a great tournament with very good compitition.  Both our teams are ready.  We've had a great few days of practice.  We'll update the blog tonight with results and some other happenings from spring break!

Coach Higgins

Saturday Hike

Wanted to post a quick video from Amanda Bearson.  This is from the top of the mountain that we hiked up on Saturday morning.  We do it every year we are here.  It's become one of the highlights of our trip!

Leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again!

Today is the start of our spring break week!  We will update the blog on a daily basis.  One of our "guest" bloggers for the week will Amanda "the situation" Bearson.  Enjoy!!!

Greetings from sunny Arizona!

This morning the coaching staff along with the CU girls and guys golf team boarded a plane bound for Arizona, the final destination being Mesa, Arizona.  It was an amazing flight in - filled with cheap airlne pretzels and a tone of excitement felt by all.  The three hour flight passed and soon we were en route to our team house where everyone relaxed, unpacked, threw the football, and dressed in shorts, skorts, and polos.  We headed to Alta Mesa Country Club for a sunset practice session.  The team was focused and efficient  - all to the delight of the coaching staff and swing coach, Craig Waryan (aka Golf God).  The night was ended with delicious pizza and wings - and here I am writing this amazing blog while movie watching and getting ready for bed.  Early morning team hike - I have yet to shower, that means this blog is o.v.e.r.  Good night and sweet dreams to all!

Where are they now?

This is the second "where are they now" blog.  This blog is about another female golfer that gradated from the program- Leah Lambert

Leah played golf at Concordia for two years.  She graduated from Concordia in 2005.  Today Leah resides in Milwaukee, WI.  She keeps herself busy by training for the Olympics in Speed Skating!!!  She also works for a company that trains elite and pro hockey players.  It is called DC Hybrid Skating.  It is run and owned by her speed skating coaches.  You can visit their website at http://www.dchybridskating.com/.  

Leah writes that one of her favorite CU Golf memories was "spending spring break in Southern California."  That was the first spring break trip ever for the golf program.  It was a fun trip.  The ladies got to play golf at some great courses in the L.A. area.  We also made a trip down to San Diego and into Hollywood and Beverly Hills.  I've posted a picture of Leah and the team on the red carpet at the Kodak Theatre the day before the Oscars. 

(Leah, Jennie, Laura, Kelsey)

Leah is currently in Vancouver watching the Winter Olympics!

Where are they now???

Today I'm going to post the 1st "where are they now" to update you on some of our past players and what they are doing now. Today I wanted to update you with one of my first players... Nikki Long (Jaycox).

Nikki played golf for two years. She was a basketball player here at Concordia also. She graduated in 2004. Today Nikki is married (Ryan) and they live in Lakewood, CO. Nikki is currently the Assistant Athletic Director of Compliance and Head Women's Golf Coach at Colorado Christian University.

She writes "One of my favorite memories would be playing up in Detroit Lakes in a downpour...thought it was supposed to be postponed and then Coach comes in the van and tells us we are playing... It was miserable. And I remember Coach getting mad at us because we thought he was playing around. :)"

She also writes "Loved being apart of the first 2 years of women’s golf at CU. Its so neat to see how well the program is doing and to know we were the start of something even though we were not that good!! Its funny because I am having to build program here at CCU as well and its neat how God put the CU experience in my life to prepare me for this today!"

Quick Golf Lesson

One thing we will be posting on this blog are "quick tips."  We will be posting these throughout the year.  Hopefully these quick tips will help you with your golf game.  These tips will be done by the golf coaching staff at Concordia University-St. Paul.  We will also have some special guests that will help with these also!  Our first tip comes from Matt Just.  Matt is the PGA Professional at the Golf Center at Lifetime Fitness in St. Louis Park, MN.  As you read in the previous entry, Lifetime Fitness is our winter home for the golf team.  I hope this helps your golf game!!!

Practice has finally started!!!!

Today we wrapped up our first week of practice for the spring season.  It was good to see everyone.  It was also good to get some of the rust off from the winter.  There were a number of golfers who went somewhere warm over break and played, but a majority didn't have that chance.  After a few swings, everyone was back to normal.  Both teams are extremely excited to get out and play in some tournaments!

Our winter home for the second straight year is the Golf Center at Lifetime Fitness in St. Louis Park, MN.  We practiced out there last winter and they were nice enough to invite us back to practice there this winter also!  The Golf Center was built a couple years ago and I believe it cost over $500K to build it.  It is beautiful!  They have 6 state of the art golf simulators, 3 big screen HD Televisions and tons of seating with bar areas around each simulator and leather furniture to relax in.  It also has a small putting green where we can practice our short game too. 

Like I said, the simulators are state of the art!  They are from Full Swing Golf.  They are the most accurate simulator in the market today.  We have the ability to hit on a range, do contests like closest to the pin or long drive.  We also have the opportunity to play golf at over 50 courses all over the world.  Some of the courses include Pebble Beach, Oakland Hills, The Old Course at St. Andrews, Four Seasons Resort, Banff Springs, Bay Hill, Castle Pines, Cog Hill, Firestone, Harbour Town, Innisbrook, Kapalua, Oakmont, Torrey Pines, Troon North, and Valderrama. All courses feature options to control such as green speeds, wind variables and weather conditions.

(Matt Just, Mike (aka.Phil) and Kevin)

Class A PGA Professional Matt Just is the GM/Head Professional at Lifetime.  He has shown our program tremendous support in letting us use their facilities! 

Matt is TPI Certified and has worked all over the country.  Besides running the Lifetime Golf Center he also is the Head Pro at Brookview GC and works for ESPN Golf Schools. 

if you're ever in the St. Louis Park area, stop by and check it out! 

                                              

                                                                                              

Spring 2010 Schedule- Men

Posted Updated spring schedules for both the men's and women's team.  Hope to see you out on the course cheering us on!!!


Wednesday and Thursday March 10th-11th: Spring Break Tournament
http://www.postonbuttegc.com/index.php       Poston Butte GC- Florence, AZ


Sunday and Monday March 21st-22nd: Illinois-Springfield Tournament
http://www.piperglen.com/                       Piper Glen GC- Springfield, IL


Sunday and Monday March 28th-29th: Wayne State Invitational
http://www.waynecountryclub.org/           Wayne CC- Wayne, NE


Friday and Saturday April 2nd-3rd: Upper Iowa Invitational
                                                            Otter Creek GC- Ankeny, IA


Friday, Saturday and Sunday April 9th-11th: NSIC Championships (Weekend 2 of 2)
http://www.jewelgolfclub.com/                          The Jewel GC- Lake City, MN


Saturday and Sunday April 17th-18th: TBD


Monday-Wednesday May 3rd-5th: NCAA Central Region Championships
http://www.desertwillow.com/          Desert Willow GC- Palm Desert, CA


Tuesday-Friday May 18th-24th: NCAA National Championships
http://www.thesagamoreclub.com/     Sagamore GC- Noblesville, IN

Spring 2010 Schedule- Women

Wednesday and Thursday March 10th-11th: Spring Break Tournament

http://www.postonbuttegc.com/index.php       Poston Butte GC- Florence, AZ


Sunday and Monday March 28th- 29th: Wayne State Invitational
http://www.waynecountryclub.org/            Wayne CC- Wayne, NE


Friday and Saturday April 2nd-3rd: Upper Iowa Invitational
                                                             Otter Creek GC- Ankeny, IA


Saturday and Sunday April 10th-11th:  Augustana Invitational
http://www.dakotagolf.com/homepage/start_page.php Prairie Green GC- Sioux Falls, SD


Saturday and Sunday April 17th-18th: Mankato Invitational
http://www.jewelgolfclub.com/               The Jewel GC- Lake City, MN


Friday, Saturday and Sunday April 23rd-25th: NSIC Championships (Weekend 2 of 2)
http://www.brandongc.com/                                Brandon CC- Brandon, SD

Sunday-Tuesday May 2nd-4th: NCAA Region 3 Championships
http://www.jewelgolfclub.com/    The Jewel GC- Lake City, MN

Wednesday-Saturday May 12th-15th: NCAA National Championships
http://www.longbowgolf.com/                Longbow GC- Mesa, AZ

New Year

Well the season is approaching very quickly!!!  Only 5 weeks from this Friday until we get out of this cold weather and go to Arizona for spring break!!!!  We start practice next week already.  We will be practicing at Lifetime Fitness in St. Louis Park.  They have six simulators that we can use.  I'll post some pictures and write more about the facility next week. 

Over the course of this year I will be posting "get to know them" blogs from members on our golf team.  I also will post some "where are they now" blogs that will update you on past CU golfers and what they are up too now.  I'm sure they will be fun to read!  I also hope to post some instructional video that will hopefully be helpful for your golf game as we approach the warmer weather!!!! 

Lastly, once our travel starts I will be posting daily video updates by the players on the golf and other things that keep us busy when we travel!!!!