This golf club was able to succeed with just two golfers last season, but now they have many new faces that officially give UH 17 sports programs.
This will be head coach Gerrod Chadwell and assistant coach Lucy Nunn’s first year at Houston, though the coaches actually started building their foundation last year with the two individuals they had.
“We’re going to be very young as far as experience goes, but I still think we’re going to be competitive on a national level and go forward and put out a good product for the school,” Chadwell said.
Junior Raegan Bremer and senior Courtney Ferguson are the golf program’s only returners, and knowing what to expect has helped them develop well over the summer, the coaches said.
Nunn said she is excited to help build this program and continue to grow on the successes of last season.
“It’s definitely going to be a lot different than having only a few individuals compete at tournaments versus an entire team, so it’s going to be a completely different look for the girls that we had and it’s going to be a great bonding experience,” Nunn said.
With seven freshmen, it’s going to be anyone’s game, and it will be interesting to see who steps up and comes forward.
It’s going to be a similar situation in terms of youth when Chadwell first got to Oklahoma. He believes consistency will be something this team will have to focus on.
With the new talent coming in, Chadwell said he believes there will be a lot more upside than expected from this team.
“I think it’s going to be a little bit of a roller coaster dealing with that many young kids… and the highs and lows of a year-long season,” Chadwell said.
The men’s golf team did well last season and that buzz has returned to Houston’s golf program. This made recruiting easier for the coaches, because anytime success is witnessed, that helps with the brand awareness.
Golf is one of the few sports that continues year-long for the student athletes, so that challenge will be there, but it’s one they’re ready to take.
They hope to make it to the regional tournament to start making a name for themselves early. They aspire to set a standard that they’re in the postseason every year because they want the chance to compete for championships.
Chadwell believes that when you get there anything can happen
“I hope there is an environment created, this is going to be the first year that some of these kids have played on a team, much less a college golf team,” Chadwell said. “I hope that we have an environment that is suitable to go in battle with each other and everybody gets along.”