Written by: Stoney Crouch
When I graduated from Lipscomb in May of 2017, I never imagined coming back to coach. I had a clear vision for what I was going to do and that was to play on the PGA Tour. Truthfully told, the only reason I thought I would be back on campus was for a golf team reunion or to speak to the golf team about my successes on tour. Safe to say, It didn't quite work out that way. My professional golf career had its highs and lows, but towards the latter part of the 2021 season I felt God telling me it was time to do something else.
After ending my professional career, I wanted to do anything but golf. Whether you think its luck, coincidence or God's plan, Coach Brewer called with an opportunity to coach at Lipscomb. Since Coach Brewer has done so much for me throughout the years, I told him I would help him out for the semester but ultimately wanted out of the golf industry. In my first tournament as the assistant coach, the team shot an NCAA record 33 under par in the final round to finish in 2nd place just behind the University of Virginia. We would finish out the fall season finishing no worse than 2nd place and ranked 31st in the country. We have a great group of men and I enjoy getting to work alongside them as they grow spiritually, academically, personally, and in their golf game. I thought to myself, this is pretty fun and I want to see how far this team can go in the spring. Expectations and goals were high and I wanted to be a part of it, so I agreed to come back in the spring.
Transitioning from a College Player to Professional and now Coach has been an eye opening experience. I quickly learned that coaching college golf is all about planning for the future. When you're a player, you show up to practices and tournaments always trying to stay in the present moment. As a coach, there's so much that has to be done before stepping foot on the course which I now realized, that I took for granted as a player. Recruiting, scheduling tournaments, planning out trips, scheduling practices for the week across various courses in Nashville, and much more. There's a lot that has to be done before presenting our best team at tournaments.
I've been able to share with the team my successes and failures as a professional-Whether it be the physical side of the game( ball striking, chipping, and putting) or mental (how to handle certain situations, carry yourself on the course, and how to think about your round before you even step foot on the course). More so than any of these, I believe the biggest thing I've been able to teach is that golf is an incredibly difficult game and that your score doesn't define who you are or your worth in Christ. We are humans, not robots. We can't hit every shot perfectly. What defines you is how you act after a poor shot or round, how you treat the volunteers helping run tournaments, and the grace and gratitude you show to yourself and the world that you are getting scholarship money to represent your school on the golf course.
We want to build a Championship Program at Lipscomb, but what we want even more is to build a legacy of Authentic Men. As a former player and now as a coach, we talk a lot about becoming authentic men who glorify God both on and off the course. Men who stand up for what they believe in, they take ownership, leading their families spiritually, making sacrifices and much more. It doesn't get much better than that.
The last 5 years playing professionally were all about me. I'm now in a position where I get to serve others and nothing is about me anymore. My goal is now to help each team member grow to be the best player and man they can be. Coaching is a truly fulfilling job and plus, who doesn't like being on the golf course all day?
