Q&A with Golf Head Coach Tim Straub

What attracted you to Davidson in 2000, and what keeps you here?
When I first interviewed for the job, I was very impressed with the alumni support and vision for the golf program. During my interview, I met with former Davidson golfers Ben Vernon '50 and Graeme Keith '54, and I was drawn to their desire to help Davidson golf be competitive at the conference and national levels. After playing at Wake Forest University, I knew that top-level academics and golf can work well. My wife, Jen, who is the director of women's cross country & track and field at Davidson, and I have loved our time here at Davidson College. The main thing that has kept me here is the scholar-athletes. Davidson attracts the best, and it's a pleasure to work with them every day. I love seeing them develop and grow over their four years at Davidson.

We have seen some remarkable young men come out of your program. In addition to athletic and academic excellence, what are two additional things you look for when recruiting for Davidson golf?
Obviously with recruiting we are looking for the top scholar-athletes in the country, but additionally I am looking for recruits who love golf and are willing to work hard. No matter how good a recruit is in high school, Division I college golf is a step up, and they must keep improving. The only way to do that is through hard work.

Tell us a few things about some of your players (past or present) that might surprise us.
A lot of our golfers, past and present, have been very good athletes and played other sports, many being high school basketball players. Another interesting point is that many of our players have played a musical instrument. I think the rhythm and tempo it takes to play an instrument helps with golf.

Davidson golf has been successful under your tutelage, but none more so than in the past few years. Can you talk a bit about what you feel are the contributing factors around this?
The recent successes of our golf team I attribute a lot to the addition of The Davidson Golf House at River Run Country Club. The golf house, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, has helped us recruit top golfers and has really helped with our players' development. I also think the ability to play a championship course like River Run Country Club every day has had a huge impact.

What are you most excited about for this coming season?
Obviously, graduating Jack Lang '19, Hoke Carlton '19, Mike Blasey '19 and Kevin Carlock '19 is a huge loss, but I am excited to see how our young players step up this year. We have a very young but talented team that I know will work very hard. We should have a lot of competition to see who is in our starting lineup.

How is Davidson doing athletics right?
I don't think there is another liberal arts college in the country that does the combination of academics and athletics as well as Davidson. I am constantly amazed by how well our students handle the rigors of Davidson academics and balance Division I athletics.

What do we need to do to be more competitive in the A-10?
I think for Davidson to continue to compete for A-10 titles and on the national stage, our DI programs need additional scholarships. I really believe that if Davidson is able to offer a recruit a scholarship package that is equal to any other school, more times than not that recruit will choose Davidson.

If you would like to hear more about the golf program and follow their season by receiving regular updates, contact the DAF at daf@davidson.edu. Please include the email address you would like to receive updates at and the sport(s) you would like to receive updates from.

Schedule

Players Mentioned

Mike Blasey

Kevin Carlock

Hoke Carlton

Jack Lang

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