Kuhfeld has hit the ground running at Georgia Southern.
Women’s Golf Ready to Tee it up in 2015-16
1/12/2015 10:49:00 AM | Women's Golf
STATESBORO, Ga. – Starting a successful intercollegiate athletics program from scratch is no easy task. It takes vision, organization, meticulous planning, determination, conviction, energy and a tireless work ethic to do it right.
It is those qualities Director of Golf Larry Mays and Georgia Southern saw in Emily Kuhfeld when she was chosen to start the Eagle women's golf program.
Hired in July, Kuhfeld has hit the ground running with barely any time to catch her breath. Recruiting, budgets, scheduling, equipment, recruiting, fundraising, facility renovations, travel arrangements and recruiting have all had her on the go.
"I have some friends in coaching who have started programs, and I have had the opportunity to pick their brains and get some ideas," said Kuhfeld. "It's been a bit of a whirlwind with recruiting and all the other things, but I'm really happy with the way things are going and where we are at this point."
The top priority for Kuhfeld was to put a team together, and she hit the recruiting trail almost immediately after she was hired, spending a few weeks in Ireland in addition to attending numerous junior tournaments throughout the summer.
The result was a six student-athlete class in the November signing period. She may look to add one or two more in the spring, which will make up the Eagles' first squad. The clock is ticking as Georgia Southern will begin competition in the 2015-16 season.
"Emily brings lots of energy to work with her every day, and she has done a good job of bringing in great young women who will compete hard in the classroom and on the links," said Mays.
Iben Thaysen Sass Hvass (Denmark/Western Texas College) and Taylor Thompson (Baton Rouge, La./Centenary College) will be transferring in to begin their junior seasons with the Eagles, while Ansley Bowman (St. Augustine, Fla./Bartram Trail), Ariana Macioce (Phoenix, Ariz./Xavier College Prep), Yeji Shin (Norwood, N.J./Old Tappan) and Annie Swords (Newnan, Ga./Heritage School) will be the Eagles' first freshman class.
Swords has graduated from high school and will start classes at Georgia Southern in the spring. As a result, she can use the Bennett-Ramsey Center, the Eagles' state-of-the-art practice facility, and work with Kuhfeld this semester.
"This initial class is everything that I had hoped for," said Kuhfeld. "The qualities I was looking for to start the culture of this program are embodied by these six young women - a dedication to their grades and golf games, kind hearts, self-discipline to do the right thing and a strong desire to be part of a competitive, positive and fun team. We have a good mix of veterans who have college tournament experience, along with some talented freshman, and they are all going to be great representatives of Georgia Southern both on and off the course."
Also high on the priority list is making the Eagles' inaugural schedule. Kuhfeld worked diligently with Mays to put together the 2015-16 schedule, which Kuhfeld hopes to announce this spring.
"We really tried to emulate the men's program with how we went about setting up the schedule," said Kuhfeld. "In some cases, we were looking at world-class courses we wanted to have the opportunity to compete at, and in some cases, it's a certain tournament we wanted to compete in. It's difficult to make it all work because sometimes the tournaments change dates from year to year, but I think we will have a great mix of events for our first year."
Kuhfeld and Mays also hope to host a tournament on an annual basis on one of the many world-class courses in South Georgia. In addition to the newly-refurbished University Course, which was recently named "Best New Course" by Golf Digest, Forest Heights Country Club, where the men's team annually hosts the Schenkel Invitational, could be a possibility as well as any number of courses in the Savannah area.
"Hosting a tournament is something we'd love to do eventually," said Kuhfeld. "There's so much that goes into hosting, and to get started, it's really a matter of finding a venue that has the open dates you want. You want a great course with open dates that allow for a good, competitive field."
College coaches of any sport will tell you that recruiting is the lifeblood of the program, and therefore, is always a priority. Now that a schedule and a roster for the first season are nearly complete, Kuhfeld must turn her attention to other necessities rapidly moving up the priority list, like travel arrangements and equipment needs. There are also practice plans to worry about, and it is always good to get out and meet folks in the community when time permits.
"It's a lot to think about when you look at the big picture," said Kuhfeld. "I'm really excited about what we have been able to achieve so far, and I'm counting the days until the whole team arrives on campus next fall."
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. For tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events, call 1-800-GSU-WINS or visit GSEagles.com.
It is those qualities Director of Golf Larry Mays and Georgia Southern saw in Emily Kuhfeld when she was chosen to start the Eagle women's golf program.
Hired in July, Kuhfeld has hit the ground running with barely any time to catch her breath. Recruiting, budgets, scheduling, equipment, recruiting, fundraising, facility renovations, travel arrangements and recruiting have all had her on the go.
"I have some friends in coaching who have started programs, and I have had the opportunity to pick their brains and get some ideas," said Kuhfeld. "It's been a bit of a whirlwind with recruiting and all the other things, but I'm really happy with the way things are going and where we are at this point."
The top priority for Kuhfeld was to put a team together, and she hit the recruiting trail almost immediately after she was hired, spending a few weeks in Ireland in addition to attending numerous junior tournaments throughout the summer.
The result was a six student-athlete class in the November signing period. She may look to add one or two more in the spring, which will make up the Eagles' first squad. The clock is ticking as Georgia Southern will begin competition in the 2015-16 season.
"Emily brings lots of energy to work with her every day, and she has done a good job of bringing in great young women who will compete hard in the classroom and on the links," said Mays.
Iben Thaysen Sass Hvass (Denmark/Western Texas College) and Taylor Thompson (Baton Rouge, La./Centenary College) will be transferring in to begin their junior seasons with the Eagles, while Ansley Bowman (St. Augustine, Fla./Bartram Trail), Ariana Macioce (Phoenix, Ariz./Xavier College Prep), Yeji Shin (Norwood, N.J./Old Tappan) and Annie Swords (Newnan, Ga./Heritage School) will be the Eagles' first freshman class.
Swords has graduated from high school and will start classes at Georgia Southern in the spring. As a result, she can use the Bennett-Ramsey Center, the Eagles' state-of-the-art practice facility, and work with Kuhfeld this semester.
"This initial class is everything that I had hoped for," said Kuhfeld. "The qualities I was looking for to start the culture of this program are embodied by these six young women - a dedication to their grades and golf games, kind hearts, self-discipline to do the right thing and a strong desire to be part of a competitive, positive and fun team. We have a good mix of veterans who have college tournament experience, along with some talented freshman, and they are all going to be great representatives of Georgia Southern both on and off the course."
Also high on the priority list is making the Eagles' inaugural schedule. Kuhfeld worked diligently with Mays to put together the 2015-16 schedule, which Kuhfeld hopes to announce this spring.
"We really tried to emulate the men's program with how we went about setting up the schedule," said Kuhfeld. "In some cases, we were looking at world-class courses we wanted to have the opportunity to compete at, and in some cases, it's a certain tournament we wanted to compete in. It's difficult to make it all work because sometimes the tournaments change dates from year to year, but I think we will have a great mix of events for our first year."
Kuhfeld and Mays also hope to host a tournament on an annual basis on one of the many world-class courses in South Georgia. In addition to the newly-refurbished University Course, which was recently named "Best New Course" by Golf Digest, Forest Heights Country Club, where the men's team annually hosts the Schenkel Invitational, could be a possibility as well as any number of courses in the Savannah area.
"Hosting a tournament is something we'd love to do eventually," said Kuhfeld. "There's so much that goes into hosting, and to get started, it's really a matter of finding a venue that has the open dates you want. You want a great course with open dates that allow for a good, competitive field."
College coaches of any sport will tell you that recruiting is the lifeblood of the program, and therefore, is always a priority. Now that a schedule and a roster for the first season are nearly complete, Kuhfeld must turn her attention to other necessities rapidly moving up the priority list, like travel arrangements and equipment needs. There are also practice plans to worry about, and it is always good to get out and meet folks in the community when time permits.
"It's a lot to think about when you look at the big picture," said Kuhfeld. "I'm really excited about what we have been able to achieve so far, and I'm counting the days until the whole team arrives on campus next fall."
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. For tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events, call 1-800-GSU-WINS or visit GSEagles.com.
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