Two Teams, One Program And One Goal – Build Something Special

By John Brice
Special Contributor

Momentum, perhaps, isn’t commonly associated with the game of golf.

Don’t tell that to Notre Dame’s John Handrigan, who after five years as the men’s head coach was earlier this summer named the school’s first-ever director of golf and never slowed down.

In fact, the Fighting Irish men’s program never has been better – and Handrigan has ushered in a brand-new symmetry for both the men’s and women’s programs.

“We say it’s two teams but one program, and we’re really building in that direction,” Handrigan said. “We put that (motto) in this past summer. We’ve always been separate and now we’re doing a lot of things together to make each other better. And I think, you know, two teams is better than one. We’re joining those programs and doing a pretty good job at it.

“Like I said, I think we’ve shown that we can be a powerful program in golf. And with the brand of Notre Dame, the people we get to recruit, the type of student-athletes we have and what we can sell, we can build something special.”

Building off the program’s highest-ever seed in an NCAA Regional, No. 3 a year ago and just removed from the program’s first Regionals berth in nearly a decade, Notre Dame wrapped up its lone home tournament Monday at the Warren Golf Course with a fourth-place finish in the Fighting Irish Invitational.

The loaded field – a veritable Who’s Who among collegiate programs – saw Florida edge Georgia Southern for the crown while the Irish closed out an impressive finish with a team score of 16-under-par, just five strokes off the crown.

 

“Well, it’s our only home event of the year and it means a lot for our players to play at home,” said Handrigan, who saw the Irish’s home course host a large crowd that required overflow parking. “We had a lot of people out here supporting us, a lot of fans. It’s special to play at home. A lot goes into hosting, but as you can see, we had some of the best schools in the country here competing this week.

“To compete against those schools on your home course is great.”

The event was tangible evidence of Handrigan’s ongoing impact into the program; a showcase event that illustrated exactly why Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick had carved out the all-new role for Handrigan.

“The success our men’s program has enjoyed under John’s leadership gives us every confidence that he can help our women achieve a comparable level of success,” Swarbrick said when he announced Handrigan’s elevated role. “As importantly, however, our use of this management model in fencing, track & field, swimming & diving and now golf is designed to ensure a comparable experience for our female and male student-athletes participating in the same sport.”

That model hardly was what Handrigan found five years ago, when he vowed to his Irish golfers – current and future – that he would help them create a meaningful landscape for Fighting Irish golf.

“I remember my first year at Notre Dame, the field was atrocious; there was not a single team in the field ranked in the top 150 in the country,” Handrigan said of the Fighting Irish Invitation’s first iteration. “I felt bad for our players – there was even (NCAA) Division II schools here – and no offense to those schools, but it just wasn’t what the Notre Dame brand should have.

“So I felt bad for our players and did everything I could to promise them that ‘Hey, this is going to be a world-class event and an event that you’re going to be proud of.’ Now we obviously are with some of the best schools in the country. It’s something we’re proud of and we love to host it.”

As Handrigan praised the short-handed Warren staff for the course’s pristine condition, he also directed the spotlight on the team roster for the players’ relentless dedication.

“It’s rewarding for sure, and our players work hard as well so they deserve a lot of the credit,” he said. “We do a lot of the behind-the-scenes work of getting things organized, but the players did a phenomenal job of prepping and making sure that we can play well on our home track and show of these best schools in the country that we’re capable of holding our own here.”

 

It’s an effort that has fueled Handrigan’s belief that national golf excellence and prominence can be attained for both the men’s and women’s programs.

Notre Dame recently tabbed Caroline Powers Ellis to run the women’s program and additionally plucked away Kari Bellville from her role as UAB’s head coach to return to her alma mater as the top women’s assistant coach.

“The most important thing was to get a staff in place that I felt could excel both programs together,” Handrigan said. “Now we have a staff that’s working well together that I think is going to build something special. Obviously one side on the men’s, we’ve been pretty strong the last few years. Now my goal is to continue to make that stronger and the women’s program with the staff we have in place, I think we can do the exact same thing that the men’s program has done.

“I know it’s early on in the year, but I can see the work ethic of the women’s team and the structure they have in practice and I envision both programs building together as one.”

The vision half-completed, Handrigan emphasized Notre Dame golf has marked its climb and will continue its sport-wide ascent toward the top.

“We just have a really strong team, and we’re recognized now across the country as being an elite program,” he said of the men’s program. “We’ve been top-20 in the country the last few years, and when you can do that and compete in the ACC, which is arguably the best golf conference in the country, it speaks volumes for Notre Dame golf.

“A lot of people say you can’t have a successful program in the Midwest or the North, well we’re proving those people wrong.”