If you think coaching one college golf team is difficult, try coaching two. That is the challenge Bradley head coach Jeff Roche is taking on this fall.
With the departure of women’s golf coach Mary Swanson to Washington University in St. Louis late this summer, Bradley named Roche the interim coach of the women’s team, in addition to his role as head coach of the men’s program.
“[The players are] put in a situation where they don’t have their coach, so I’ve got to try to mold into that, and I want them to believe that,” Roche said. “I’m fully committed to them achieving everything they want themselves to achieve, just like the guys, so that’s probably the biggest challenge from my end.”
Although there are obvious hurdles to overcome, Roche knows that he is coaching two veteran teams that know the drill and are effective at making adjustments on and off the course.
“I told them the other day, if there’s any year that I’m going to inherit a team, this is the perfect year,” Roche said. “I’m excited and they’re a great group.”
Despite adding on a new coach, the women team’s transition to this year has been smooth thus far. Luckily most of the team has gotten to know Roche during their time on the Hilltop.
“[Roche] has been wonderful,” senior Frankie Saban said. “I have to say we have felt so supported through this whole process and Roche is a wonderful coach, so we’re in a good spot. We’re in good hands.”
The women’s team is coming off a fourth place finish at the MVC Championship last season, a showing that left them hungry for more this year.
“I learned a lot from our finish and I think the team as a whole did as well,” Saban said. “In the fall we’re really just trying to build every day and get better, because we want to play as well as we can, but April is what we’re working towards.”
On the other side, the men’s team is coming off the most successful season in school history. The team won the MVC Championship in April, which earned them a birth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1955. They went on to finish 12th in the Bryan, Texas regional.
This year, the men return two of the playing five from the NCAA Tournament, seniors Drake Bushong and Michael Mounce, along with the rest of last year’s roster.
“It’s a different mindset coming in after you’ve had success, so you’ve got to be careful how you go about it,” Roche said. “You can’t assume success, but you can’t go in stressed either, so our whole focus that we’ve talked about so far this fall is really taking care of what you can take care of.”
Bushong, a 2018 MVC medalist, said the team remained confident heading into the season.
“All the guys on the team now have been in a spot where they’ve had high pressure in competition,” Bushong said. “There’s some new faces as far as the playing five and I think everybody on the team’s ready to step in and get going.”
Both teams will start their seasons on Sept. 11 in Myrtle Beach, SC at the Golfweek Program Championship. The tournament is unique because it’s one of few that awards a trophy to the combined overall winner from both the men’s and women’s scores.
This concept is new to the Braves, who have not played in a combined-score tournament like this before. Still early in the season, the challenge is to focus on playing their best golf individually.
“I definitely haven’t played in anything like it before,” Bushong said. “It’s cool that you get both men’s and women’s teams there. It really doesn’t change anything I don’t think. The men still have to do their job. The women still have to do their job.”
“It’s really cool because we’re all golfers, but we’re also good friends as well,” Saban said. “To get to go out there and to play well and perform as a team, the two of us with the same head coach, it’s a pretty cool experience and I’m excited for it.”
Although the teams play at different courses about 10 minutes apart, the trip schedule couldn’t have worked out better for Roche, as he’ll be able to watch both the men’s and women’s teams throughout their tournaments.
This season will be one of adaptability for both Bradley golf teams, but Roche’s steady hand will leave fingerprints on each program. Trust is built with consistency. Consistency is established shot by shot over the course of a season.
“We always use the phrase ‘being consistent in an inconsistent world,’” Roche said. “It’s going to take some time. Obviously, they’ve got some adjusting to do to me but I think it’ll be good, and by the time we roll into the spring we should have some good systems in place.”
