It typically takes a few semesters to get a club golf team established, let alone making it to our National Championship. The University of Florida club golf team upended this trend when they made it to Nationals in their first semester this past spring, and The University of Colorado Boulder has accomplished the same. We had the chance to catch up with Matt Lull, the guy who pulled this all together.
What made you want to start the club golf team?
I saw that NCCGA was looking to expand into the mountain region, couldn't find anything about club golf on campus, had a bunch of friends on campus that loved to play and figured now was the time to bring club golf to my school.
How did you hear about the NCCGA?
I can't exactly remember. I feel like I was searching for student golf discounts or something, something on the internet about local leagues and club golf to play more competitive golf.
Students save with Nextgen Collegiate Membership
Why wasn't there already a club team at a big school like yours?
I talked to club sports department and some students had inquired about starting a team but I think they weren't interested in keeping up with it and ready to lead the effort from start to finish. I'm not sure if my school new about the NCCGA either, but all I can say is that the interest for club golf on campus is high
How did you recruit golfers?
The first few were just word of mouth friends. Social media was also key, twitter in particular. We also found a bunch of guys through the fraternity system as well. We have a roster of about 20 kids and at least of 12 of them have been very active.
Celebrating a 40-stoke win at Colorado National Golf Club
How big can the Mountain Region get?
I think it definitely has potential! If we have a team that gets serious and gets backing from the school, we should definitely submit two teams like CO Mines does. Airforce, CSU, Regis, and many others will hopefully join up in the spring.
What was the biggest surprise for you this fall?
The ability of players that came out. We managed to find a bunch of kids who maintained handicaps there whole lives, and even kids who didn't that actually turned out to be solid players. It's impressive how far we've come in our first semester from not having anyone on the roster week 1 to taking a flight down to Mississippi tomorrow!
What tips do you have for other students starting club golf teams?
Don't get frustrated! It's stressful trying to take on something like this and the process has shown me that you have to be persistent. You're not always going to get the answers and responses you want. It's crucial to look for guys on the team who want to help you and have a game plan as well. It's also important to pursue funding from the school as well even if it's not through club sports. This spring we should be a recognized student organization or maybe even a club by the school.
7 Fundraising Tips for Club Golf Teams
Will Boulder make it back to Nationals in the spring?
I think there is a good chance that we will. Hopefullly the Mountain Region continues to grow so we can have an automatic bid again. We definitely have a team that can hold their own.
**Interview by @MikeBelkin11
