This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
05/19/2016 12:00 AMThe Hand girls’ golf program has risen like a rocket throughout the past decade and one prominent person who’s been there right from the start is assistant coach Dave Russo. Dave, who lives in Clinton, played high school golf at Morgan and was itching to get back on the links from the time he left the Huskies. When Hand started its girls’ golf program six years ago, Head Coach Jon Wilson asked Dave to come aboard as his right-hand man and the tandem has since guided the Tigers to some tremendous success, including an undefeated 2015 season that resulted in the team’s first league crown.
“About seven years ago, there was no team, but they had a girl playing on the boys’ team, and she, along with some others, got together to start the girls’ team. The first year, Jon reached out to me as I had taken numerous golf lessons from him and I said yes,” says Dave, who’s also a science teacher at Hand “There is nothing like it. Six years ago, it was tough for us to even win a match. They’ve gotten better each year and, to be a part of it, there’s nothing better.”
According to Coach Wilson, Dave does a great job of conveying the lessons he learned as a high school golfer to the Tigers’ athletes. Wilson also acknowledges that Hand wouldn’t be one of the state’s powerhouse programs without Dave’s effort and experience.
“Coach Russo has a wonderful communication skill-set with all team members. He recognizes the many demands of being a student-athlete since he has a few in his class. Coach Russo typically will walk the course during practice rounds, conduct the short-game sessions, and occasionally travel with the team to away matches,” says Wilson. “We have shared recent success and a lot of growth as our program has progressed. The town of Madison recognizes that girls’ golf is on the rise with our undefeated regular season last year, a convincing win in our league championship, and a solid showing in the State Championship two years in a row. None of the above mentioned would be possible without the commitment and dedication of Coach Russo.”
One of the key components to Dave’s coaching philosophy is that he wants the girls to take just as much pride in displaying great sportsmanship as they do with turning in solid scores.
“With his great experience, I follow Jon’s lead, but I really stress the integrity of the game and get them to appreciate what it means to be a golfer,” Dave says. “You have to call penalties on yourself out there and I want them to appreciate that aspect of it. I also try to keep their morale up as you want to make the sport fun and not a chore.”
One of the things Dave loves most with his forays on the fairways is that he can take people who have virtually no golfing experience and build them into solid players in just four year’s time.
“A lot of male golfers come in with their own coaches, yet with the girls, some come here having never swung a club before,” says Dave. “Yet what I love about that is that you can teach them the rules and integrity of the game. The joy is watching the girls come in new as freshmen and then next thing you know, by junior year, they grow into a player on the varsity team.”
Dave knows that both the present and future are looking bright for Hand girls’ golf as the team continues to grow with both its numbers and victories. Dave feels that’s a big-time testament to the Tigers’ drive to thrive.
“Our team keeps growing and we have 19 girls on the team this season. I feel I’m living the dream as a coach,” Dave says. “The team continues to improve, which speaks to the girls’ dedication, plus Jon and I must be doing something special to keep them coming back year after year.”