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Golf

Carrying the Atomic Weight – Steve Kennedy

Angular acceleration, coefficient of linear expansion, kinetic energy and inertia. Welcome to the scientific life of the new men’s golf coach, Steve Kennedy. After years of success in the North Dakota high school golf scene, Coach Kennedy is ready to bring his A-game to the college level. We caught up with the physics teacher to see what we should expect from the new men’s golf coach.

Steve Kennedy

Married to wife Renee for 32 years
Two Kids: Shane (26) Mason (23)
23 Years Coaching High School Golf at Davies High School and Fargo South High School
Physics teacher at Davies High School and NDSU
12 State Championships
5-time Coach of the Year
Graduate of NDSU in 1984 B.S. Composite Science

 

 

BI: What are some of the challenges you are facing jumping from the high school level to the collegiate level?
Steve Kennedy: “There are two things that stick out. The recruiting. Having to go out and recruit players for our program. The second thing is the travel. It’s not an hour trip now or across the river into Moorhead. Our first tournament is at the Naval Academy in Maryland, which is good. That will be a lot different. Just getting to know what to do on those tournaments. … What am I going to do with the down time with the players because we are going to have to study? It’s not like we can just go there and concentrate on golf the whole time. They have things they have to get done, too.”

BI: How have you been preparing to hit the recruiting trail?
SK: “I have been talking to the other coaches. Just getting advice from them. The interim coach last year recruited this upcoming class, so I’m starting now to look at players for next year. Both Matt (Johnson) and Kris (Kroetsch) have been great. I mean, every time I have a question, I can just give them a call and they can help me out. Matt’s recruiting is a little different than mine because he’s on the women’s end of it. There are fewer players on the women’s side so it’s different yet very similar in many ways.”

BI: What can you contribute to the Bison athletic program as a whole?
SK: “I’m a Bison. I have that Bison pride so I’m going to try and find the best players I can to fit into our program. I see nothing but success when I look at NDSU and that is what I want from our program. I’m a season ticket holder in football, go to the basketball games. Even the players I’m coaching right now, I coached in high school, or competed against in high school. So I know them very well and what they are capable of doing. I’m very excited about that.

BI: What is your relationship like with the the guys?
SK: “During the interview process, I met with the team. It was like we were sitting around the table like before just talking about stuff. I think they’re excited. They know what they are getting with me and I think they have told the other guys what I’m like and what to expect. I think there’s some comfort there with them knowing what they are going to have.”

BI: What does it mean to have former golfer Nathan Anderson as your assistant?
SK: “When I applied for the job they told me he wanted to stay on and I wanted him to stay on (laughs). He knows what it takes to succeed at that level so I can pick his brain and see what they have done in the past and see if it worked and what didn’t; we will revamp it and go from there. They look up to Nathan, he’s very stable. He knows how to win, what it takes to win and I think that’s just a benefit for him to be a mentor for these kids.”

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