A bad day of golf is still better than a good day of school, that is according to first-year golf coaches Richard Salazar and Clifford Stanchos. 

For Salazar and Stanchos, golf is all about building community and opening lifelong opportunities for students. For the golfers, it’s about leadership and building connections through teamwork. Their shared passion for golf may bring them together, but the coaches’ introductions to the sport couldn’t have been more different. 

Salazar’s childhood aversion to golf quickly ended when his old boss at Austin’s Randalls grocery store offered him a Saturday off to play golf together, an offer he couldn’t refuse. In no time, golf became a valued part of his life, bringing him closer to his father and becoming a lasting pastime and outlet. Salazar could tell you exactly where he keeps the same set of clubs he bought from his boss all these years later.

Stanchos, however, grew up surrounded by golf. Growing up in the small town of Yorktown, Texas–current population of 2,044–Stanchos started golfing seriously in middle school. Out of the 50 students in his high school class, eight played golf. Stanchos lived near a country club, complete with a nine-hole golf course and unirrigated, dirt fairways. Stanchos likened the experience to golfing on a goat ranch. A central part of his high school experience, Stanchos competed in high school golf tournaments very similar to the ones McCallum golfers competes in today.  

“What inspired me to be a golf coach is you get to miss school, you get to go to a golf course, and you get to see kids play a sport that you enjoy,” Stanchos said.

Stanchos believes there’s no better coaching position than golf. He had been eyeing the position that Nancy Nitardy previously held, for every one of his 15 years at Mac, but Salazar was offered the job. As a wrestling coach and a former softball coach with a known love for golf, Salazar was well-versed in coaching. 

He was clueless, however, when it came to coaching and all the “bureaucratic ins and outs” that came with it. Golf buddies in their free time, Salazar offered to split the position with Stanchos.

Having two coaches is beneficial due to the sheer size of this year’s golf team. The position is split straight down the middle, neither coach assuming a head or assistant coaching role. Salazar teaches the class, but Stanchos is present at every morning practice and tournament. 

To accommodate over 30 athletes and four teams, the coaches divide their time between stations at the driving range and putting green and providing transportation to different holes at tournaments. Along with snacks and encouragement, the coaches make sure to offer tips and guidance to athletes on their swings both in practice and at tournaments.

“For those students who have never played before,” Salazar said. “It’s just teaching them the basics and trying to get them to form a love of golf so that it’s something they can continue afterward and play with friends, family members.”

While some students are seasoned golfers with personal swing coaches, Mac golf also welcomes beginners. Junior Stella Pitts, who joined the golf team last year, expressed how golf is different from other Mac sports. 

“They really allow you to grow and learn how to play golf,” Pitts said. “I went into golf not knowing anything about golf. I would miss the ball every time I swung at it. It’s good because you can come into something new and see if you’re good at it and have fun with it.”

According to Stanchos, the role of a golf coach is to provide a place for students to improve their skills and to instill enjoyment in the sport. From teaching students to hold a golf club to offering minute suggestions to improve a student’s swing in preparation for a tournament, the coaches stress that the number one goal of golf is to have fun. 

“One of the things I like about coaching is watching my athletes enter tournaments who have never played in a tournament, going just to have fun at it,” Salazar said. “Golf is not an easy sport to play, it’s a difficult thing to do.”

Through a team of individuals, the coaches hope that their golfers feel like part of a team and believe they have a strong peer support system backing them up. 

Junior Cate Thomasson, who has been on the golf team since freshman year, believes that the coaches are doing a good job of bringing the golfers together and allowing them to have fun with the sport. She believes that as an experienced coach, Nitardy left behind a legacy. 

“It does have to take two people to fill her shoes,” Thomasson said. “They have to learn and having the two of them is probably better so they can learn.”

Now that Pitts and Thomasson are upperclassmen, they’re excited to be leaders on the team. Thomasson believes that her commitment to the team and her participation in tournaments where golfers are paired with students from other schools has improved her leadership, teamwork and communication skills. Pitts has made it her goal to help new golfers learn to love the sport and be welcomed into the community like she was one year ago. 

“Last year there was nobody above us,” Pitts said. “We had to just make it up, and we only had Nitardy to show us what to do, which is good, but she’s a teacher and sometimes you need a friend to show you what to do.”

According to Stanchos, this year’s golf team is “magnitudes larger than other years,” having tripled in size. Last year, there were only five girls on the team, this year there are 13. Stanchos believes this could either be due to luck or a large number of freshmen. Thomasson speculates the rise in interest was due to students like herself and parents encouraging others to join the team.

“It might just be luck, but it also might be the pandemic,” Stanchos said. “It might have been a good opportunity for students to get outside and enjoy a sport that’s a low contact sport and minimal risk of spreading and contracting COVID.”

When speaking on his goals for the golf team, Salazar clarified that his biggest priority is providing a space for players to develop a love for the sport and experience the many benefits such as social interaction, exposure to nature, and travel that come with golf.

“Coach Stanchos and I aren’t so worried about the scores,” Salazar said. “We’re more worried about the players bonding with each other, enjoying each other’s company, and building lifelong friendships. After you graduate from high school you might get together on the weekends and play a round of golf.”

For many people, golf is a fantastic outlet for letting off steam by allowing them to go outside, focus only on the club and the ball, and hit something. Stanchos often found himself at the golf course this summer, feeling the pressure of being in a pandemic and wanting to release stress. He even has a miniature putting mat that he uses for class activities and rolls out when he wants to take a break from work. Both coaches have observed students who were forced to join the team by their parents or who only wanted a PE credit grow fond of the sport, partly because of this factor.

“It’s a good opportunity to get outside and enjoy nature,” Stanchos said. “Many of us find golf relaxing, as frustrating as it can be at times. I sure like to go and golf and have time to think for myself.”

For both coaches, it is rewarding to watch the students grow as golfers and succeed. As a first-time golf coach, Stanchos is beginning to see students’ lives in a whole new light. Golf tournaments require students to miss entire days of school, leaving them behind in work often and without a lot of time to do homework.

The coaches agree that the kids are what make McCallum golf special.

“It does make me feel more connected to the school and it helps me bond with the players,” Stanchos said. “You spend more time with them out there, you see their frustration, you feel for them. We’re playing against some tough teams, so it takes a lot of courage for these players, especially those who are inexperienced, to get out there and sacrifice their school time to go and compete against some good golfers. I do feel closer to them, and I can only imagine it’s going to get better.”