new coach spotlight
Golf returns to Tech When the 2007–2008 golf season starts, it will be the university’s first in 30 years.
New golf coach Kelly Mettert knows about golf and Indiana Tech. In 1977, Mettert was named MVP of Indiana Tech’s golf team—the last year before the sport was discontinued. He graduated in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in recreation management. In September 2006, he was brought in to restart the program as coach of the university’s new men’s and women’s golf teams. Mettert brings his years of playing in area tournaments and golfing expertise to the new position. “I’m a rookie coach,” he said, “still learning the ropes on recruiting.” “Most of the kids have a decent physical game,” Mettert said. “Some have their own swing coaches,” so he plans to focus on improving their mental game, course management skills, learning to play—and win!—by thinking beyond each shot. “I want them to try to make no worse than a bogey.” The home course will be Cherry Hill, and teams will play conference meets in the fall and tournaments in the spring. In his recruiting, Mettert promotes the benefits of an education at Indiana Tech: its small atmosphere, class sizes and personal contact with faculty, active student life, and numerous scholarship opportunities. “Recruiting for the men’s team is going very well. The women’s team is a little harder,” 14 TRENDS Winter 06/07
Mettert explained, “because there’s just a smaller pool of players to go after.” As owner and operator of Custom Golf of New Haven, Mettert has been in the golf business for a total of 27 years. Custom Golf provides custom golf club fitting and club repair and features indoor golf simulators and a heated driving range. Mettert was named one of the World’s Top 100 Clubfitters by KZG, a leading provider of custom fit golf equipment. He is certified as a “Class A” clubmaker by the Professional Clubmakers Society and served three years on its board of directors. Mettert has been married for 22 years to his wife Cathy. Together they have three children: a 9-year-old son, 10-year-old daughter, and 14-yearold daughter. He also has coached softball for girls age 9 to 12 for twenty years—long enough now to be seeing the daughters of some former players. With so many years of coaching and golfing to draw on, what tips does Mettert give for people looking to improve their golf game? “Don’t play 17 and 18,” he jokes. “That’s where most people add points.” Also, “Practicing your short game can be the fastest way to improve, since a long drive and short stroke both count the same.”