"Ever since we at the University of Houston became fortunate and began winning some golf championships, many of my coaching friends have half-kiddingly advised me to write a book to let them in on our "secrets." Of course, there are no real secrets in the coaching profession. Some of us achieve better results by using different methods. I don't claim to have all the answers-by any stretch of the imagination. But perhaps some of the ideas we've adopted in coaching and promoting collegiate and junior golf will be of some interest to you. That is the main purpose of this book.
Besides exploring golf from the coaching aspect, I've included some instruction and playing tips which I hope will be useful to individual golfers.
One of my fondest dreams will be realized when interscholastic and intercollegiate team golf takes its rightful place alongside the so-called major sports in the eyes of the participant, coach, and spectator. I hope this book will help to further this cause." - Dave Williams
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DAVID G. (DAVE) WILLIAMS, whose University of Houston golf teams won a record five straight National Collegiate championships between 1956 and 1960, was an associate professor in the School of Engineering when he became golf coach after the 1951 season.
Before Williams volunteered to coach the golfers as an additional duty at no extra pay, the chore was handled by the school's athletic director, Harry Fouke, who was so busily engaged in the countless tasks of putting the university's fledgling athletic program on its feet that he had precious little time to devote to coaching the golf team.
Taking the job after a lark offer by Fouke, Williams strolled into the university's sports publicity office, introduced himself, and announced he was going to build a national championship golf team. Politely wished "the best of luck" by the snickering sports publicity director, who barely knew that college golf existed, Williams plunged into his job with the zeal of a big-time football coach.
In Eve years, Williams' teams brought to the University of Houston its Erst national championship in any sport- the 1956 NCAA golf title. Running up an amazing string of other tournament championships along the way, Houston's golfers, under Williams, broke the modem NCAA record in 1960 when they won their fifth straight national team title, and added four individual championships, too!
Between 1955 and 1961, Houston's teams ran up 40 tournament championships, defeating 592 teams along the way. Between 1957 and 1960, they won 21 straight tournaments and defeated 287 teams in a row, a record unsurpassed in the annals of intercollegiate golf. Houston's impact on the over-all American golf scene became apparent in 1961 when the alumni made their appearances on the professional golf tour-and immediately began winning money.
After answering countless letters from golf coaches all over the country, giving them pointers on how to go about building golf teams at their schools, Williams decided to write a book on the subject.
In this book are the secrets of his success.
