Amanda Brown and NSU women’s golf go hand in club. Brown, the head coach, started as a player on the team.
Originally from Tampa, Fla. she grew up around the sport and credits her grandfather for helping her get started.
“My grandfather played and introduced me to the game. The first time I picked up a golf club, I was 13,” said Brown.
Brown came to NSU as a student-athlete in 2001 and instantly found success. In her time as a member of the golf team from 2001 to 2005, she won two individual titles and was selected as a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American and was a two-time Academic All-American. She completed her bachelor’s in English in 2005 and her master’s in writing in 2010.
Between playing and coaching, Brown trained as a golf instructor at Jim McLean Golf School at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami. Shortly after, she became a master instructor at the Jim McLean Golf Academy in Weston.
Brown returned to NSU as an associate coach for a year before becoming the assistant coach for the next five. She loves the sport and the players and she shows her passion during every practice and tournament.
Brown loves helping the players grow, not only as golfers, but as people. She does whatever it takes to achieve their individual and team goals. Brown has had bad shots and rounds, so when a member of her team is going through the same thing, she knows how to help.
“If she’s struggling, we go through her statistics, see where in her game she is struggling and make an action plan to make those areas better in terms of practice, drills, games, instruction and technique,” said Brown.
Brown took over the head coaching duties in 2011, and in that first year, won a national championship, the team’s fourth consecutive championship victory. Establishing a dynasty in sports can create a lot of pressure for the program.
“Since we won four in a row, it was assumed we would just keep doing that. In the history of sports, it is hard to maintain that level of success, especially over four years and, yes, there is pressure, so sometimes anything less feels like a failure,” said Brown.
At the conclusion of Brown’s second year as head coach, four members of her team made the Women’s Golf Coaches Association first team Division II All-American team, which was the most first team selections from one school in the history of the WGCA. Although the team didn’t win a fifth consecutive national title, Brown saw the season as another great learning experience for everyone involved.
“It makes me really appreciate how everything has to come together and everything has to go really well to win a national championship,” said Brown.
Brown wants her team to be continually ranked number one in the country and win a national championship. She knows what her student-athletes need to do to be victorious and it all starts with the simple things.
“The key to being a great golfer is ball striking, hitting a lot of greens in regulation and being a great putter,” said Brown.
Brown is a coach who cares about golf, but especially her players. During her four-year playing career and her eight-year coaching career, Brown has left her mark on the program that won’t soon be forgotten.
