Golf is one of the few sports that can be enjoyed at any age. Children as young as three or four years old pick up their first golf club because a family member introduced them to the game they love. It is a sport that can be played and adored over a lifetime. In this way, golf is unlike most other sports.
Originally from Lake Marie, Fla., just north of Orlando, Noah Goldman, the assistant coach of both the men and women’s golf team at NSU, has been playing the sport since he was a small child.
“[I] started playing at the age of four. Hard to believe it’s been about 25 years now. There’s been a lot of golf over the years,” said Goldman. “My dad originally played a little bit. He got me started but I just immediately liked it, the challenge of it. I think that’s what drew me in. The competition aspect of it is always fun too. And I always liked sports so it was an easy fit.”
Goldman attended Lake Marie High School, before playing all four years at Mississippi State University. Goldman had many memorable moments throughout his collegiate career, including some tournament victories he was very proud of.
“I won four tournaments in college so that was pretty exciting, and I can remember making a few birdies down the stretch of those [tournaments], so that sticks out.”
He graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2008 from MSU, with a bachelor’s in business administration. He completed his MBA in 2009, then moved to Birmingham, Ala., where he began to play professionally on the lower ranks for two years. And although it was a great experience and a dream of his, it wasn’t everything he thought it was cracked up to be.
“There are entry fees and all different things that go into it. Never quite got the sponsor that put me over the edge. I definitely enjoyed it and learned a lot, he said. “I learned I didn’t want to play golf professionally but I still loved the game. So this was a perfect way for me to stay involved with the game and help influence young people and take them to the next level while giving them an education.”
Goldman volunteered for a year as an assistant on the women’s golf team at Division I Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., after ending his professional career. And shortly after he completed his first year at Samford, Goldman got a call that would broaden his coaching aspirations.
“I’ve always enjoyed the coaching aspect, even as a player in college. It was something I thought about. I knew I wanted to play professionally, and I would have been disappointed later in life if I didn’t at least try, so I knew I wanted to do that for a couple of years, but coaching was something I wanted to come back to,” said Goldman. “The NSU job came up and it was something I couldn’t pass up.”
Although he had the one year of volunteering under his belt, Goldman considers his position at NSU his first real coaching job.
“I would say this is my first real coaching experience because I’ve been more involved in the recruiting aspect of it as well. Any time you get to travel with the team, there is a lot of team bonding; we have a lot of fun on the road. Anytime you can win or get the trophy it adds to the fun of it,” said Goldman. “A lot of the players here have the talent to move on and play professionally. So, it’s exciting to be here and help with that.”
Golf is one of the most hardest sports to teach. The harder a player tries to improve, the worse they can get. The idea is not think about it as much. It has more to do with mind-set. Goldman said that golf can be very frustrating and only those who truly love the game can teach it.
“Golf is unlike anything else. It’s a challenge mentally and physically and you can always want [to] a little bit better, so you want to get back out there and do it again. That’s what I like about it,” said Goldman.
Goldman has had to learn his own unique coaching style, whether it’s tips and pointers he has learned over the years through personal experiences or from former coaches, or just the constant learning that goes on every day with his team on the course. Stepping into a team that is known nationally for being one of the best, Goldman has learned just as much from his players as they have learned from him.
“I want them to be challenged as much as possible in practice, make things as difficult as possible, as much like a tournament as you can. And then when it is tournament time, back off as much as possible to where you can just let them go and do what they do best” said Goldman.
He doesn’t have as much time to enjoy the game he loves on his own, so when he gets the opportunity to get out on the course and show off a few of his abilities, Goldman relishes the opportunity.
“I don’t practice as much anymore but I still enjoy getting out there. I give [the NSU team members] a challenge,” said Goldman.
Goldman has thought about what kind of coach he wants to be now and in the future, even early in his career. This allows him to get involved with his team on a more personal level, which allows for a closer bonding relationship, ensuring trust that is needed on both sides of the equation.
Goldman said, “I want to be someone who was always there for them. Even if it’s not a golf or education thing, if they just need someone to talk to but also someone who pushed them to be the best they could be both on and off the course. The combination of those.”
