University of Minnesota Athletics
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/ Men's Golf
Smith Looks Ahead to Spring Season, Part 2
3/12/2019 3:10:00 PM | Men's Golf
The spring season ramps up this weekend for the Minnesota men's golf team at the Schenkel Invitational, the first of four team tournaments this spring. In advance of it, associate head coach Justin Smith sat down with GopherSports.com to talk about the team. In part two of the two-part series, he assesses the team's performance at the Big Ten Match Play Championship and previews what the spring will look like.
GopherSports.com: You opened the spring in February with the Big Ten Match Play Championship. What did you think of your team's performance there?
Justin Smith:Â "We've talked about it in year's past, I think last year or a couple years ago, we've come out of there with a little bit of a better record, 2-2 or 2-1, but our games weren't as sharp. Especially our top players weren't nearly as sharp to go win their matches. This year, our top players, for the most part, Angus (Flanagan) and Evan (Long), they weren't just winning matches, they were rolling people and winning by wide margins. Lincoln (Johnson) won a match by a wide margin. Noah (Rasinski) beat a top freshman from Iowa in the last match by a pretty wide margin.
"I think in general, we've got a lot to work on, a lot to continue to do and our motto is we're going to get better every day. We're going to take it one day at a time and get one percent better every day and then by April, when it's time for the conference championship and postseason, that's when, hopefully, we're hitting our biggest stride. Our top players were as sharp at that time of the year as I've seen in years past. We still need five, six, seven players, not to put numbers on them, but we need them to continue to improve. It pushes the front of our lineup and it gets everyone better. Creating that internal competition can only help. We're doing that every day, we're competing every day. We've got drills every day that we're attempting to do in practice and it's really pushing everybody. It's fun to see the amount of focus and determination. It's really helped us to put a practice plan together and execute it and make sure this is what's going to get us ready to go win tournaments this spring, because that's our goal. We've got really high goals so we're excited to go chase those."
GS: Evan Long is a guy you've mentioned who played well in the fall and he was really strong at the match play, was there something in particular that caused him to have that success?
JS:Â "He's been doing some different things with his golf swing this winter. In a lot of different ways, us coaches aren't the only ones that have an impact on their golf swings and their play. We are certainly the forefront of the communication and making sure we know what's going on, but he's started picking a couple things and making a couple of adjustments over the winter time. His ball striking was so much more consistent. There are some things he's struggled with in the past and when he was good, he was really good, but there were times when he wasn't and I think he's in a place where even if he's a little off, he's still in a manageable spot. He's not much different with Noah (Rasinski). He's got to start chipping and putting it consistently well day in and day out; they're good enough to win tournaments. If we can get those two to be at that level and you pair them with Tom (Longbella) and Angus (Flanagan) and the rest of the team, I think we're going to achieve some really cool things this spring and build some incredible momentum, not only in terms of the spring, but the rest of their careers. That's what we're here for. We're here to not settle for mediocrity. We're here to push these athletes to a level that they don't think exists. That's what is fun about it. We're going to do it the right way and hit home with some of these core values."
GS: What do you think of the spring schedule?
JS:Â "We're doing it a little bit differently than we have in the past. John (Carlson) and I sat down last summer and took a look at it and figured out the realities of where we finished the Big Ten Championship. It was as unacceptable as it gets from a team that's won plenty of conference championships. We need to get back to that level, it's what we're going to do, it's what we come to work every day for, to revive the experience for these student-athletes but also to win. We took a long look at that, took a long look at championship teams that Minnesota has had in 2014 and 2007. We went back to some of those teams and the reality was how they were able to build momentum going into the conference championship, which is something we haven't done a very good job of. A lot of it is us coaches not getting the team ready, but now we have an incredible facility and we've learned from past times so we've buttoned up a lot of things.
"These last four weeks we've been home since Big Ten Match Play have provided us with a lot of information about where we are and what we need to do. With the courses that are coming up, we've implemented some cool things that are preparing our guys well before they even get there. We want to make sure that before each practice round they feel like they have seen the course and they know it. We've really built into a point where when we hopefully hit the Big Ten Tournament and we get in the postseason, that we've won tournaments, we've been contending in tournaments and we've beaten some of our Midwest rivals. We're practicing, but we still have to go perform and put them in a position to do that. I feel like with the schedule that we have, our guys are going to be ready when they step up on the tee in the most pressure-packed moments in the Big Ten Championship and postseason, that they've been in that position, the target has been on their back, so they're going to hopefully be used to that environment or that feeling. In the past, if that happens, it's like, 'oh my gosh, how do we deal with this?' But we built a schedule and that's what they've done in the past, both of the championship teams this program has had in the past. They've built that momentum, so hopefully that's exactly what happens leading into the biggest tournaments in the spring."
GS: You were on the Minnesota's national title team in 2002. How often do you use lessons learned from that year with this team?
JS: "John (Carlson) and I have talked a lot about his 2014 team. We've talked a lot about teams I've played on. We don't really use specific examples with these guys. The crazy thing is that in 2002 when the teams I was on were having all of this success, these kids were like three years old. They go, 'Oh that's a cool trophy,' but golf is totally different now. Technology is different, courses are different, the learning and teaching is different.
"I think the reality is there are so many values and the identity of Minnesota golf is something we spend a lot of time thinking about and the type of player that succeeds here. It's on us to go recruit that. We want the high-end talent everywhere we can possibly find it. We need the identity, we need those values, we need those tangibles that allows kids like Justin Doeden, Jon DuToit, Jose Mendez, was that incredible talent, these kids that just embodied it, the kids that just loved it and they're like, 'It doesn't matter what my situation is, it doesn't matter how much snow, I can find a way to get better.' The teams that win championships here have done that. That's what we're trying to communicate every day. It's not ideal out there, we're not running from that, but the reality is that we've got this amazing place where we can get work done, we can get better today. We just take it a day at a time; we don't know when the snow is going to lift. I care, but I don't, because I can't do anything about it. What I can do is get them in the right frame of mind so they're continuing to get better. We spend so much time with that, instruction, ways to make their game better, feedback and evaluations that we do, we structure things to hit on certain points."
GS: We've talked about Flanagan, Johnson, Long and Rasinski. Is there anyone else you're looking to in the spring to make an impact or a jump in their play?
JS:Â "There's no doubt they were big impacts for us in the fall, I think to say that they won't be big impacts in the spring is probably pretty crazy. The thing I love the most is everyone on our roster, they are absolutely pouring everything into it. They're pouring all their energy, their passion, their values, the conversations we have, just because some of the individuals haven't played consistently, their goals are so incredibly high. They're still chasing it, they know their time is coming. They know, at some point, their name is going to be called. They're going to earn their way onto the team. Nothing is given, everything is earned. They've really taken that mentality to heart and they're proving it in their practice. When you can only play five out of ten, there's always a group that doesn't get their time, but we've got opportunities for individuals to compete this spring, to allow us to see, under tournament pressure, who are going to be the ones to perform the best. They're all going to get their chance, we don't quite know when, we don't quite know where, but on spring break tournaments, we go down there and compete, there's always competition. They're all going to have their opportunities. I just appreciate the passion and the energy that was sparked by the new facility and hopefully it helps with what we're trying to drive in them for the goals they're chasing, individual and team. That's where it starts, we hold them accountable every day. Performance is going to fluctuate at times, from where they are in their golfing careers, but we just want to make sure that we're holding them accountable to the effort and passion they're putting into it. They're doing a fantastic job."
GS: It's been open for almost two months now, but what impact have you seen from the new practice facility?
JS: "To this point, we don't know 100 percent how it transfers to a golf course. We don't have golf holes to play, but we don't ever talk about it. We use it as an advantage in the sense of having a chip on our shoulder and the intangibles that each kid possesses. Just from the ability to spend more time, not feeling like with the women's team that they have their practice time and after that we have our practice time, but now it's kind of an open gym in a way. Depending on how many people are there at a time, who is in the hitting bay, who is in the chipping green, they can kind of manage their time and where they can put more time in. They don't have to feel like they're on someone else's time, another team is coming in behind us or anything like that. We don't have to make special arrangements to get more time; it's our home. We come and go as we please and because of that, we're able to put more time in. From a short game perspective, we're sharper. That's usually where we're trying to pick the pieces up going into our spring season. We're just excited to see it translate, then it's on us as coaches to put them in the position to succeed and put them in the environment that they need, so that's always the fun part."
GS: Any parting thoughts?
JS: "I want to highlight the values we're trying to drive home. It's just been fun. It's a great group that hasn't even come close to reaching their abilities and they will. They have all the intangibles to do it. It's fun to see them work every day and get after it. From our end, that's something that we can expect and it's what we're trying to recruit, what we're trying to build for a long time. That's what these championship teams possessed. We've done a lot of studying that and going back to that, because that's the way we're wired. We're here to win championships, do well in the classroom and be model student-athletes for the school and the department."
GopherSports.com: You opened the spring in February with the Big Ten Match Play Championship. What did you think of your team's performance there?
Justin Smith:Â "We've talked about it in year's past, I think last year or a couple years ago, we've come out of there with a little bit of a better record, 2-2 or 2-1, but our games weren't as sharp. Especially our top players weren't nearly as sharp to go win their matches. This year, our top players, for the most part, Angus (Flanagan) and Evan (Long), they weren't just winning matches, they were rolling people and winning by wide margins. Lincoln (Johnson) won a match by a wide margin. Noah (Rasinski) beat a top freshman from Iowa in the last match by a pretty wide margin.
"I think in general, we've got a lot to work on, a lot to continue to do and our motto is we're going to get better every day. We're going to take it one day at a time and get one percent better every day and then by April, when it's time for the conference championship and postseason, that's when, hopefully, we're hitting our biggest stride. Our top players were as sharp at that time of the year as I've seen in years past. We still need five, six, seven players, not to put numbers on them, but we need them to continue to improve. It pushes the front of our lineup and it gets everyone better. Creating that internal competition can only help. We're doing that every day, we're competing every day. We've got drills every day that we're attempting to do in practice and it's really pushing everybody. It's fun to see the amount of focus and determination. It's really helped us to put a practice plan together and execute it and make sure this is what's going to get us ready to go win tournaments this spring, because that's our goal. We've got really high goals so we're excited to go chase those."
GS: Evan Long is a guy you've mentioned who played well in the fall and he was really strong at the match play, was there something in particular that caused him to have that success?
JS:Â "He's been doing some different things with his golf swing this winter. In a lot of different ways, us coaches aren't the only ones that have an impact on their golf swings and their play. We are certainly the forefront of the communication and making sure we know what's going on, but he's started picking a couple things and making a couple of adjustments over the winter time. His ball striking was so much more consistent. There are some things he's struggled with in the past and when he was good, he was really good, but there were times when he wasn't and I think he's in a place where even if he's a little off, he's still in a manageable spot. He's not much different with Noah (Rasinski). He's got to start chipping and putting it consistently well day in and day out; they're good enough to win tournaments. If we can get those two to be at that level and you pair them with Tom (Longbella) and Angus (Flanagan) and the rest of the team, I think we're going to achieve some really cool things this spring and build some incredible momentum, not only in terms of the spring, but the rest of their careers. That's what we're here for. We're here to not settle for mediocrity. We're here to push these athletes to a level that they don't think exists. That's what is fun about it. We're going to do it the right way and hit home with some of these core values."
GS: What do you think of the spring schedule?
JS:Â "We're doing it a little bit differently than we have in the past. John (Carlson) and I sat down last summer and took a look at it and figured out the realities of where we finished the Big Ten Championship. It was as unacceptable as it gets from a team that's won plenty of conference championships. We need to get back to that level, it's what we're going to do, it's what we come to work every day for, to revive the experience for these student-athletes but also to win. We took a long look at that, took a long look at championship teams that Minnesota has had in 2014 and 2007. We went back to some of those teams and the reality was how they were able to build momentum going into the conference championship, which is something we haven't done a very good job of. A lot of it is us coaches not getting the team ready, but now we have an incredible facility and we've learned from past times so we've buttoned up a lot of things.
"These last four weeks we've been home since Big Ten Match Play have provided us with a lot of information about where we are and what we need to do. With the courses that are coming up, we've implemented some cool things that are preparing our guys well before they even get there. We want to make sure that before each practice round they feel like they have seen the course and they know it. We've really built into a point where when we hopefully hit the Big Ten Tournament and we get in the postseason, that we've won tournaments, we've been contending in tournaments and we've beaten some of our Midwest rivals. We're practicing, but we still have to go perform and put them in a position to do that. I feel like with the schedule that we have, our guys are going to be ready when they step up on the tee in the most pressure-packed moments in the Big Ten Championship and postseason, that they've been in that position, the target has been on their back, so they're going to hopefully be used to that environment or that feeling. In the past, if that happens, it's like, 'oh my gosh, how do we deal with this?' But we built a schedule and that's what they've done in the past, both of the championship teams this program has had in the past. They've built that momentum, so hopefully that's exactly what happens leading into the biggest tournaments in the spring."
GS: You were on the Minnesota's national title team in 2002. How often do you use lessons learned from that year with this team?
JS: "John (Carlson) and I have talked a lot about his 2014 team. We've talked a lot about teams I've played on. We don't really use specific examples with these guys. The crazy thing is that in 2002 when the teams I was on were having all of this success, these kids were like three years old. They go, 'Oh that's a cool trophy,' but golf is totally different now. Technology is different, courses are different, the learning and teaching is different.
"I think the reality is there are so many values and the identity of Minnesota golf is something we spend a lot of time thinking about and the type of player that succeeds here. It's on us to go recruit that. We want the high-end talent everywhere we can possibly find it. We need the identity, we need those values, we need those tangibles that allows kids like Justin Doeden, Jon DuToit, Jose Mendez, was that incredible talent, these kids that just embodied it, the kids that just loved it and they're like, 'It doesn't matter what my situation is, it doesn't matter how much snow, I can find a way to get better.' The teams that win championships here have done that. That's what we're trying to communicate every day. It's not ideal out there, we're not running from that, but the reality is that we've got this amazing place where we can get work done, we can get better today. We just take it a day at a time; we don't know when the snow is going to lift. I care, but I don't, because I can't do anything about it. What I can do is get them in the right frame of mind so they're continuing to get better. We spend so much time with that, instruction, ways to make their game better, feedback and evaluations that we do, we structure things to hit on certain points."
GS: We've talked about Flanagan, Johnson, Long and Rasinski. Is there anyone else you're looking to in the spring to make an impact or a jump in their play?
JS:Â "There's no doubt they were big impacts for us in the fall, I think to say that they won't be big impacts in the spring is probably pretty crazy. The thing I love the most is everyone on our roster, they are absolutely pouring everything into it. They're pouring all their energy, their passion, their values, the conversations we have, just because some of the individuals haven't played consistently, their goals are so incredibly high. They're still chasing it, they know their time is coming. They know, at some point, their name is going to be called. They're going to earn their way onto the team. Nothing is given, everything is earned. They've really taken that mentality to heart and they're proving it in their practice. When you can only play five out of ten, there's always a group that doesn't get their time, but we've got opportunities for individuals to compete this spring, to allow us to see, under tournament pressure, who are going to be the ones to perform the best. They're all going to get their chance, we don't quite know when, we don't quite know where, but on spring break tournaments, we go down there and compete, there's always competition. They're all going to have their opportunities. I just appreciate the passion and the energy that was sparked by the new facility and hopefully it helps with what we're trying to drive in them for the goals they're chasing, individual and team. That's where it starts, we hold them accountable every day. Performance is going to fluctuate at times, from where they are in their golfing careers, but we just want to make sure that we're holding them accountable to the effort and passion they're putting into it. They're doing a fantastic job."
GS: It's been open for almost two months now, but what impact have you seen from the new practice facility?
JS: "To this point, we don't know 100 percent how it transfers to a golf course. We don't have golf holes to play, but we don't ever talk about it. We use it as an advantage in the sense of having a chip on our shoulder and the intangibles that each kid possesses. Just from the ability to spend more time, not feeling like with the women's team that they have their practice time and after that we have our practice time, but now it's kind of an open gym in a way. Depending on how many people are there at a time, who is in the hitting bay, who is in the chipping green, they can kind of manage their time and where they can put more time in. They don't have to feel like they're on someone else's time, another team is coming in behind us or anything like that. We don't have to make special arrangements to get more time; it's our home. We come and go as we please and because of that, we're able to put more time in. From a short game perspective, we're sharper. That's usually where we're trying to pick the pieces up going into our spring season. We're just excited to see it translate, then it's on us as coaches to put them in the position to succeed and put them in the environment that they need, so that's always the fun part."
GS: Any parting thoughts?
JS: "I want to highlight the values we're trying to drive home. It's just been fun. It's a great group that hasn't even come close to reaching their abilities and they will. They have all the intangibles to do it. It's fun to see them work every day and get after it. From our end, that's something that we can expect and it's what we're trying to recruit, what we're trying to build for a long time. That's what these championship teams possessed. We've done a lot of studying that and going back to that, because that's the way we're wired. We're here to win championships, do well in the classroom and be model student-athletes for the school and the department."
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