Southern California's No. 1 Golf Source
SITE
SEARCH
GOLF RESOURCE GUIDE:
People
|
||||
|
Throughout the year, John Wurzer can be found teaching students from 5 to 90 years of age at Golf Excellence International in Santa Fe Springs. But for three months each fall, Wurzer devotes time to guiding a talented group of teenagers on the Torrance High School girls golf team. Though his approaches are different in each role, the Long Beach native relishes the duality because it allows him to do what he loves - coach golf. "I've always just wanted to be a coach, whether it be my individual students or a team," Wurzer said. "The whole concept is coaching and being able to improve players. It all blends together." Wurzer developed enough skill as a player in high school to earn a full scholarship at Long Beach State. Despite a solid collegiate tenure that included two individual victories, Wurzer didn't avidly pursue a professional career after he graduated. "I was kind of burned out," he recalls, addressing the 10 consecutive years he spent playing tournament golf. "Part of me was saying, 'Hey, let's try something else.' I wanted to stay in golf, so I switched to the club pro side." After a stint as an assistant professional at Los Angeles Country Club, Wurzer became head professional at Torrance's Mulligan Golf Center. It was there that he was offered the coaching gig at Torrance High in 2000. "I was more thinking I would want to coach boys," Wurzer said. "But it doesn't matter if it's boys or girls. Coaching is coaching." Wurzer admits the first two years was like "boot camp," since his players needed significant development. In 2002, however, Wurzer welcomed a decorated quartet of girls to the team. One was Angela Park, who can now be seen teeing it up on the LPGA Tour. The talent upgrade allowed Wurzer to focus less on swings and more on what it took to succeed in tournaments, such as course management and sports psychology. "For the most part, it's just trying to guide them," he said. "I've been fortunate enough to learn from my past experiences and handle these kids with a certain amount of discipline, but mostly with communication. It's important to have that level of respect. It's trying to get them to believe in themselves and what they're capable of." The approach appears to be working. "John knows what we have to do and what it will take," said junior Demi Runas. "He doesn't want to butt in and tell us what he thinks we should do. He only helps if we ask." Since the Tartars' season ended in November, Wurzer is devoting more of his time to teaching at Golf Excellence International, where he works with his father, David. "He's had a lot of great ideas that I've been fortunate to be around," John said. "I definitely have learned so much from him regarding how to teach kids and golfers." SG For more information on Golf Excellence International, call (562) 944-5858 or visit golfexcellence.net. |
||||
RSS Subscribe
