North Georgia to Add Men's and Women's Golf in 2009-10
DAHLONEGA, GA – North Georgia College & State
University President Dr. David Potter and Athletic Director Randy
Dunn have announced the addition of men’s and women’s
golf as NCAA Division II sports to the athletic department starting
in the fall of 2009, and have named Tom Fowler has head coach for
the programs.
“We are pleased to initiate these programs at North
Georgia,” President Dr. David Potter said. “This should
enable us to recruit strong scholar-athletes to the University, and
it will provide greater visibility to our institution throughout
the region and the state.”
North Georgia has also partnered with Achasta Golf Course to be
the new home for the Saints starting this fall. The Jack Nicklaus
Signature course is located just minutes from campus in the
foothills of the North Georgia Mountains along the Chestatee
River.
“We are thrilled that North Georgia is going to become a
part of the rich history of Division II golf in the Peach Belt
Conference," PBC Commissioner David Brunk said. “The addition
of the men’s team will enrich the championship experience for
all of our players and elevate the stature of the PBC
Championship.”
The men’s and women’s teams will be under the
direction of head golf professional at Achasta, and now North
Georgia Head Golf Coach Tom Fowler. A native of Jasper, Georgia,
Fowler has been a PGA professional since 1994 and has served in all
facets of the business.
“I am proud and excited to have been asked to coach for
North Georgia,” said Fowler. “I am looking forward to
coaching a world class team that will proudly serve as ambassadors
for the University, Dahlonega, and the game of golf.”
Fowler was named Assistant of the Year for the Georgia Section of
the PGA of America and also served as the section’s
assistants division as president and tournament director. His
Oconee Course golf shop was among the Top 100 Resort Golf Shops in
Golf Digest in 2004. Fowler and his wife Dana have been married for
13 years and have one daughter, Hannah.
“We are delighted to establish a partnership with Achasta to
make this program a reality,” Potter said. “We are
grateful to have this exceptional Jack Nicklaus layout as the host
course for our teams, and to have the service of Tom Fowler as our
coach.”
With Fowler serving as head coach, Mr. Tommy Aaron, 1973 Masters
Champion and PGA tour legend, has agreed to serve as honorary
coach. Aaron, a native of Gainesville, Georgia, captured
back-to-back SEC individual golf titles for the University of
Florida in 1957 and 1958,
and played on the PGA Tour from 1961 to 1979.
|
| NGCSU athletic director Randy Dunn (L), President David Potter (C) and new head coach Tom Flowler (R) introduced the new North Georgia men's and women's golf programs on Monday. |
“The addition of men’s and women’s golf will
be a win-win situation for the entire North Georgia family, the
Achasta community, and our future student-athletes,” Athletic
Director Randy Dunn said. “We are so proud to introduce Tom
Fowler as our head coach, and extremely honored to have Mr. Tommy
Aaron serve as honorary coach.”
In December, the Peach Belt Conference announced the league had
voted to add women’s golf as a championship sport beginning
in the fall of 2009, with the first championship tournament to be
played in April of 2010.
“Providing championship opportunities to our
student-athletes is one of the cornerstones of our
conference,” said Brunk from the league office in Augusta.
“We have been actively trying to add more championship sports
and are thrilled that women’s golf will be a part of the
Peach Belt. Men’s golf has been a very successful sport for
us and the southeast has the best collegiate golf in the country,
at all levels, and the addition of the women’s championship
is a natural fit for us.”