Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/577039
UNDER THE DOME Five Questions With … WOMEN'S GOLF HEAD COACH SUSAN HOLT Susan Holt joined the Notre Dame program in August 2006 after a 13- year stint at South Florida. She's led the Irish to eight consecutive NCAA regional appearances, as well as the first NCAA Championships bid in school history in 2011. BGI: What does your average day consist of? Holt: "Some days we start out with a 6-7 a.m. workout with the girls, then they bike over to our golf facility and have practice from 7:30-9:30. Then they'll go to class, while I'll have meetings and do what we need to do to prepare for the next practice. "Then you have recruiting. When recruits come to town it's all hands on deck for the weekend." BGI: How has coaching significantly changed since you began your career? Holt: "There are just not enough hours in the day. Recruiting is 24/7 now, with social media and how it's being used. "I've done this for 25 years — when I got my first coaching job in 1990 at Purdue, my cell phone looked like a huge brick. Just to watch the evolution of it the last 25 years has been pretty crazy. I love it, though. I don't know what else I would do — I truly love this job." BGI: How do you overcome possible objections, like the colder weather, when you're recruiting to Notre Dame? Holt: "I think a lot of it is the academic culture here, which is appealing not just to the kids but the parents as well. "We have incredible facilities, including one of the top on-campus golf courses [Warren Golf Course] nationally, and we have a multi-million dollar indoor facility we train in for the winter that's had a huge impact on the program." BGI: Your program signed three top-40 players (per Golfweek) last year, one of only two schools to manage that. How have they progressed? Holt: "They're already competing at a very high level. Isabella DiLisio played at the No. 1 spot for us as a freshman at Michigan State [Sept. 12-13], and then Emma Albrecht was the top finisher in the Schooner Fall Classic [Sept. 19-21]. "They're a tribute to the players we've had the last 10 years, who've elevated the program to where it is today." BGI: What are the expectations with this year's team? Holt: "Our expectations are always to compete at the highest level, to win the ACC championship and compete for a national championship. Those goals never change for us. "The culture is there. We've made eight straight regionals, and now we just have to take that next step." — Jordan Wells HOLT