University of Georgia Athletics
Photo by: Tony Walsh/UGAAA
The Legacy He Leads
May 08, 2024 | Men's Golf
Polite, well-mannered, and courteous – it is what is expected when you are a Bulldog. It is also what the Georgia men's golf team is known for on the course. During the last 28 seasons, these standards have been kept consistent by head coach Chris Haack.
Haack has been the leader at the helm since 1996, following the retirement of legendary Bulldog Dick Copas. He will now lead the Bulldogs to Austin, Texas for the NCAA Regional Championships on May 13-15.
Before beginning his tenure in Athens, Coach Haack worked with the American Junior Golf Association from 1981 to 1996. He captained their Cannon Cup, similar to the Ryder Cup, where he led squads among the likes of Tiger Woods.
"When the job opened up here, I wasn't necessarily looking to leave the AJGA at first," said Haack. "But I had some former players who called me to see if I would be interested in it. And so, when I came up and I met with Coach Dooley, I became really interested in it. Probably more because I had done it with the Cannon Cup and thought, 'Yeah, this could be a lot of fun.'"
Haack has led Georgia to two National Championships and eight Southeastern Conference titles. The latter of the National Championships came in 2005, atop rival Georgia Tech.
"Now with Georgia Tech being our biggest rival, I didn't sleep very well that night, thinking we can't blow a 9-shot lead to Georgia Tech," said Haack, with a smile and laugh. "But, we maintained that lead and never even came close to losing it. Three of those guys went on to really great professional careers and are still playing today."
Following the 2024 SEC Championship, Georgia has now advanced to matchplay for the fourth time in its last five trips to the event.
Georgia has been home to numerous professional players and PGA tour champions, with a heavy amount competing during Haack's reign. He is able to go to his former players for advice, with most of them applauding Haack's coaching style. He does not hold their hands through golf, as the players remind him there is none of that on the PGA TOUR.
The Georgia State Golf Association Hall of Fame Inductee loves the variability of golf courses. While other sports find consistency in the state of their field, track, court, or pool, golfers must be ready to adapt to changing conditions, hole locations, and various courses across the country.
Haack recalled getting into golf as a kid because it "is me against the golf course. I could do it as much as I wanted to all day long. I enjoyed the competition and it resonated with me much more."
In an ever changing environment of college athletics, Haack establishes the understanding that it is about what is on the front of the jersey, not the back. The ability to carry a Bulldog bag is earned.
The reason the program has been so successful is in large part because of Haack's way of treating his golfers as if they were his own sons. Haack knows the characteristics of a Bulldog will take his student-athletes even further in life than a golf course.
Haack has been the leader at the helm since 1996, following the retirement of legendary Bulldog Dick Copas. He will now lead the Bulldogs to Austin, Texas for the NCAA Regional Championships on May 13-15.
Before beginning his tenure in Athens, Coach Haack worked with the American Junior Golf Association from 1981 to 1996. He captained their Cannon Cup, similar to the Ryder Cup, where he led squads among the likes of Tiger Woods.
"When the job opened up here, I wasn't necessarily looking to leave the AJGA at first," said Haack. "But I had some former players who called me to see if I would be interested in it. And so, when I came up and I met with Coach Dooley, I became really interested in it. Probably more because I had done it with the Cannon Cup and thought, 'Yeah, this could be a lot of fun.'"
Haack has led Georgia to two National Championships and eight Southeastern Conference titles. The latter of the National Championships came in 2005, atop rival Georgia Tech.
"Now with Georgia Tech being our biggest rival, I didn't sleep very well that night, thinking we can't blow a 9-shot lead to Georgia Tech," said Haack, with a smile and laugh. "But, we maintained that lead and never even came close to losing it. Three of those guys went on to really great professional careers and are still playing today."
Following the 2024 SEC Championship, Georgia has now advanced to matchplay for the fourth time in its last five trips to the event.
Georgia has been home to numerous professional players and PGA tour champions, with a heavy amount competing during Haack's reign. He is able to go to his former players for advice, with most of them applauding Haack's coaching style. He does not hold their hands through golf, as the players remind him there is none of that on the PGA TOUR.
The Georgia State Golf Association Hall of Fame Inductee loves the variability of golf courses. While other sports find consistency in the state of their field, track, court, or pool, golfers must be ready to adapt to changing conditions, hole locations, and various courses across the country.
Haack recalled getting into golf as a kid because it "is me against the golf course. I could do it as much as I wanted to all day long. I enjoyed the competition and it resonated with me much more."
In an ever changing environment of college athletics, Haack establishes the understanding that it is about what is on the front of the jersey, not the back. The ability to carry a Bulldog bag is earned.
The reason the program has been so successful is in large part because of Haack's way of treating his golfers as if they were his own sons. Haack knows the characteristics of a Bulldog will take his student-athletes even further in life than a golf course.
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