New coach, ‘go-go-go’ Rob Bradley, in a hurry to elevate USC men’s golf fortunes
He’s wearing a PGA Tour caddie’s bib in Detroit one day and hustles to Pinehurst the next before making a quick stop in Columbia. Then, it’s back home to Indiana for a day or two before embarking on the first of two journeys to Europe. Stops in Michigan and Maryland come next and another journey across the Atlantic follows with time set aside to take care of some real estate business.
Meet Rob Bradley, a human whirlwind who these days is selling the gospel of the University of South Carolina’s men’s golf program at every stop — and all points in between.
Bradley took command of the Carolina program in June after the administration parted ways with long-time coach Bill McDonald, and the new guy wasted no time in plunging headlong into what he calls “a new opportunity, a good professional challenge.”
He’s not alone in making the rounds to the high-profile events of junior golfers, of course. Most college coaches with high aspirations attend the U.S. Junior Amateur and the PGA Junior Championship and simultaneously search for the next Ludvig Aberg in Europe.
But Bradley’s hectic pace suggests that none will outwork him on the recruiting trail.
“My schedule is go-go-go,” he said of his three months wearing garnet and black attire. “I’m recruiting hard. That’s what it takes, being all over the place to recruit the right guys for the right fit.”
And he will find them, predicts College of Charleston coach Mitch Krywulycz, a Bradley assistant at Purdue.
“He connects; he sees the best in kids,” Krywulycz said. “He’s one of the best people I’ve ever met. His character . . . He’s thoughtful and he’s direct, and that’s why he’s so successful.”
Diving into recruiting
Success ... a word often associated with Rob Bradley, the player who twice made honorable mention All-American at the University of North Carolina, and with Rob Bradley, the coach who served on staffs at North Florida and Alabama prior to taking the reins at Purdue.
And the Gamecocks are counting on that trait following him to Columbia, where the men’s program had sagged from sharing fifth place in the 2016 NCAA Championship to missing or barely squeezing into NCAA regionals in recent seasons.
“I think the state of the program is OK,” Bradley said. “We have a couple of players ranked in the top 200 (Nathan Franks and Frankie Harris). They’re really nice players. Some of the others have had decent success at times,” including Zach Adams, who followed an inconsistent college season by winning the South Carolina Amateur in August for the second time.
But he understands he would not be Carolina’s coach if ‘OK’ were good enough.
“We need to recruit, find the guys to bolster the program,” he said, and his non-stop summer illustrated his plan. “Teams have shown they really need five guys (playing well) consistently.
“In the SEC, we have teams with all five guys in the top 100 (nationally). That’s what it takes, and that’s what we’ll try and build.”
His philosophy in a nutshell: Recruit well and “help guys get better.”
“He will help guys get better,” said PGA Tour player Adam Schenk, who played for Bradley at Purdue. “He came (to Purdue) my senior year and helped me immediately. He can explain things is a way you understand, and that’s not always the case. I’m not the only one he’s helped.”
Amen, said Krywulycz, who moved from the Purdue staff and has developed successful teams at the College of Charleston.
“He works to bring out the best in his players,” the Cougars’ coach said. “He believes more in them than they believe in themselves.”
Bradley wants to build his team around homegrown players and supplement on both a national and international scale.
To that end, he reached out immediately to Alex Hamilton, a former Carolina star who is senior director of the South Carolina Junior Golf Association.
“The talent in South Carolina ... that was our first conversation,” Hamilton said. “I knew him from our days of playing pro golf and know of his reputation for developing talent. As an alumnus, I’m excited to have him.”
“I always want to start (with players) in the state,” Bradley said. “I want to get the very best in this state; it’s hard to compete without that. Then, we branch out, which will include international players. That what we did at Purdue.
“South Carolina is such a great golf state, but if guys are not good enough to play at a high (college) level, we have to get those who are. The mix will be determined by classes; every year is different.”
Now, he waits to see the fruit of his first Carolina recruiting cycle.
A resources wish list at USC
The move from an established program with outstanding on-campus facilities to one that requires a jolt of energy and upgraded resources might be surprising, but Bradley sees sunshine through the clouds.
“Coach (Ray) Tanner (director of athletics) called to judge my interest, and there are so many positives,” Bradley said. “The climate with not a lot of cold weather and the SEC, the premier league in college golf. The league is super competitive, and I’m a competitive guy. The weather was always a factor at Purdue.
“We have a great practice facility at USC, and this is a remarkable golf state in terms of great players and a lot of great golf courses. Plus, the business school is fantastic, and that’s always important to golfers. Combining those things will be important (in building the program).”
Bradley talked to Alabama coach Jay Seawell, his former boss and a USC alumnus, and came away intrigued.
“He played at USC and he and all the Seawell family love USC,” Bradley said. “The more we talked, the more positives I felt about USC. And, at this point of my career, it’s a good professional challenge.”
But there are warts.
“The one big thing we lack is a building, a team building,” Bradley said, echoing a theme on women’s coach Kalen Anderson’s wish list. “We need that for an SEC program. We need a place for the golf team to call ‘home.’ I expect that could be in the works.”
After having two Pete Dye golf courses on campus at Purdue, Bradley will not have that luxury at Carolina — at least for now. Although the university has not announced plans for a golf course, it’s no secret in the golf community that golf architects have examined the land behind Williams-Brice Stadium adjacent to the Congaree River.
“A golf course has been talked about and is certainly a possibility,” Bradley said. “I’ve been out there and looked, and I could almost see a golf course there. But there are hurdles to see what’s going on with the development.”
In the meantime: “There are so many great golf courses in this state,” he said. “We will have places to practice.”
The right fit for the Gamecocks
Those practice sessions will be teaching clinics, said Schenk, who still relies on his college coach for instruction.
“He’s going to be a friend, not your best friend,” the Tour player said. “He can be hard, if that’s what a player needs. The thing is, he wants every player to improve, and he works with a passion for the game. He works as hard, if not harder, than the player. He just takes a player’s temperature and does what’s needed.
“He’s very quick to help someone. He looks at what’s needed and what works for a player. He’s not one of those one-size-fits-all coaches.”
Bradley takes his coaching philosophy from his playing days, which began with trips to the golf course with his dad. He “ramped it up” in high school and college, then played on what is now the Korn Ferry tour for seven years.
“A lot of my coaching to help my players is learning from the mistakes I made or the things I did well,” he said. “I just love the game. I play a lot. I play with my players and that helps them.”
Schenk again: “He connects with his players. He stays in touch. We talk a lot.”
Yes, he does, and that gets back to the notation above about the coach in a caddie bib at a PGA Tour tournament. He carried Schenk’s bag in the Rocket Mortgage event in Detroit, and he would have done the same at the 3M Open in Minnesota, but time constraints interfered this year.
“His relationship with his players is something special,” Krywulycz said. “He gets requests all the time from his former players in their pro careers.”
“He’s the type of guy who would give you the shirt off his back,” Schenk said, then added, laughing, “not that his shirt would fit everyone.”
Perhaps not, but the Gamecocks hope he’s the right fit to energize the men’s golf program.
Gamecocks’ fall golf schedule
Sept. 6-8: Visit Knoxville Collegiate in Loudon, Tenn.
Sept. 23-24 The Tindall in Fall City, Wash.
Oct. 14-15: Everett Buick GMC Classic in Little Rock, Ark.
Oct. 19-21: Fallen Oak Invitational in Saucier, Miss.
