The newly named head coach of Gophers golf, Matt Higgins, used to be worried about how well his players shot. Now, he said he cares more about his players’ feelings after their rounds.
Time away from coaching and desires for how he wanted his daughters to be coached led Higgins to be the role model coach for his two daughters.
The girl-dad boasts a hefty resume with ample leadership experience. Before he joined the Gophers staff as an assistant under Rhyll Brinsmead, Higgins was the executive director of admissions and assistant athletics director for compliance at Upper Iowa University.
Sitting in the office was where Higgins realized his true calling to coach the next generation of golfers.
“The job of the coach is to mentor,” Higgins said. “Did you give me 100% effort? Did your mind start to wander, or did you start having some negative thoughts? Those are the things I want to know.”
The most recent head coaching stint for Higgins started five years ago at Regis University, a Division II school. However, he said he does not approach his mentorship any differently based on who he is working for.
“Coaching is coaching, I don’t care what level it is,” Higgins said. “The difference is the quality of athlete, the level of athlete, the resources here at the University.”
Higgins also served as the NCAA DII women’s golf national chair where he worked closely with the NCAA to help run the DII championships and central region championships.
Shortly after Higgins was named Gopher’s head coach, the search committee found an associate coach for him with a similar resume.
Miranda Greene, the new associate head coach for the Gophers, helped lead the Regis University men’s and women’s golf teams as an assistant. Higgins and Greene’s paths never crossed.
“It was one big coincidence,” Greene said. “I always knew of Matt. He’s spoken highly of in the golf community and among student-athletes.”
According to Higgins, experience was a big factor in the decision that he and Deputy Athletic Director Julie Manning took into consideration when searching for the next associate coach.
Manning ran the committee that recommended coaches for Higgins and it was Greene’s experience in coaching men’s and women’s golf that made the decision easy for Manning and Higgins.
Greene played Division II at Flagler College before she graduated and took an assistant coaching job at Florida International University. She later returned to her alma mater as the assistant coach for both men’s and women’s ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Greene spent last year at Regis University as an assistant coach.
The Gophers roster includes last season’s Big Ten champion Isabella McCauley, who is no stranger to Higgins after he helped coach her the last two years. She said she enjoyed having someone like Higgins value her as a person and not just as a golfer.
“He’s really good at individualizing each person and what they need in golf,” McCauley said. “It’s always, ‘How was your day? Did you enjoy the people you played with?’”
McCauley called Higgins her support system on the road. She said he helps her the most by encouraging her and being there for her when she needs someone.
When Brinsmead announced her retirement, McCauley said transferring to another school was never a consideration for her.
“I was 100% behind coach Higgins,” McCauley said. “There was no thought of me transferring, Minnesota is my home.”
The team has yet to meet their new coaches, but as the season approaches they will have a meeting to discuss what is in store for the fall.
