Catching Up With: Paul Smolinski

Bryce Alderton

The first crack at coaching has gone fairly well for Paul

Smolinski.

In just four years, the 32-year-old men’s golf coach at UC Irvine has

led the Anteaters to consecutive Big West Conference championships the

last two seasons, along with being named Big West Conference Coach of the

Year for the second straight year this season.

The team’s conference championship in 2001 was the program’s first in

23 years.

The Anteaters completed their season Saturday at the NCAA West

Regional championships in Albuquerque, N.M., finishing 22nd.

Smolinski led the team to the NCAA Championships in 2001 after the

Anteaters finished third in the NCAA Regional, and considers that

experience, along with coaching the team, as his best moments in golf.

Even tough Smolinski won the Coach of the Year award, he credits his

players for the team’s success. Coaches of the nine Big West schools vote

for the Coach of the Year.

“Obviously I’m excited to receive an award given by my peers, that

they think I’m doing a good job with the program,” Smolinski said. “It

was gratifying at the same time. The guys do all the work. Their

performance allows me to look good.”

The Anteaters won the conference title by 13 shots over second-place

Pacific at Serrano Country Club in El Dorado Hills, April 22-23.

Smolinski credits recruiting what he calls “quality players and

quality people” as the main reason his program has resurrected itself in

the last two seasons.

“I set out to do (recruiting) from the get-go, and it turned out

pretty well,” Smolinski said. “These are good players who are good

students and good on the golf course.”

Golfers Nick Asbrock, Mike Lavery, Brandon Murray, Kevin Stevens and

Nate Yates were honored as Big West Scholar-Athletes at the team’s annual

banquet May 13.

Requirements for this award include maintaining a 3.0 GPA over three

quarters or a 3.2 GPA over two quarters for freshmen. Student-athletes

must also earn letters in their sports.

On the course, Smolinski said the team usually practices five times a

week, either hitting balls on the range or playing a round.

But that’s not all the work that goes into molding this golf team.

The players also spend time in the weight room, lifting weights and

strengthening their conditioning on the treadmill or stair climber.

Smolinski encourages his team to play what he calls “percentage golf.”

“We try to eliminate the big number,” he said. “We try to get the ball

in the widest part of the fairway, playing conservative shots to

eliminate slighting ourselves on the greens.”

Smolinski schedules weekly practices and tournaments, recruits

players, fund raises, travels with the team to tournaments and instructs

golfers at a UCI summer camp for players ages, 7-17, who vary in

abilities from beginner to more advanced.

Some of the UCI golfers have their own instructors who work on the

player’s swing, Smolinski said.

“Obviously we want them competing and we want them working on their

game full time,” Smolinski said. “They’re at this levelbecause they’re

committed to the game. It doesn’t take a lot of coercing on my part.”

Two UCI golfers, juniors Mike Lavery and Jeff Coburn, qualified for

the California Amateur Golf Championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links and

The Links at Spanish Bay June 17-22.

Junior Ryan Armstrong won the Big West Conference individual title,

edging Coburn and Pacific’s Matt Hanson in a three-way playoff, after all

three had finished with a 7-under-par 209 for the three-day tournament.

The Anteaters lose only one senior, Kevin Stevens, and Smolinski has

been busy recruiting, signing two players, a junior college transfer from

Mission Viejo and a high school senior out of Yorba Linda.

Prior to joining UCI four years ago, Smolinski was the head golf

professional at Coto de Caza Golf & Racquet Club.

That’s when former UCI men’s golf coach and current director of golf

at the school, Jeff Johnston, told Smolinski he would be leaving the

position. Smolinski hadn’t coached before.

“I was excited about the opportunity and maybe was a little nervous

with exactly what to expect,” Smolinski said. “But things have gone well

and I’m sure happy I made the decision now.”

When he isn’t recruiting, coaching and instructing at the golf camp,

Smolinski likes to fish and spend time with his family. Smolinski and

wife Lesli live in Rancho Santa Margarita.