Set Up for Success
Kennedy is building a program defined by the long game
Liv Sewell
A season looks long, until it isn’t.
Ten tournaments can pass in a blur. So can 365 days, or even the 9,000 swings it takes to get there.
For Colorado State men’s golf coach Jack Kennedy, the clock is already ticking on his second season in Fort Collins. Unlike last year, when he arrived only a week before the schedule teed off, Kennedy now has a roster which reflects his own recruiting and, perhaps just as important, the space to take a deep breath.
But even those breaths are measured.
“If you’re not learning more and more as a head coach in this profession, you’re in the wrong profession,” Kennedy said. “The best part about golf is that it’s a team sport first and foremost. We’ve got nine individuals who make up this team, and each of those guys has different needs. Each one has different strengths and weaknesses. It’s fun for me to figure out how to push the right buttons, pull the right strings, and make sure they know I have their best interest at heart.”
That balance of trust and teaching was sharpened during Kennedy’s first season. Graduates like Christoph Bleier and Jay Pabin helped carry forward the program’s culture while giving Kennedy space to reshape it in his own way. Now, with a growing core of his own recruits and a fresh new season, he’s laying down his vision for the future.
Finding the right players remains priority No. 1. And keeping top homegrown talent in Colorado is a bonus. That includes freshman Charlie Doyle from Colorado Springs and sophomore Charlie Tucker from Castle Pines.
“The state of Colorado has some unbelievable talent,” Kennedy said. “It’s a point of emphasis to make sure we get the best kids. They might not necessarily be the highest-ranked right now, but they’re players we really like. We like their swing mechanics, but even more, we like who they are as people and student-athletes. We’re trying to bring in the right kind of kids who want to do things the right way and be professional in everything they do.”
For Kennedy, culture produces better golfers. Mechanics matter from day one, but mindset matters more. Success means showing up for reps regardless of the weather, competing fiercely within the roster, and still carrying yourself with respect, like shaking hands at the end of every round.
A standard of blending competitiveness with character guides not only recruiting but also the daily expectations inside the program. Current players see it firsthand as fresh faces arrive, raising the bar for everyone.
“I think he’s trying to bring in guys who can come in their freshman year and really push everybody to be better,” Tucker said. “People who have a chance to be in the lineup and help our team. It’s a great opportunity for the rest of us to step up and keep building the program to how it’s been the last six, seven years. It’s been great players after great players, and I think this is a chance for the rest of us to become that next great player.”
We’re talking about a tournament has 900 shots amongst the team times 10 tournaments. That’s 9,000 shots in a season. Every single one of them counts.Jack Kennedy
Becoming the latest stalwart Ram doesn’t come easy. At CSU, staying on top means outworking teammates for lineup spots and carving out a distinct path in a program which demands consistency. Internal competition isn’t just a byproduct of a deep roster. It’s an engine which drives the team.
Every round, every drill, every rep carries weight. Players know they’re not just preparing for the next tournament but also fighting for their place in the rotation. That daily intensity leaves no room for complacency, and the project begins Thursday as the team opens the season by hosting the Ram Masters, a two-day tournament, at the Fort Collins Country Club.
“Every rep counts in practice because when you take it out on the course, you want it to be even more perfect than you are in competition,” Kennedy said. “So, we’re doing a nine-round qualifier to see who’s going to play in the first tournament.”
The qualifier isn’t just about filling spots on a lineup card, but also about setting a tone for the season. Starting the battles early ensures players get used to competing under pressure, but it also brings them closer together. Those nine rounds force them to push each other, learn each other’s tendencies, and understand that the guy standing next to them on the range might be their toughest rival one day and their strongest supporter the next.
Because 9,000 swings in a season aren’t taken in isolation. They’re shared with teammates, with coaches and with the weight of a program’s expectations. Kennedy wants his players to feel a sense of connection, even as they fight for their own spots.
“Competition is the best,” Kennedy said. “Everything we do, every single day, every drill has a winner and a loser. There’s a reward. There’s a consequence. That’s the world we live in—it’s Division I athletics. At the same time, we remind everyone they’re still teammates. You’re not rooting against each other, you’re pushing each other. You battle, then at the end of the day you shake hands, pick up your clubs, and go back to work trying to be better tomorrow.”
That phrase — be better tomorrow — has become a quiet mantra around CSU’s program. Kennedy looks for it in recruiting visits when he evaluates whether a player’s hunger to improve matches their physical skill. He builds it into practice, where attention to detail matters as much as results. And he reinforces it during competitions, reminding players the real test is whether they use today’s round to fuel tomorrow’s growth.
“I want them to be successful,” Kennedy said. “That’s really important to me. And I think the five guys I saw last year really know that. With the recruits, we had a full year to get to know them and their families. They bought in, but they really believe it as well. So, I feel like we’ve got nine players and two coaches all going in the same direction.”
That sense of alignment — players and coaches pulling toward the same goal — has given Kennedy confidence his message is sticking. And it needs to, because in college golf, belief alone isn’t enough. The sport’s structure is unforgiving, and the margins separating one team from another are shrinking by the season. Every shot, every rep, every round carries weight beyond the scorecard in front of them.
The Rams are learning their effort doesn’t just decide who cracks the lineup, but where the program stands in the national picture. Rankings aren’t determined by streaks of brilliance or a single hot tournament. They’re built on consistency and the accumulation of thousands of swings that leave no room for error.
“It really does matter,” Kennedy said. “When you look at the new ranking system and the new point system and how teams are ranked at the end of the season, it literally comes down to a shot here and a shot there. We’re talking about a tournament has 900 shots amongst the team times 10 tournaments. That’s 9,000 shots in a season. Every single one of them counts.”
It’s the kind of math which changes how players approach the game. A missed 2-footer in the first round of a September event doesn’t just affect that day’s scorecard. It can ripple months later when the postseason field is determined. A single poor decision, one bad swing, or one lapse in focus can separate a good team from a great one.
Kennedy wants his players to embrace that pressure, not run from it. Because for him, golf is a sport where the margins are razor thin, but the habits are everything.
So, when it comes down to it, it’s simple.
Every shot counts. Every single time.
Support Colorado State Athletics: Tickets | Ram Club | CSU NIL Marketplace