Back On Course
Eastern’s newly revived men’s golf program completes its inaugural season.
In the fall of 2024, Eastern announced the return of varsity men’s golf after an absence of close to 25 years. Soon after, Tim Collins, Eastern’s athletics director, brought on Russell Grove to restart the program.
Grove, a certified PGA class member who came to EWU after a decade coaching at North Idaho College, is the sixth head coach in EWU men’s golf history. “I look forward to building a program focused on fostering connections, building tradition and providing our student-athletes with opportunities to excel academically and athletically,” he said in a statement to local media.
This year’s inaugural campaign saw the fledgling Eagles compete in a fall schedule that took them to WSU for the Washington State Palouse Collegiate tournament; the Tindall tournament, hosted by the University of Washington; the University of Colorado’s Mark Simpson Invitational; and, finally, the Oregon State Beaver Invitational at the Illahe Hills Country Club in Salem, Oregon.
Tournament results were mixed, and there were predictable growing pains. But there was also plenty to feel good about, perhaps most notably the play of freshman standouts Cal Anderson and Eli McNelly, along with the consistent contributions of junior transfer Hogan Park. At season’s end, Park underscored his promising future by qualifying as an amateur for the PGA’s World Wide Technology Championship held this fall in Los Cabos, Mexico. “It was super exciting and nerve wracking to be able to play in a PGA event and competing with the best in the world,” he said.
Eastern brought back men’s golf after the program was discontinued following the 2001-2002 academic year. The 10-member Eagle team is competing as an NCAA Division I member of the Big Sky Conference. To make room for men’s golf, EWU discontinued its varsity men’s tennis program.
“It has been a valuable learning experience,” Grove said at season’s end. “We’re going to have to work really hard over the off-season to get our scores where they need to be heading into the spring. It is also an important time to make some adjustments; of getting the core culture and competitiveness of this team headed in the right direction to establish what this program can and will be.”
That spring season isn’t far off. The now-more-seasoned Eagle men’s golfers will be back on the links beginning Feb. 23 at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate in Palm Desert, California.
