Located in: Sports
Posted on: March 17th, 2014 No Comments

Paul Brown elected to Colo. Golf Hall of Fame


There are very few sports that can be played for your whole life. Most athletics are so physically demanding that they take an insurmountable toll on the body, forcing athletes to eventually retire from the sport they love. Golf, on the other hand, can be enjoyed over an entire lifetime with all different types of people. At the collegiate level, it is about winning and representing the school in the best way. But the game lives on much longer than a college career and can even cross over into the professional world. That is the most important message that CMU men’s head golf coach Paul Brown tries to get across to his athletes.

“Golf will open up doors for any different profession you get into,” Brown said. “I’ve played in Europe with business executives. I’ve been to Super Bowls and Stanley Cups mainly because I got to know executives through golf. Businessmen always want to play with good golfers.”

Brown took the helm of the program four years ago after former Athletic Director Butch Miller approached him with an offer to help the team. Although his initial intention was to serve as an aide, Brown assumed the role of head coach because of his experience competing in the amateur golf circuit for 20 years. He began his golfing career in Grand Junction, where he played at Fruita Monument High School. His success on the links here in the Grand Valley earned him an athletic scholarship to University of Arizona to be a member of its Division I golf team. He participated in the U.S. Amateur Championship while still in college and quickly became well-known in the world of amateur golf, especially in Colorado. He won the Colorado West Amateur Open in Grand Junction 13 times and claimed the championship in the Rocky Mountain Open 10 times against a field that included professional golfers. His dominant career earned him a nomination into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame and will be formally inducted this coming June. Brown explained how grateful he was to be just the second golfer from the Western Slope to join the ranks of the all-time greats.

“It’s very humbling to me,” he said. “I have played with many of the people in there (the Hall of Fame) and built relationships with them through the game. Golf is one of the few sports that will forge you friendships for a lifetime. I’m honored to have received the nomination.”

Now as a coach at the collegiate level, Brown has the chance to show up-and-coming golfers the more advanced techniques necessary to succeed. He explained that his focus is developing the mental aspect of the game in the minds of his players rather than tweaking mechanics.

“I’m really trying to get in their heads about being mentally stronger,” he said. “I can’t change the swing that they’ve had for ten years. I want to show them how to use visualization and relaxation techniques to let the mind take over and not the mechanics.”

Brown and his team continue their spring season at the Skyhawk Classic Club Shootout next Monday in Palm Springs, Calif.

mfreter@mavs.coloradomesa.edu

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