In the fall quarter of 2022, the Seattle Pacific University Athletic Department announced that women’s golf would be added as their 13th varsity sport in compliance with Title IX standards. Since that announcement, the golf program has been postponed twice due to the long search for an inaugural coach and other issues. 

After confirming the program will start in time for the 2024 fall season, the SPU Athletic Department announced Tyler Copp as the inaugural women’s golf coach. 

“I’m just super excited to take over. With launching women’s golf here, the first few tasks are going to be getting to know SPU and finding a roster,” Copp said. “We have no players right now and so it’s really important that we find the right people that are excited about competing for us.”

In 2017, Copp graduated from Southern Methodist University with a bachelor’s degree in history. He later earned a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Oregon State University. Before transitioning to SPU, Copp previously led the men’s and women’s golf teams at Pacific Lutheran University as their head coach.

Copp is also a competitive golfer himself and has competed in professional tournaments across the Pacific Northwest. Certified under the Professional Golfer’s Association, Copp also works as an instructor at Topgolf in Renton and the Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle.

Despite the women’s golf season being just a few months away, Copp is confident he will recruit and train a full team roster before the competition starts in September.

“It’s not too late in the game, so I’m super confident we’ll be able to do that. We have some visits lined up in March and early April, and then we need to find practice facilities,” Copp said. “We’ll probably have a mix between upperclassmen, transfers from other schools and then trying to find some young talents in high school seniors that are unsigned.”

Aside from recruiting, Copp’s next main goal is finding courses where the team can practice. Copp expects his connections with Topgolf and Broadmoor Golf Club to assist in this aspect.

“It’s really nice having Interbay so close to us [too]. I’m pretty excited to set up those meetings, get a practice schedule put together,” Copp said. “Broadmoor might be a little bit more difficult, just because of their prestige, but I envision us going to Topgolf once a week and getting practice in there. Practicing at different locations will be good because it’ll test our golfers in different ways. They won’t just be seeing the same course and facility each time, which honestly is what players need to develop their game all around.”

In addition to seeking off-campus courses, Copp has also begun working with compliance manager Kali Barber, athletic director Dan Lepse and communications director Christian Bond to construct an indoor facility at SPU’s Royal Brougham Pavillion. Plans for the facility have been in progress since the program’s announcement in 2022, but the specific designs for the space have been held off until a coach was hired. 

Copp’s plans for the facility include a simulator that records and shares statistics on the team’s shots and has multiple courses for the team to play.

“We have such a large space to utilize, so it’s just about coming up with a good design that we think is going to benefit the players,” Copp said. “More importantly, we want that indoor facility to have a lot of short-game chipping and putting so that with [bad] weather, we can head indoors. What I want that space to be is an escape for our golfers to work on their game, get away from school and feel like they have a comfortable space to hang out and get better.”

Once a roster and facilities are lined up, Copp is looking forward to bringing his vision for the program to life.

“We’re going to be team-centred. Golf is a very individual sport, but with our practice schedule, we’re going to make sure our players are doing things together as a team, whether it’s team bonding or meals together,” Copp said. “Weightlifting as well will be really important in our program. Golf statistics nowadays prove hitting the ball farther will improve your game. I’m really excited about just building that team-centred philosophy. Some golfers might come from a program where that wasn’t offered.”

The second part of Copp’s coaching strategy will be creating an environment of positive energy for his team.

“As my players get to know me, I’m really positive. Golf can be really difficult ‘cause you’re out on the course for four to five hours and it’s lonely and mistakes are going to happen all the time,” Copp said. “Being positive with players and offering some good mental strategies that are going to help them on the course is important.”

Copp’s final thoughts on starting his journey at SPU settle on the challenges he anticipates in putting together an inaugural team.

“We’re going to have a really young roster, even if we do bring in a few transfers. There’s going to be some growing pains, but this first year is just about building our culture, establishing ourselves in the conference and getting a good baseline, “ Copp said. “The fact that women are more active in our sport should allow us to benefit from all the beautiful golfing facilities around us. It’s definitely going to be a challenge [but] I’m so excited to tackle this head-on.”

If any students are interested in competing in women’s golf at SPU, please reach out to [email protected].