WOMEN'S GOLF
Susanne Huber’s journey to becoming the Hamilton women’s golf coach was one of perseverance and making the best out of a bad situation. As a kid, she was a soccer player, but she fractured her shin, making her unable to play the sport she loved.
Her dad brought her to the driving range in a walking boot, trying to see if she could find a passion for golf. When she swung, it was clear she had natural talent.
“He said, ‘Stop what you’re doing. We’re gonna get you lessons.’ So I took some lessons before he messed me up too bad.”
That led to a three-year golf career at Fairfield High School, but even after those years, she wasn’t satisfied. Huber continued to chase the sport she loved, taking it all the way to Greenville, Tennessee, and Tusculum University, where she accepted a walk-on spot.
“I walked on to their team and I was able to improve, and I was kind of promised that if I got better, I would be rewarded with a scholarship. By my senior year, I was. I played golf down there for four years and got to travel the country. It was a really good opportunity.”
After a short stint coaching at Bearden High School, Huber came home in an effort to share her love for the game with the girls at Hamilton High School.
The 2025 season is the first time since 2021 that the Big Blue has been able to field a girls’ team. Huber said it wasn’t the result of increased recruiting efforts but rather a good situation falling into place. Hamilton had two girls play on the boys team last season, and they enter this year with experience as a sophomore and junior. The Big Blue also added two seniors and a freshman with significant experience.
“I am hoping that it’s just being able to see it in action. This year, I’m hoping that word of mouth kind of picks up. Now that there is a golf team, it’s a lot easier to talk about. It’s easier to try to get my current sophomore students. I’ve been telling them if they want to join next year, it’s nice right now with the lack of interest, we don’t cut anyone.”
Any girl who decides to play golf for Hamilton High School will be under a coach who has a genuine passion for the game and wants to transfer that to her players.
“The girls aren’t quite shooting the scores they want, but we’re glad to be able to be out there competing. I’m trying to transfer my love of golf. We’ve been really talking about attitude on the golf course. If you have a bad attitude and you’re struggling through the game, that reflects in your swing, and it reflects in your score, and changing your mindset into a positive one is so important.”
Huber hopes the women’s golf team will have enough players to field a squad year in and year out, and that more opportunities will arise for others to grow a love for the game.
MEN'S GOLF
Mike Dole is in his third season leading Hamilton’s men’s golf team, but his footprint across Big Blue athletics has far surpassed those three golf seasons. The 20-year Hamilton coaching veteran also spent time with the Big Blue’s football and track teams.
Two of his golfers, Nathan Brandenburg and Will Baker, have different histories with the game. Brandenburg began playing in seventh grade after searching for a new sport. He has worked his way up to averaging in the low 40s when the Big Blue plays at its home course of Indian Ridge.
Baker has a background in baseball, and he uses that gap-to-gap power on the course, claiming to hit his tee shots over 300 yards when he pulls out his driver. He went from shooting in the high 50s when he first started with the Big Blue to playing well enough to make a 180-yard hole-in-one at Walden Ponds, which he calls one of his career highlights.
Dole said working on the mental game of each player is of the highest importance. He knows he isn’t going to give anyone a perfect swing, but his emphasis on attitude and course management has given Hamilton a strong season just two weeks out from its sectional match.
“It’s been impressive,” Dole told The Hamiltonian. “We’ve done what we wanted to do. I think in our dual matches we’re 8-5.
“You could be fifth out of 20 teams, but if your score wasn’t better than you’ve had in the past, you’re not seeing improvement. We’ve seen major improvement in our overall team score.”
