Return of the Charger Golf Team
Written by Luke Daigneault
In 1978, Hillsdale had a golf team. It was the first year that Mike Harner—now assistant to the President—played for the team. He spoke of an interesting “contradiction” in the sport between team play and individual performance that created what he called the “purest results.”
I sat down with Mr. Harner to talk about what happened to the team and what it means now that it’s back.
About ten years ago, the college chose to disband the golf team due to budget constraints. There simply was not enough money, and “logistic difficulties” were associated with that lack of funds. The fact that the college did not have an 18-hole golf course made keeping the team “hard to justify.”
Things have changed, however, for the once-discontinued program. A generous endowment given by Mrs. Dawn Potter has provided the funds necessary to revitalize the golf team here at Hillsdale, and the team will be coached by none other than Mike Harner. The endowment will cover the logistic needs of the team, such as equipment, traveling costs, and the all-important athletic scholarships. These scholarships will attract the talent needed to build what Coach Harner says will be a “solid” team. In fact, signings are already in progress.
Now, Hillsdale College students can say that they have a golf team. And you can look forward to it being a good one at that. Coach Harner has high expectations for the new program and hopes to shake things up in the conference right off the bat.
“Why do something and plan on not doing it well?” he asked.
Luke Daigneault is a sophomore at Hillsdale who will never disclose his ACT scores unless they are pried from his cold, dead hands. He majors in economics and Spanish, and he is a card trick aficionado and a cross country runner.