Stemming from various years, Erin Thorne, Elise Swartout-Mosher, Heather Marks and Laura Moutrey are all former members of the Western Michigan University women's golf team. All four had outstanding careers for the Broncos as you can find each golfer in the top-15 for lowest career average round in WMU history, but that's not all they have in common. As members of the WMU golf team, the thought of becoming a women's golf coach was nothing more than a backup plan for the four.
Not anymore.
Each of the four find themselves in prominent roles around the country as women's golf coaches at different Universities. Thorne, who graduated in 2007, is now in her second year as the graduate assistant for the Wingate University women's golf team in North Carolina after spending some time in the professional ranks. Swartout-Mosher graduated in 2010 and is a graduate assistant for the women's golf team at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Flo. after also spending time playing professionally. Marks graduated in 2014 and is the head women's golf coach at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Mich. The most recent is Moutrey, who graduated in 2015 and is now a graduate assistant for women's golf at the University of Akron.
“The sport itself is so unique, you can go so many different ways with it,” Swartout-Mosher said, who is fourth on the list of lowest career average round. “With four WMU players wanting to give back to the game it really shows the great coaching we had at WMU.”
Cindy Trout coached all four of these women while Moutrey was treated to one year under now second year head coach Stacy Snider. All of them bring what they learned at WMU to their respective schools now including leadership, team chemistry, and other tricks that they learned from their coaches.
“I think that my last couple of years at WMU really reflects on my coaching now,” Marks said, who is 14th on the list of lowest career average round. “I was captain my senior year and having that leadership and responsibility was really good for my coaching style now because I got practice being a mini coach at Western and that's what helped me become a successful coach today.”
Thorne, who is fifth in WMU history for lowest career average round, spent over 10 years combined playing professionally and coaching at the junior level after graduating from Western Michigan. Now at Wingate University, there is one thing she learned at WMU that is starting to take effect on her women's golf team. While Thorne was playing at WMU, she learned about using your thoughts to help you rather than hurt you. In golf, it is very easy to get frustrated and compound errors if your head is not in the game. Now Thorne brings that same principal to Wingate by asking one simple question to alter the way the women think about their game for their best interest. What was your best shot of the day?
“The one that I've really brought to Wingate is that Coach Trout always asked us what our best shot of the day was because we always seem to get hung up on our bad shots,” Thorne said. “That's something that I use a lot and it's neat coming into my second year because now my returners are the ones that start that process.”
Moutrey, the most recent graduate of WMU and 10th on the lowest career average round list, makes it a point that her women's golf team at Akron keeps their confidence just like she did for the Broncos.
“I make sure that they have confidence because you want them to believe in themselves and instilling that in the girls head is huge,” Moutrey said. “Cindi and Stacy did a great job at that and that's something I look back at now and know that works.”
The thing that was tough for the four to figure out was why is it that there are four former WMU golfers now coaching? All seemed to be stumped by the question, but even though there is no clear answer, the four are proud of their alma mater and happy to be giving back to women's golf.
“I'm proud to be a WMU alumni and a student-athlete on the golf team and it's so great to see where the game can take the four of us, but not just for us four, but for women in general because knowing how to play the game took me to a lot of great places and gave me a lot of great opportunities that I never thought I would have while I was playing,” Swartout-Mosher said. “It's a blessing but I feel like if I can give my athletes here (at Nova Southeastern) just an ounce of my takeaway at Western Michigan it can go a long way for them.”
