By Charlie Stanton

The Macalester men’s and women’s golf teams have reached the end of an era. Martha Nause, the head coach of both teams, announced last week that she has decided to retire. Over her tenure, Nause coached four All-Americans, numerous All-MIAC golfers and won the 2006-07 MIAC Women’s Golf Coach of the Year award. Nause cited wanting to spend more time with family as one reason for retiring. This is less of a retirement for Coach Nause as it is a career change. According to a press release from the Macalester Athletic Department, Nause plans to return to the competitive circuit. Nause played on the LPGA tour for 22 years. She won three times on the tour including the du Maurier Ltd. Classic, an LPGA major championship, in 1994. “I’m looking at playing in four to five tournaments this year as well as play in the qualifier for the U.S. Women’s Open, and this will give me time to prepare and to practice.” Nause began coaching the men’s team in 2000 and added women’s team responsibilities the following year. “It’s definitely not an easy job to juggle both the men’s and women’s teams at Mac, but Martha worked hard to at least make sure that players felt prepared going into tournaments. It will be difficult to find another coach with the experience that Martha had,” said Dan Allen ’12, a four-year golfer. “Often, we felt like we learned the most from her when she told stories from her days on tour, and how she handled situations when she was in contention to win tournaments. Her dedication to the program will certainly be missed.” In the modern world of sports, we often hear about great players becoming coaches. Some of those coaches don’t work out. It is clear that Coach Nause succeeded, and her players will be the first to tell you. “It’s always hard to have a coach leave. When Martha decided to retire, I feel that the team supported her to pursue her own career and interests. That being said, I know the program won’t be the same without her,” said Maddie Arbisi ’14. “She has so much knowledge and other coaches and teams respect her so much. Martha has made me a better golfer and for that I can’t thank her or the Macalester program enough.” Grace Caird ’13, echoed Arbisi’s sentiments. “Martha’s knowledge of the game really is irreplaceable. She knows the game inside and out,” she said. “I am so lucky to have learned from her the past three years. Playing under Martha’s expertise has transformed my game and made me a great player. Her leadership will be missed greatly and I wish her all the best in all the tournaments she will now be able to play.” Coach Nause did great things for Macalester golf and her players will not soon forget her impact on the golf program. The Athletic Department will begin a challenging search for a new coach in the coming weeks. refresh –>