June 21, 2001
ATLANTA – Brandon Goethals has been named the new assistant coach of the Georgia Tech men’s golf team, Yellow Jacket head coach Bruce Heppler announced on Thursday.
Goethals, who most recently had worked in both high tech and e-business areas, will handle a number of duties with the Jackets, including coordinating some recruiting and practices, especially for those players not traveling with the team for a given tournament.
“Brandon will be a great addition to our program,” said Heppler. “He brings a lot of experience as he was a very good collegiate golfer in his own right. With recruiting being so competitive now and with so much information out there, it can be too much for one person to handle and Brandon will immerse himself in that area of the program.”
Prior to his time in the business world, Goethals was a member of the South African PGA Tour and played in a number of professional events in the United States following his graduation from UNLV in 1992. While with the Rebels, he played under Heppler, who was an assistant coach with the team. A solid player and outstanding student at UNLV, Goethals was an All-Big West Conference Honorable Mention selection in 1990 as he helped the Rebels to the NCAA West Regional Championships and a second-place conference finish.
In his career, he played in three NCAA Championships with UNLV, helping lead the team to a fourth-place finish in 1992 as a senior. His score of 292 at the Championship Golf Course in Albuquerque, N.M., still ranks among the best 72-hole performances in school history. Goethals finished his career as a four-time letterwinner at UNLV and was the 1992 recipient of the team’s Bruce Parker Award, recognizing the team member with the highest grade point average.
“I’m very excited to have this opportunity to work with the golf team here at Georgia Tech,” said Goethals. “I had been away from the game for the last four years and it had always been a goal of mine to get into coaching. This is a great match to be working with Bruce (Heppler) and when he called me I jumped at the chance. There were only a couple of jobs that I would have even considered, and this was certainly one of them.
“I really look forward to working in the recruiting process,” added Goethals. “I will also get to work with the guys on the team quite a bit. I hope that I will be able to help them learn what I know about the game and the business of golf early in their careers here to help them beyond their time here at Georgia Tech.”
