Knight Life

Golf Coach Dwaine Knight came to UNLV with a promise to build a championship team and a drive to build character.

By Cate Weeks

UNLV men’s golf coach Dwaine Knight was inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America’s Hall of Fame earlier this year, making him the first UNLV coach to be selected for a major sports hall of fame.

Knight’s 26-year coaching career includes many accomplishments on the course, including an NCAA championship in 1998 and consistent top-10 national rankings. But he’s also known for demanding that his players succeed in the classroom. UNLV Magazine sat down with Knight as he was preparing his team to compete in the NCAA championship tournament in May (the team placed 13th).

You’re certainly in elite company in the GCAA Hall of Fame. To what do you attribute your success? You can put a lot of pieces in place, but unless you have community support and great players, you can’t win tournaments. The golf community has opened up its world-class courses to us, which allowed us to attract top players. And we’re now at almost $4 million in endowments – that takes care of scholarships, travel, academic support, and recruiting. What they’ve given to the program gave us a chance to be competitive at the highest level, to be able to produce contenders year in and year out.

What has the community gotten in return for its support?
One of the promises the program held when I first came was that if we could become a major player in golf, we’d open up a window to who we are as a community and as a university. I get a chance to tell the story of not just the gaming side of Las Vegas, but the community itself and what it stands for as a place to live and get an education. Once you become competitive at a national level, people seek out that story – they want to know how you did it. They want to know how your university is helping its community solve its problems. The people we bring here make an impact on the community. Some go on to play professionally and carry the label of UNLV with them across the world. And many of those who don’t play after college choose to stay here. Some are working in the industry. Daron Dorsey is now a graduate of UNLV’s law school and practices locally.

Golfers seem to have a remarkable memory for every shot they take. What stands out for you?
The shot I remember the most over my 26 years of coaching wasn’t really a shot; it was a penalty (stroke) during the national championship we won in 1998. Bill Lunde hit his ball left on number 10 into a spot where people couldn’t actually see him or his ball. As he addressed the ball, it moved. He replaced it and then hit it out and finished with a six. When he saw the score posted at a five, he realized that the scorer hadn’t seen the ball move and he immediately corrected the score. We were head-to-head with Clemson and nobody saw what happened. That one stroke could have cost us the championship, but he still called it on himself. I think that speaks to playing with integrity and honesty – that’s something I hope all my players do.

And when they don’t?
I had a player early in my career here who would have been eligible to play his whole senior year even if he made all F’s. He decided he wanted to just work on his golf game and not go to class. He was our best player – one of my first All-Americans here – but I told him that I expected him to go to class and succeed in class; if he didn’t, I wouldn’t play him. He quit the team after that. It was hard on the team but they pulled together, and even went out and won the very next tournament.

That decision set a tone here. People – players – can remember that and know I wouldn’t hesitate to not play them if they weren’t going to class.

You have a reputation for emphasizing the “student” part of “student-athlete.” Why is that?
When I was a player at (the University of) New Mexico, my coach, Dick McGuire, encouraged me to finish my degree even though it meant putting off my ability to play on the (PGA) Tour. Years later, he called me when he was getting ready to retire. I was struggling to make cuts as a professional and he thought I’d enjoy coaching. First thing they asked me when I put in my application was, “Do you have a college degree?” That hit me like a ton of bricks. My degree opened the door to a wonderful career. I tell that story every time I sit down with parents and prospects.

I’m pretty proud of the fact that, of the students who have completed their four years of eligibility here, only three have not graduated. I think when these athletes do play professionally, it takes some pressure off them knowing that they can do other things if that doesn’t work out.

What’s your advice for alumni who want to encourage their kids to play?
You hear it a lot, but to be successful and to make the commitment it takes for excellence in any sport, you really have to have a passion for it. That passion gives you the energy and discipline to reach your dreams. So, you have to give kids a chance to find their own passion.

And, I think you have to give them support through the ups and downs. You know, through the recruitment process I was close to Tiger (Woods), and I always admired his parents because, truly, the score didn’t matter. All they asked of him was to do his best every time he walked out there. That gave him a chance to fail, fail safely, and rebound. It allowed his confidence to grow. He’s the greatest athlete right now in the world and I think it goes back to that unconditional support. Greatness comes from that.

Any advice for the weekend golfer?
Work on your short game. Recreational golfers have limited time, and they always want to hit the ball a long way. That feels great, but they need to ration their time. They should spend 45 minutes on pitching, putting, and sandplay, and just 15 minutes on the long game. Most people do it the other way around.