PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A 26-year-old Presque Isle man without any prior coaching experience has taken over as golf coach at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
Jon Humphrey replaces Dan Hotham, who stepped down at the end of last season.
Humphrey has never coached young golfers, but he has plenty of experience around the game. He serves as the director of golf at Mars Hill Country Club and prior to that, was the assistant golf pro at Presque Isle Country Club.
He is a 2009 graduate of Presque Isle High School and served as captain of the Wildcat golf team his senior year.
Mike Holmes, athletic director at UMPI, said Humphrey’s name “came up several times” after he approached some “trusted people in the area” and asked them for some recommendations in filling the vacancy.
“I like the fact that he has local connections and seemed hungry to get out and find players to help move our golf program forward,” Holmes said.
Humphrey is looking forward to his first coaching venture.
“I have a love and passion for the game and am excited about teaching it to other individuals and passing along to them how I feel about the game,” he said.
The Owls are new members of the North Atlantic Conference, which features a strong program in Husson University and several other schools.
“Competing with [Husson] down the road will be our ultimate goal,” Humphrey added. “I’d like to get a decent-size roster full of underclassmen and help them develop into good golfers and also good students.”
