DiBitetto Readies Men's Golfers for Spring Season
February 4, 2018 | Men's Golf
Tar Heels Open Play Monday at Sea Best Invite
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
When the North Carolina men's golf team won the Tar Heel Intercollegiate on Oct. 8, first-year head coach Andrew DiBitetto could have praised his squad for a number of reasons.
Ben Griffin broke UNC 54-hole records for fewest strokes (197) and lowest score to par (19 under). Fellow senior Jose Montaño also carded his lowest 54-hole total (202) as a collegiate golfer. Behind both, the Tar Heels set 54-hole school records for strokes (815) and result to par (49 under) in DiBitetto's first tournament victory since assuming his position in July.
But he initially referenced none of that when the team gathered afterward. Instead, he told his players of the feedback he received from spectators, many of whom hadn't watched them compete since last season.
"Everybody was just commenting on how different they look," said DiBitetto, who spent the last six seasons as UNC's assistant coach. "You're probably going to look confident when you shoot 49-under par. But still, sometimes when you're at home, expectations and your mindset can be even more difficult (to manage).Â
"I thought our guys handled it really well. … Yeah, the records are cool, they're phenomenal, they might be there for a really long time. But what I got most excited about were the comments people were making."
In many ways, those remarks confirmed what DiBitetto had also noticed throughout the fall season. His players were embracing the culture he's worked to establish.
The process of building that culture – one centered on players who possess confidence and self-motivation – began in August, on the team's retreat in Charlotte. DiBitetto described the discussion as a heart-to-heart. During it, he challenged his three seniors to leave a legacy and for the other players to help them accomplish that.
"Some parts of the conversation were pretty difficult," he said. "We asked everybody in that room to take a really good, hard look at themselves and figure out what exactly do they want out of this experience."
Unlike assistant coach Matt Clark, who joined the program after being UNC Wilmington's head coach for the last nine years, DiBitetto already boasted strong relationships with the players. Knowing them and their families, he said, eased his transition to head coach.
He was also familiar with many former players, donors and people on campus. But constant relationship building with them through phone calls, emails and face-to-face meetings has become a greater priority.
Among his engagement efforts, DiBitetto said he sends handwritten thank you notes to anyone who contributes to the program. He also has the players sign the cards.
"It's a small thing to us, but I think it probably means a lot to the people who receive that. …" he said. "We want to have positive and healthy relationships with as many people as we possibly can. And we also know that with where we want to go with this program, we cannot do certain things unless we have the support of the Tar Heel family."
Strengthening that support can be a time commitment.Â
Ever since he began his coaching career in 2009 as an assistant at Charlotte, his alma mater, DiBitetto has played with his players during qualifying. Doing so, he said, allows him to obtain a better sense of their games, bolster relationships and foster competition.
This fall, DiBitetto didn't play a single round with his players, largely because of his other responsibilities. But he and Clark still found other ways to increase competition.
They divided the team's nine players into three pods of three. Whether it was in practice, qualifying or even the weight room, players earned points by accomplishing certain feats. Scores were tracked on a leaderboard. And the winning team of Griffin, junior Preyer Fountain and freshman Mason Elmore received prizes at the end of the semester.
"If you look at professional golf, there's no giveaways, there's no gimmes, there's no guaranteed contracts or anything," DiBitetto said. "So you have to earn everything. … The more competitive we can be here on a daily basis, I think it's going to make our team better and it's also going to prepare these guys for the future, no matter what they're doing."
So as the Tar Heels have progressed through the offseason in preparation for the spring season, which begins with the Sea Best Invitational in Ponte Vedra, Fla., on Monday, DiBitetto said he's been encouraged by how often the players have been around the Chapman Golf Center.
One night around midnight, DiBitetto was working inside the facility when sophomore Austin Hitt walked in. He wasn't alone, though. Men's basketball player Andrew Platek and men's tennis player William Blumberg accompanied Hitt.
"It means he wants to be around the program," DiBitetto said. "Not only that, he's bringing in the athletes he's bringing in, a basketball player and one of the best tennis players in the country. It's good because he's bringing them here so that we know they're in a really good place. But also, I want Austin Hitt picking the brains of those two guys.Â
"I think there's a lot of really good things going on. There's been a lot of positive feedback so far from the guys, and I think everybody is really excited about the spring season and getting going and seeing exactly how good we can be."
