Weber State University recently announced the hiring of assistant golf coach Scott Erling who will be primarily coaching the men’s golf team in the immediate future.

Erling’s hiring came due to the retirement last season of former coach Dave Kearl who had been over the program for the past 11 years.

As head coach of the Wildcats, Kearl led WSU to four conference titles.  In his first season in 2000-2001, he led the Wildcats to a Big Sky title and advanced to the NCAA West Region Championships.  He was named Big Sky Coach of the Year in 2001.  The following year, the Wildcats repeated as Big Sky champions and Kearl was once again honored as Coach of the Year.

Erling said he is happy for the opportunity to come to WSU and looks forward to his time with the Wildcats.

“I’m really excited to be here,” Erling said. “To get to be a part of Weber State and to get to work with the kids is a dream come true for me.”

Erling is not a stranger to teaching and coaching golf. He was the head golf professional at the Ogden Golf and Country Club from 1998 to 2007 and has since remained as a teaching professional at the club.

In 2007, he left his position as the head pro at OGCC to become the intermountain region sales representative for Mizuno USA. Erling has also served as a sales representative for golf brands Black Clover, Iliac and Dynamic Brands USA.

A native of southern Idaho, Erling was a three-time Gem State Conference Player of the year. He then played collegiate golf with Utah State University, where he was a four-year letter winner with the Aggies. In 2002, he was the individual medalist at the Southern Utah State University Invitational.

Following his career with the Aggies, Erling turned pro and played on the Canadian Tour in 2003 and 2004.

Although Erling hasn’t coached in college athletics, WSU director of golf Jeff Smith said playing in college and turning pro are sure to bring the men’s team a lot of experience and benefits.

“Scott brings a lot of experience to our program,” Smith said. “He’s on the cutting edge of teaching. He’s a very good player, and the kids are going to benefit a great deal from that ability.”

This past fall the men’s golf team participated in several tournaments and matches, placing as high as third in the Battle in the Tetons back in September.

The next invitational for the team will be next week on Feb. 13-14 at the Thunderbird Invitational.  They will be playing at the Sunbrook Golf Course in St. George.

Earling said he is excited for the start of the season and looks forward to getting to work with his team.

“I can’t wait for things to get started,” Erling said. “I think we’ve got some really good kids, and we’ve got some really good things coming up for the future.”