MEN’S GOLF “Everything from how to han-
dle qualifying to how to handle personal issues.’’ he said. “After every season, I made notes on the makeup of the team and what I thought we could have done better.’’
All of this came instinctively to Burcin, a coach’s kid. His dad and granddad were coaches. One of the things that Bur- cin chronicled on his computer was a stage in South Carolina’s development under coach Bill McDonald; a growth spurt when the Gamecocks become more proactive. “We had to do a lot of reach- ing out in the community and to the club pros and instructors,’’ Burcin remembered. “For what- ever reason, it hadn’t been done in the past there.’’
Burcin finds himself in a similar position today as the new men’s golf coach at UW. Since his hiring in early June, he has already reached out to alums and club pros throughout the state of Wisconsin. “If you can have a solid relationship with club pros, whether they went to school at Wisconsin or not, they can be a huge ally,’’ said Burcin, 35, a former club pro himself in Lan- caster, Pa.
“It’s important to have those guys on your side. More impor- tantly, they have to trust me and what I’m doing and know that I have the best interests of the kids and the program in mind.’’
“What’s exciting is that we’re trying to do some things that haven’t been done here in awhile,” Burcin said, “and we’re trying to get players to come here that maybe wouldn’t have considered this place in the past.’’
To the point, he added, where “they’re going to call me if they have a kid. We’re probably not going to have a roster of 10 Wis- consin kids. But I need to get the best player in the state every year.’’
Burcin has been genuinely encouraged by his reception so far. “I’ve gotten unbelievable
feedback,’’ he said. “It blew my mind how positive people have been.’’
Nationally recognized for his recruiting — he was singled out as the nation’s top assistant in 2010 — Burcin has always put an emphasis on building rela- tionships as a recruiter and a coach.
