Heppler’s impact felt beyond the course
ATLANTA, Ga. (BVM) — Imagine this résumé: 25 years as head coach, 65 tournament wins, 10 ACC conference championships in the past 15 years and four trips to match play at the NCAA Tournament. That is the portfolio that Georgia Tech head golf coach Bruce Heppler has put together over his years with the program.
All from a guy who was interested in entering the professional world of sports administration before coaching entered his life. While as a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts, he had a stroke of luck when his first coaching stint was at the collegiate level.
“I got to coach the men’s and women’s team at Amherst College, their coach was going on a sabbatical,” Heppler said. “I realized It’s a whole lot more interesting than pushing paper.”
From there he fell in love with coaching, and another big break came for him while completing a sports administration internship at UNLV. He was in the middle of administration when the staff became focused on creating a better golf team. Soon he became the assistant men’s coach for the Runnin’ Rebels and the rest is history.
When he got the chance to be the head coach at Georgia Tech roughly four years later, Heppler took it in stride. He’s turned the Yellow Jackets into a perennial power and in the process, has made himself a virtual lock for the NCAA Golf Hall of Fame. Though his oversight has definitely played a role in their success, Heppler credits the university for treating the golf team as equals.
“There’s places you could work where it’s all about football or basketball. I think our administration has made me feel like we are important, our young men are important,” Heppler said. “We’ve been funded in a way from a booster group and the department where we can be successful. All the ingredients were there.”
Heppler continued on, refusing to take any of the credit for himself. Rather, he commended his players on their hard work and dedication to the program. The long-time coach said the work he does is just merely honoring their decision to be a Yellow Jacket.
“I just try to get up every morning and do the best I can for the young people who have chosen to play in this program. That’s a huge responsibility when you go out and recruit and they can go lots of places and they choose you and your school,” Heppler said “You get up every day to try and honor the commitment they made to come to your school. That’s what gets me up every day.”
But perhaps it should be considered that these golfers wouldn’t be a fraction of what they are without Heppler’s assistance. As a golfer himself, he competed at Dixie Junior College for a year, but his true value comes in the form of his people-building skills. His philosophy about how to handle yourself on the course has enhanced his players mightily.
“There’s a lot of instruction, a lot of people out there who want to be part of their experience and give them advice, from nutrition to swing mechanics. I try to convince them when you’re in the middle of the 18th fairway with a chance to win the tournament, that’s on you,” Hepppler said. “Your strength coach can’t come out and do it for you, I can’t. I try to teach self-reliance.”
This is why 12 of his golfers have gone on to the PGA Tour or the Korn Ferry Tour. This is why he has been named ACC Coach of the Year 10 times, more than any other coach in conference history. As humble as Heppler is, a lot of their success comes from his guidance.
But he recognizes that as time goes on, the accolades and the wins will all amount to nothing. Life goes on, and your legacy goes on well past who you were as a golfer or a coach. That’s why he’s in the industry of coaching; to help his players become satisfactory as life continues.
“You live in a little fantasy world believing you have an impact. On some guys it’s large, and on some it’s small, but it’s the concept that maybe all the time and effort, you help somebody later on make better decisions or enhance their opportunities in the future,” Heppler said. “But the joy of the job is watching young people’s dreams come true whether that’s playing golf for a living or get a really good job and go down that road.”
So if you go to Georgia Tech to golf, you’ll learn a lot about perfecting your swing or staying mentally strong as a tournament winds down, but you’ll learn a lot about yourself, too. Heppler is one of the best in the business at generating sustainable success in his athletes.
“I teach self belief,” Heppler said. “If you don’t believe and you can’t see it, then it’s not going to happen.”
