Former player, coach now heads WW-PS golf program
By: Bob Nuse
Russell Wray knows a little something about the great golf tradition at West Windsor-Plainsboro High South.
Wray, the first-year head coach of the school’s golf program, was a player for Dave Christensen and also served as an assistant coach at the school the past few years. Now, he gets a chance to see if he can maintain that level; as he takes over for the man who coached him.
"We’ve had some great players in this program," said Wray, a 1993 WW-P graduate who went on to play for Trenton State College. "I played with Nick Cifelli and then there were other outstanding golfers like Mark Urbanek and Matt Davidson. I hope we can continue that now."
Wray, who was part of the 1993 WW-P team that went through the regular season unbeaten, knows he has some talented players to work with this year. He is hoping he will be able to take their game to an even higher level.
"They come in with the motivation and the desire to be better," said Wray, who earned his PGA card this past summer and has been working at the Peddie Golf Course as an assistant pro. "If they have that kind of attitude coming in, it becomes easier to coach them."
The Pirates have been one of the dominant golf programs in Mercer County for more than a decade, producing some of the top players in the state. Wray has a talented roster to work with this year and hopes to compete for some championships.
"I’ve learned a lot over the years," said Wray, who was a captain for his final two years at TSC. "I know it’s not about how far you hit it, but where you put the ball. I’m trying to teach that to the kids. We want them to think and improve their overall game and keep themselves organized on the course."
Wray will have time to give his players some thoughts on the mental approach to the game. Due to an injury, he’s had to put the clubs away for now.
"I tore ligaments in my wrist two weeks ago and had to have surgery," Wray said. "I’ll get my cast off next week, but for now I’m not able to play. So now during practice I walk along with the guys and we discuss course management and strategy. It’s important to make the right decisions on the course."
Wray knows it won’t be easy replacing Christensen, who built the program into one of the finest in Mercer County. But he brings a wealth of knowledge himself that should benefit the Pirate players.
"I’ve learned a lot about giving lessons and helping individual players with their game," Wray said. "I’ve been working at Peddie for 11 years and this past summer I just got my PGA card. So I feel like I can help the players become better. We’ve got a lot of talented players on this team and I’m hoping we can have a good season."
That would be nothing new for the Pirates, who have a tradition of putting together good seasons. Wray was part of them as a player, and now he gets a chance to be part of them as a head coach.