Glendale College women’s golf tabs Natalie Guidry as new coach
Natalie Guidry yearned to become a head golf coach following a successful playing career in high school and college.
Guidry built impressive credentials on the links at several levels. She stood out while playing at Great Oak High before competing on the UC Riverside women’s golf team and then appearing on the Symetra Tour as an amateur.
Guidry will look to embark on a successful coaching career after being named the new women’s golf coach at Glendale Community College on July 18.
Guidry succeeds Greg Osbourne, who guided the Vaqueros to a pair of runner-up finishes at the California Community College Athletic Assn. Championship before leaving to become Cal State Bakersfield’s director of golf.
“It will be fun and an exciting time,” Guidry said. “It’s just going to be at first about having patience and realizing the skill level of our players.
“Golf is a mental game. It’s about being prepared for the moment and not worrying about what your score is. It’s about how you play shot by shot. I want to go out there and teach them.”
Guidry, 23, will be the program’s third coach since it began in 2007.
While at Great Oak in Riverside County, Guidry was named the De Anza League’s Most Valuable Player in 2006 and participated in three Big West Conference championships at UC Riverside. She qualified for the United States Amateur Public Links in 2009.
The Vaqueros do not have any returners in 2013 after winning the Western State Conference championship and taking second in the Southern California Regional last season.
“We will move on,” Guidry said. “It will be very exciting to have players who want to come here and succeed.
“We will go out there and find golfers.”
GCC Athletic Director John Cicuto said Guidry provides quality credentials in looking to further shape the program.
“She’s comes here with a great background and having played four years of college golf,” Cicuto said. “When I talked to her, I was very intrigued about what she had to offer.
“She outlined her plans and goals in trying to make the team even better. She’s not that much older than the players, so she can present her ideas well to them. We feel really excited about having her here.”
Glendale will begin its season Sept. 8 at the South Coast Tournament in Ventura County. The Vaqueros will host a conference match Oct. 21 at Brookside Golf Course in Pasadena.
