Both men’s and women’s golf had an eventful first week of their fall season with two gators receiving Presidents’ Athletic Conference recognition during the week of August 26. Men’s golf member Carter Hassenplug, ’25, was named PAC golfer of the week, and women’s golf member Ada Coté, ’28, was named PAC newcomer of the week.
Contributing Writer Walker Cunningham, ’25, sat down for a short Q&A session with these two golfers to learn a little bit about them.
PAC Women’s Golf, Newcomer of the Week for 8/26-9/1, Ada Coté, ’28.
Cunningham: How long have you been golfing and who got you initially involved?
Coté: My freshman year of high school, during COVID, my Dad mowed an 80-yard pitching area and told me to take a club and start hitting golf balls since we had nothing else to do. It ended up getting to the point where I was hitting the ball too far into our neighbor’s yard and that’s when my dad said it was time to get me on a real course, so that’s how I really got into golf.
What was the recruiting process for golf like for you and how did Allegheny win you over?
Coté: (Head Gold) Coach (Jeff) Groff was the one who reached out after seeing some of my tournament scores and said for me to come out for a visit. Everyone was super nice and I met with KP (Associate Director of Pre-Professional Advising Kirsten Peterson), the pre-health advisor, and she said that she could set me up with an apprenticeship over the summer since I want to be on the pre-med track. I wasn’t even committed here yet and already all these people were telling me that they could help me get to a better future and after that I was sold.
Being a first year at Allegheny, how would you say your transition is going with life away from home?
Coté: I would have to say I miss my dog the most. I’ve been lucky enough to have my family be able to come to my tournaments and they’ve raised me to be pretty independent, so being away from home is fine with me.
What does it mean to you to win PAC Newcomer of the Week?
Coté: I was honestly surprised, so when Coach Groff announced it I was like, ‘There’s no way.’ I eventually let it sink in and realized that this really means that there’s bigger things to come and I’m here for a reason.
What would you say is something about your game that sets you apart from other golfers out there?
Coté: My mentality. To me, golf is 90% mental. If I hit a shot that doesn’t end up how I want it to go, I tell myself to move on and leave it in the past and do whatever I have to do to make par or make bogey so I think that type of thinking sets me apart. I’ll take the first ten steps after a bad shot to be angry, be sad, be mad or be whatever, but after those ten steps, that shot is in the past and I just move forward.
What is something you hope to accomplish throughout your four years here?
Coté: I think keeping up whatever I’m doing now is a good start. My academics come first for me always, so being able to get into a good med school and being able to set up my future while also being able to have fun playing golf is something I look forward to.
If you had to describe golf to someone who has never heard of it before, how would you go about doing that?
Coté: I have a motto that golf is a game about gaslighting yourself. If you hit a ball and it goes right into the wrong fairway, it’s still in the fairway. I mean really you just hit a ball until it goes into a hole. And you try to hit the ball as few times as possible.
Golf is one of those games people can enjoy and love to play their entire life. What do you love most about golf?
Coté: The socialization. I can go play a tournament and meet some of the best people ever. In other sports, your opponent is your opponent, but in golf, at the end of the day your opponent is someone you’ve gotten to know over the course of a four hour round so the socialization aspect of golf can create really great relationships.
PAC Men’s Golf, Golfer of the Week for 8/26-9/1, Carter Hassenplug, ’25.
Cunningham: How long have you been playing golf and who got you involved?
Hassenplug: I started playing golf when I was two. My whole family owns and operates a golf course back home in Northeast Pennsylvania. Ever since I was able to hold a club, my mom and dad were great influences on me and taught me basically everything I need to know about the game, so I owe my success in the game thus far to them.
Why did you choose Allegheny?
Hassenplug: I wanted both the opportunity to play golf and have good academics. Coach Groff reached out and I saw Allegheny as the best academic and athletic experience that I was able to get and so far it’s been pretty good.
How has the season been going so far and what are things you look forward to?
Hassenplug: So far after the first tournament I feel that we did pretty good. There’s some tidying up we need to do as a team but we have a lot of talent on the team and a lot more depth than last year. It’s exciting to see more and more guys get in the mix so it’s looking up for the season and for the program in general.
Last season you chipped in for birdie to win the PAC championship for Allegheny. How do you plan on keeping that momentum for this upcoming season?
Hassenplug: Being able to get to the national tournament and knowing that we have that in us as a team was a really cool moment not only for me, but for the team and for Coach Groff as well. I think just that experience alone is something that gives us enough momentum to continue to win.
Week-in and week-out you continue to keep yourself in competition for PAC golfer of the week. What goes into your success to keep that up?
Hassenplug: I tell the guys all the time that I’ve grinded my entire life on drills and “perfecting” my swing, but really I just go out there and have fun. So far in my golf career, I’ve learned that if you aren’t having fun, and you’re not keeping a positive attitude you won’t have success.
How are you able to keep your mindset and stay locked in throughout a round of golf?
Hassenplug: My parents were really the ones who ingrained into me the importance of staying focused on the course but more importantly having fun. You have to be able to accept the fact that bad shots are going to happen and you have to take it one shot at a time. One of the golfers on tour right now, Max Homa, his caddie, Joe Greiner, tells him, “One good shot in a row,” so that’s the type of mentality I take to my game.
What would you consider the best aspect to your game?
Hassenplug: I’ve always been a better driver of the golf ball but I’ve come to realize that my best scores over the years come from when my putting and short game are best. I still think my driver is the best part, so me and the guys have been getting in the gym, getting stronger to hit the ball further and further. It seems to be the name of the game nowadays with the technology, so to not fall behind, that’s what we’ve been trying to do is go out and hit it as far and as straight as possible.
If you had to describe golf to someone that’s never heard of it before, how would you go about doing that?
Hassenplug: You hit a little white ball, find it and hit it again until it goes in the hole.
What is your favorite thing about golf?
Hassenplug: I think golf is a game of relationships. The relationship I have with my family and friends over the years is essentially on the foundation of golf. Going forward, I know I’ll be able to play golf for the rest of my life. There’s so many different people you can meet and have fun with and I think that is what the foundation of the game really is.
