Nelson to retire from WLGC

Patient, focused, knowledgeable and positive — all qualities that describe a good coach.

Longtime Whitefish golf coach Terry Nelson holds all of those, which made him an accomplished coach, school administrator and general manager of the Whitefish Lake Golf Club over the years.

Several years ago, after working in the Whitefish School District for 25 years as an administrator and coach, Nelson retired and was looking for something to do for a while.

“That while turned out to be 26 years,” Nelson said of his stint as WLGC’s general manager.

Soon, Nelson will retire again, this time from the general manager/secretary position at the golf course. After the current renovation project at the club is completed, Nelson will hand over the reins to his replacement, Neil Huether. He’s enjoyed the flexibility of the part-time job, but he says the people are what made the job a happy one for him.

“I’ve loved it. I wasn’t really looking for it but it’s been a good gig,” he said. “The people I've worked with have been the best part of the job.”

Tim Olson, the head golf professional at WLGC, has not only worked alongside Nelson for over 20 years at the golf course, but Nelson was Olson’s middle school principal, his little league baseball coach and his high school golf coach. Olson said Nelson is a “legend in the state of Montana in the golf world.”

Nelson will be missed at the golf club, but not as much as one might think.

“I laugh at Terry saying he’s going to retire because he’s so active, he’s going to be there if we have questions. The amount of knowledge in his brain with the golf course and the history of it, he’s going to be there for us for years to come,” Olson said. “We’re going to lean on him for the next couple years, I know that.”

THE ROLE OF the general manager is one that operates mostly behind the scenes. Nelson says he worked with the board, made sure the club abided by all the necessary regulations, filed forms appropriately for water rights and licensing, ensured policies were enforced and followed up with the staff.

“I would bet that half of our 1,800 and some members aren’t sure what I do, or aren’t even sure I'm the general manager because I'm not the face that people see,” Nelson said. “They’re more likely to see the pro in the golf shop. That doesn’t bother me at all.”

One big challenge Nelson navigated during his tenure was the construction of the south course. He said they had to acquire seven different pieces of property to put it together and the course’s proximity to Lost Loon Lake required the club to address ecological concerns.

“Because we’re close to Lost Loon Lake, I dealt with pretty much every agency in America from Corps of Engineers to EPA to Fish and Wildlife and that was kind of fun.

“I enjoyed having to do a hydrology study to define the boundaries of the wetlands,” Nelson continued. “That was probably the biggest challenge and also the most rewarding thing that I did.”

NELSON’S WORK with young golfers as the head golf coach at Whitefish High School and his work in the community have garnered him a bucket full of awards over the years.

His honors include being named Montana Coach of the Year 21 times and receiving the National High School Athletic Coaches Association’s National Coach of the Year title in 2006 and 2007. He was the Golf Digest individual award winner for 2007 and is a member of the Hall of Fame for the Montana Coaches Association, Montana State Golf Association and the Whitefish Lake Golf Association.

He was inducted into the National High School Coaches Hall of Fame for golf and was awarded the Spirit of Whitefish Award, a local recognition that Nelson says was a highlight.

“The Montana State Women's Golf Association presented me with the Paul Allen award for continued support for women's golf,” said Nelson. “I've always been a supporter of Title IX and championing equal access to sports for girls.”

Olson described Nelson’s coaching style as inclusive and custom-tailored to his players.

“Terry, as a high school golf coach, would find the good in every individual player. He would welcome anybody, even if they hadn’t picked up a golf club before. He would welcome them and root for them to the bitter end,” Olson said. “He didn’t have a blanket coaching philosophy, he had an individual coaching philosophy for each and every kid.”

Nelson was introduced to golf when he was 15 years old. His father was a contractor building a clubhouse, Nelson tagged along and got to play a round with the golf pro. He was hooked. So far, his best scores are 66 on the north course and 68 on the south course.

With a smile he said, “I’m a better coach than a player.”

That statement is the closest Nelson comes to bragging about his coaching career. He is more likely to share the limelight with others.

“The guy’s amazing,” Olson said. “He would never brag about this, but a big goal for golfers is to shoot your age and I know he’s shot under his age many, many times.”

Nelson said that while his teams rarely talked about winning, the players understood what was expected of them and put in the time to be successful.

“Golf is the greatest sport to coach because it can be a lifelong passion,” he said. “It is a game that teaches you a lot about yourself including patience, temperament and understanding how practice pays off.”

Nelson put his coaching acumen to work while serving as general manager of the golf course as well as during his time as a principal. He said those qualities helped in relationship building with staff and members.

“I’ve always tried to be a supportive partner in my school administrative work career and at the golf course,” he said.

In addition to his work at the golf club, Nelson is involved with many Whitefish organizations. He is on the board of directors of the North Valley Music School and is actively involved in the Whitefish Winter Carnival.

“Anything that benefits Whitefish, you usually see Terry Nelson’s face there,” Olson said. “If you see Terry at a function anywhere in town, you know it’s a worthy cause and he’s there for the right reasons.”

NELSON’S INTRODUCTION to Montana is a familiar tale for those who have come here from other places. He had been living in Michigan since he was in junior high but one trip west triggered a move.

“My wife’s grandparents lived in Essex and he worked on the railroad and when we got married, she said, ‘Let’s go visit my grandparents in Montana,’” Nelson recalled. “She always wanted to move here but I wasn't sure about that.”

They visited in August of 1968 and he says he fell in love with Montana. As soon as he got back to Michigan, he told his principal that he would only be working there for one more school year.

“I remember I came out here and went hiking and fishing up Sheep Creek, which is by Essex. I was out there by myself and thought, ‘Wow, I’m not going back. This is it,’” he said. “I went back and told my wife, ‘I'm ready.’ She said, ‘Yes!’”

Terry and Lynda Nelson moved to Whitefish in 1969.

“I‘ve loved this place and never looked back. It’s just time to see whatever else I'm going to do with my life,” Nelson said.

In addition to spending more time in Essex, visiting his three children and seven grandchildren, and playing more golf, Nelson has picked up another avocation, the guitar.

After retiring from coaching years back, Nelson said he knew he needed something to fill in the newly-found free time, so he picked up guitar. That decision gave him a new hobby and a deeper appreciation of music.

“I decided to start taking guitar lessons at North Valley Music School. We all need to be willing to learn something new at all stages of life,” he said. “Taking lessons from both Christian Johnson and Tim Torgeson was a delightful and fun experience.

“I find myself spending time daily playing and learning new songs and remain no threat to the livelihood of our talented community musicians,” he added. “I’ve gained an even greater appreciation of the role music plays in all our lives.”