There isn’t much that Howie Samb hasn’t accomplished as the longest-tenured women’s golf coach in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. However, the 2019-20 season provided him with a feat that hadn’t been accomplished at UW-Stout during his 12 years as coach.

Blue Devils golfers finished 1-2 last fall at the WIAC Championship with Trystin Kluess becoming just the second UW-Stout golfer to win an individual conference title, setting a tournament record with a 54-hole total of 10-over-par 226 total. Fellow senior Madison McCambridge finished second (230).

It marked the eighth year in a row that the Blue Devils had at least one golfer in the top five.

“We are very much a team-first program, but to have the top two finishers in a league as tough as ours was in 2019 speaks volumes for the work those two young ladies put in to pull that off,” Samb said, noting that Kluess beat three former WIAC champions who were in the field. “Madison set the bar high for herself when she finished fourth at conference as a freshman while Trystin went from tied for 11th to tied for sixth to solo third before winning the whole thing. Whether you are someone trying to sustain excellence as Madison did or chasing it like Trystin did, getting there takes work.

“At the end of the day, Trystin and Madison embody what preach here at Stout. We want student- athletes willing to commit to us their time, effort and willingness to listen and learn and, in return, we’ll commit to them the promise that they will leave us better than they were when they arrived.”

Since 2012 and the start of the most competitive era in the 23-year history of women’s golf in the WIAC, no program in the conference has enjoyed as much success as Stout under Samb, who is beginning his 13th season as Blue Devils coach with the 2020-21 school year.

The Blue Devils have won three WIAC championships and made three trips to the NCAA Division III Championships. They have also produced 20 all-WIAC golfers in that span (nine first-team selections, 10 second-teamers and now one newcomer of the year after the WIAC instituted the award in 2019) and are the only school with at least one on each team annually since 2012.

That is a nod to Samb, whose knowledge of the game and reputation as a golf instructor has made him one of the most accomplished coaches in WIAC history and a recognized name in NCAA Division III.

His work at the range, on the golf course and in the classroom as an assistant professor in the GEM program, has made him a sought-after coach with recruits looking for someone whose personal approach can have a positive impact on their games. Wisconsin and Minnesota remain the most active recruiting bases for the Blue Devils, but Samb has recruited golfers from throughout the Midwest and from as far away as Colorado and Connecticut during this time as Stout’s coach.

"I am looking for young golfers who are bright students academically and hard workers athletically,” Samb said. “I can offer all the tips, drills and advice in the world that will help them get better. But it’s up to them to put in the work to get there. That part doesn’t change after high school.”

Kluess is one of two golfers over the last six years whose improvement working with Samb has been significant.

The Greenleaf, Wis., native averaged 85.7 in 20 rounds rotating in and out of the lineup as the No. 5 golfer as a freshman, breaking 80 once. After three years of steady improvement, Kluess averaged 77.42 as a senior and broke 80 in 10 of the 12 rounds she played during a COVID-19-shortened season.

Her career arc was similar to that of former Blue Devil Rachel Hernandez, a two-time NCAA Division III qualifier from Verona. As a freshman, Hernandez averaged 84.8 as the No. 5 golfer and never broke 80, matching it once in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship in Florida. As a senior, she averaged a 79.31 and broke 80 eight times highlighted by her 70-75 showing at the Wartburg Fall Invitational where she set program records for lowest 18- and 36-hole scores.

“Golf is a process sport and my teaching methods reflect that," Samb said. "Our door is open to golfers of all abilities from all parts of the country who want a Division I golf experience at the Division III level. We want golfers who want to be part of something very special academically and athletically.

"Our golfers are here, first and foremost, to receive an education and get a degree, but we hope they learn a lot about themselves and their golf game along the way. By the end of their careers, we hope they look back on their time at Stout and can see their growth they have made in all areas of their life.”

The Blue Devils' success in developing golfers under Samb speaks for itself.

Academically, his program has ranked in the top 25 in the Women’s Golf Coaches Association Division III All-Scholar Team GPA Awards in each of the three years since the inception of the rankings. In 2019-20, Stout’s 3.696 grade-point average ranked it No. 15 in NCAA Division III.

Stout has had two winners of the prestigious WIAC Judy Kruckmann Scholar-Athlete in Alex Westman (2013) and Rachel Hernandez (2017). Following the 2015-16 season, Hernandez became the program's first WGCA All-American Scholar honoree. In all, 12 Stout golfers have combined to earn 15 WGCA All-American Scholar honors with Alexa Filipiak becoming the school’s first four-time recipient of the award in 2020 when she joined teammates Trystin Kluess, Madison McCambridge, Kendra Swanson and Klaire O’Reilly-Dye in giving Stout five honorees in one season.

In his 12 seasons with the program, Samb has been named the WIAC coach of the year eight times -- in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019. He has coached two WIAC individual champions in Trystin Kluess (2019) and Britt McNett-Emmerich (2012). His 2012, ‘14 and ‘16 teams won the WIAC tournament and earned the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Championships (in 2013, 2015 and 2017). In 2018, Samb was named the Women's Golf Coaches Association Central Region coach of the year.

Last fall, Stout 41-6-3 against other WIAC schools and finished second at the WIAC Championship. The Blue Devils also set the school scoring record for the second year in a row with a 318.5.

Thirteen Stout golfers have combined to earn 25 all-WIAC honors, including Trystin Kluess (first team), Madison McCambridge (second team),  and Klairissa O'Reilly-Dye (newcomer of the year) in 2019. Brittany McNett-Emmerich, a 2015 graduate and the program's only four-time all-WIAC selection, was twice the WIAC player of the year (2014-15 and 2012-13) and is the latest of Samb’s former players to enter the coaching ranks, taking over the high school girls golf program at Madison (Wis.) Memorial.

Trystin Kluess (2019-20), Britt McNett-Emmerich (2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15), Rachel Hernandez (2016-17, 2017-18) and Mariah Chesley (2014-15) were named all-WGCA Central Region selections. McNett-Emmerich was also a second-team national all-WGCA selection in 2012-13 and an honorable mention pick in 2014-15.

Each of the top 40 single-round team scores on the Blue Devils' all-time list have come during Samb's tenure, including a school-record 303 during the final round of the 2014 Wartburg Fall Invitational in Waverly, Iowa. That’s also where Hernandez shot her 70 in the first round of the 2017 tournament.

Before Samb's arrival in 2008, no Stout golfer had ever broken 80 in a round. Going into the 2020-21 season, it has happened 157 times. 

Samb, a native of nearby Spring Valley, has always been a Blue Devil. He attended UW-Stout, earning a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a master's degree in Training and Development.

Samb, who attained a Class A membership from the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) of America in 1989, spent 25 years serving as a head golf professional or general manager at three Minneapolis area golf clubs, two of which were rated 4.5 stars in Golf Digest.

As a head golf pro, Samb’s responsibilities included fiscal management, merchandising, event management, course maintenance and golf instruction to golfers of all levels.  His students have ranged from novice golfers to fellow professionals.

In January of 2016, Samb was elected into the PGA of America's "Quarter Century Club." The honor recognized Samb for his 25 years of service to the PGA of America and the game of golf.

"Your commitment to, and promotion of our great sport have helped make golf what it is today," then-PGA of America president Derek Sprague wrote in the letter commending Samb. "Indeed, you are truly an expert in the game and business of golf."

Samb’s playing career includes amateur golf in the Chippewa Valley Golf Association, and professional tournaments in the Minnesota section of the PGA of America. In the summer of 2017, Samb recorded his ninth career hole-in-one on his home course at Troy Burne in Hudson.

Samb is an active member of the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) and serves on the NCAA DIII Central Region Awards Committee, as well as the National NCAA DIII Awards Committee. Samb also serves as a voter in the WGCA Division III Top 25. Samb was recently appointed to the WIAC Regional Advisory Committee, effective Sept. 1, 2014.

In addition to his coaching and teaching duties, Samb also oversees the Golf Enterprise Management co-op summer internship mentor.

Samb's teaching and coaching style allows his players to fully develop their games by working hard on their individual weaknesses, but at the same time, continuing to polish their strengths.

"Being confident and having a swing that repeats under pressure is the ultimate goal," said Samb. "And having an outstanding short game to help out on the days when ball striking isn't what it normally is becomes essential."

"I really stress course management and learning when to play aggressively and when to play conservatively," Samb said. "I also like to stress the understanding of the importance of working hard on every shot and how each shot affects not only the individual score, but the team score as well.

"Goals of the program and the team are to play one of the toughest schedules possible, always challenge ourselves and continually learn from our successes and the bad days. I want all of our players to feel that they are part of something special. They are playing for their university, their teammates, themselves and having one of the most fun experiences they will have during college."

Samb resides in Bayport, Minn., along with his wife, Penny. The couple have two adult children, Garrett, and Natalie.

Penny is a UW-Stout graduate and works in Minneapolis as a commissions controller for Thrivent Financial.  Garrett is Assistant Vice President and Financial Solutions Advisor for Bank of America in Woodbury, Minn., and still plays scratch golf.

Natalie is the membership director for Topgolf, a growing entertainment franchise featuring a high-tech driving range and sports lounge, in Kansas City, Mo. A four-time Academic All-American while at NCAA Division I Wichita State, Natalie had two second place individual finishes in Division I tournaments.

Garrett and Natalie are the only brother/sister tandem to win the Minnesota Section junior player of the year award in the same year.

 
Howie Samb's WIAC Team Finishes
2019, 2^nd- Coach of the Year
2018, 2^nd- WGCA Coach of the Year, Central Region
2017, 2nd - Coach of the Year
2016, 1st - Coach of the Year
2015, 5th
2014, 1st - Coach of the Year
2013, 2nd - Coach of the Year
2012, 1st - Coach of the Year
2011, 3rd - Coach of the Year
2010, 5th
2009, 4th - Coach of the Year
2008, 4th
 
Howie Samb's NCAA Team Finishes
2017, 14th
2015, 9th
2013, 18th