During the summer of 1976 at the Hanover Country Club two people who were to become a pair of the most highly respected collegiate golf coaches in the United States met for the first time.
Bill and Izzy Johnson did not know each other before the National Golf Foundation Teaching Seminar held in Hanover that year, but when it was over the two had forged the beginning of a partnership and marriage that is now over two decades old.
Bill Johnson is now in the middle of his 29th season at the helm of the men's golf program at Dartmouth, and Izzy is in her 10th season as the coach of the women's team. They are Class "A" Professionals in standing with the PGA and the LPGA respectively, and are likely the only married couple in the country to hold that distinction.
Bill was born in Michigan and enjoyed all sports but localized into golf during his college years. It was at the St. Clair River Country Club in Lower Michigan that he began his professional career when he got a summer job there under the supervision of a Dartmouth graduate.
After two years at the St. Clair Country Club as an assistant professional and two more as the head professional he moved to a summer camp job in upstate New York where he had a chance to see parts of New England, including Hanover, where he immediately felt at home.
"I spent two days here on a trip and loved the whole attitude and honesty of the people," Johnson said. He said that people who wanted to learn how to golf in Hanover sought the instruction for the love of the game, and not for social reasons like in St. Clair.
Soon after that the Hanover Country Club needed a head pro and the College needed a men's golf coach. Johnson applied for and got the job.
"It had always been in the back of my mind," he said of the Dartmouth job. "I decided to give it a five year shot, and that was 30 years ago."
Izzy came to Dartmouth through a similar random path. After attending the teaching seminar in 1976, she took a job as a golf shop assistant at the Hanover Country Club in 1977, a job she held until 1980. During that time, she also spent a year as an assistant with the Big Green field hockey team.
While Johnson was working in the golf shop, she, with the help of Leslie Subak '85 and Sue Johnson '85, two talented local golfers, began the women's golf program in the 1981 season.
With those two women and a rag-tag conglomeration of athletes who competed in other sports at the College, Johnson coached the team to an ECAC Championship in only its third year of competition.
Through the years, she has competed in a number of professional and amateur events and done quite well, but her clear strength as a golfer lies in her ability to teach the game to others.
"She's a great teacher and really has the ability to give us personal attention," Samantha Sommers '99 said. "She's really worked hard with me on the mental aspect of my game."
"I think she has an insight as to what each member of the team is fighting within themselves -- the obstacle they need to overcome in order to get to the next level," Lauren Epstein '00 said.
The Johnsons' possess an incredible wealth of experience that they share with their teams, and according to their teams, neither is likely to run out of anecdotes for several years to come.
Bill seems to favor metaphors and clever observations as his preferred mode of communication, while Izzy has been described by her players as a walking golf encyclopedia.
"He has lots of metaphors," co-Captain Steve Sugarman '97 said of his coach. "Most of them go towards the same conclusion. There is a certain way that he wants you to play, to avoid ups and downs, and not get emotional."
Co-Captain MacKenzie Hurd '98 spoke highly of his coach's golf knowledge as well.
"I would say his specialty is the mental aspect of the game because he knows we all have the game to play on the collegiate level, it's just trying to tap into our games which is tough," Hurd said.
"Another very beneficial aspect is his 'doctorate in the golf swing.' He knows what works, and in New England college golf there are only a handful of guys who know the golf swing at all. Combine his mental and physical expertise in golf, and I can easily say he's the best coach in New England," Hurd added.
Besides being very respectful of what Izzy knows about the game of golf, the women's team also is very appreciative of the way she treats them when they are not in competition.
"She's definitely got the mothering personality," Sommers said. "She blitzes us and asks how classes are going, and always tells us that all you can do is laugh sometimes."
Co-Captain Jessica Hughes '97 said, "Freshman season I couldn't believe how nice and accepting of me she was, and how she let me into tournament situations immediately. I am never afraid to mess up because I know that she will not turn her back on me."
Both Izzy and Bill have a long list of accomplishments on their resumes. Izzy has been the New England LPGA Coach of the Year and has been an officer in the same organization.
Among other things, Bill chaired the NCAA National Golf Committee for three years, was selected to coach the NCAA All-Stars in Tokyo in 1980 and was inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame in 1991.
In addition to coaching the Big Green teams, the pair also owns and runs the golf shop at the Hanover Country Club.
