Southern Illinoise University Athletics
A Dawgs Way Home: Coach Kaufman Spotlight
01/18/2020 | 2:00:00 | Women's Golf
Danielle Kaufman was announced as the Southern Illinois women's golf coach on June 14, 2018. A year later, she has led her team to a Missouri Valley Conference championship, becoming the first coach in SIU women's golf history to do so in her first year. SIU won its first MVC title in more than a decade, and Kaufman was named the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year.Â
"I'm proud of what we've accomplished" said Coach Kaufman. "It makes me proud to be a coach here at SIU and I feel great that I made the Southern Illinois community proud."
Growing up an hour away from Carbondale in Nashville, Ill., Kaufman is no stranger to the area. Though golf has produced an enormous amount of success in her life, it's one of three sports that has helped her become who she is today.
"I was a three sport athlete; all-conference in golf, basketball, softball and all-state in most of them. I love sports, it made me who I am today," Kaufman said. "Sports has made me a person that wants to give back what I was given as an athlete, especially my coaching experiences. They taught me what hard work does and how to become successful. That's what brought me into coaching."
The challenges of golf drove Kaufman's desire to play. Kaufman has a strong love for softball and basketball, but golf was always the go-to sport. Golf became even more important when life presented a new challenge: Kaufman was diagnosed with Compartment Syndrome, which causes increased pressure within muscle compartments.
"I got more involved with golf because I was prevented from playings sports that involved running. In basketball, there would be times when my legs would just give out on me," said Kaufman. "Golf saved me because I was very down on myself. I loved to run; I loved to be active; and golf gave me that reason to keep going when it comes to sports and the challenges it gave me. I'm very thankful for golf."
Golf has presented opportunities and connections Kaufman will forever be thankful for. She was a member of the 2007-08 Southern Illinois women's golf team, coached by Diane Daugherty. Kaufman said it was the best experience she had ever had.
"I played for Diane. I'm just thankful for her. The word 'legend' sums it up. She's a great mentor, a wonderful person and outside of golf, she was always there for her team," said Coach Kaufman. "I can't thank her enough for giving me the opportunity and experience to play for her. The reason I coach is the same reason she did; to give the best experiences possible to these players."
With the support of her mentors, Coach Kaufman's motivation is to win at SIU.
"The reason coming here is obviously to win, because that's what I love to do. I want to win in everything. No matter what it is, I want to win." said Kaufman.
Kaufman's approach to winning focuses on structure. Practicing on weaknesses, working on short game, wedge shots, and understanding expectations is the foundation she emphasizes.Â
"That's the key. When you have a philosophy and believe in it, the team sees that and it drives them to do the same," Danielle said, "The talent is here, but instilling that structure pushes them to reach above and beyond their talent."
It's not just their individual game that Coach Kaufman works with. Though golf is an individual sport, Kaufman's stresses the importance of playing as a team and knowing what that takes. To accomplish this, she focuses on mental toughness, allowing the girls to be able to view every shot as it being the most important shot, and not giving up on themselves on or off the course when things go downhill.
"We have mental discussions where we sit and talk about the anxiety of the game, why are we getting anxious, why do we lack confidence, and when do we start lacking confidence?" said Kaufman. "Believe it or not, those are the things I mean when I say structure. You have to dive into every aspect of the game. If you say, 'Hey, go practice for two hours, you're going to be great'… well what are you practicing?"
Attention to detail and knowing every aspect of the game were some of the strong suits to winning the MVC tournament. Kaufman credits to her staff, volunteer Assistant Coach Denny Kortkamp and Graduate Assistant Maddy Burgett, who have been important contributions to the success of the team. Success has become familiar to Danielle, winning awards at the JUCO level along with Coach of the Year and now the Missouri Valley Conference. However, winning never gets old. Her recent achievements constitutes as her best so far.
"Winning the Coach of the Year in my first year in the MVC was huge because it's voted on by my opponents. That makes me feel pretty thankful that they viewed me as that coach," said Kaufman. "There were a lot of coaches that are still coaching from when I played here and for them to view a young coach like myself as somewhat of a role model, it was humbling. That's where I realized that they see the dedication and the hard work we put in."
The bond Kaufman has created with her team mirrors a family atmosphere. Communication has been key in her first year at helm. Those mental talks, along with other avenues has helped shape the program.
"I think the biggest thing our team understands is that we are a family. I love to talk things out, I want to know how they feel and what they need from me. How could I coach if I don't know." Kaufman said. "They tell me everything. You have to be real with yourself and understand what it takes to keep getting better. These girls have completely stepped up. Especially the juniors and seniors, they are leaders now."
The Southern Illinois women's golf team continues to rewrite history. In their first tournament of the Fall 2019 season, they shot an even par as a team for the first time in program history on a par-72 course. During the Lady Red Wolves Classic, the Salukis then broke the 54-hole school record with a total of 881.Â
"The good thing about this team is there is no stopping point. They want to keep going and that helps me as a coach. They're driven and they are ready to win it again" said Kaufman. "They are driven when it comes to breaking records. It's contagious, once we broke one they want to break another. There's never been a point where we felt like we've done enough this year. We go out and play our game, stay focused and confident. That's the reason why we have been breaking records because we're not worried about it, we're going out there and doing our jobs."
The Southern Illinois women's golf team tee off for the Spring 2020 season on February 10th at the Battle at the Rock in Riverside, California. With a total of six tournaments, including the MVC Championship April 19-21, 2020, the Salukis have a lot to look forward to.
"We have some big tournaments this Spring," Kaufman said, "I'm looking forward to seeing how competitive we can be with everyone healthy. We've been breaking records and I think we can break a few more."
