Mee named Montana women’s golf coach
12/14/2023 11:22:00 AM | Golf
What Montana lost in experience when coach Kris Nord announced his retirement this week, the Grizzlies retained in connection to the state in his replacement.
Jimmy Mee, a standout prep athlete at Libby High who would go on to have a Hall of Fame career at Carroll, has been hired to replace Nord as head coach of the Montana women's golf program.
Mee has been around the golf program the last four years, formally working as an assistant to Nord since the spring of 2021.
"As I got more and more involved, I got hooked," said Mee, who moved to Missoula when his wife, Janell, got a nursing job at Community Medical Center.
"Coaching college golf had never crossed my mind. I had never thought of that as a career path. It's fun being able to stay competitive and help golfers improve at the same time. It's a dream job really."
Nord started the women's golf program at Montana in the early 90s and coached the Grizzlies' first three teams. The longtime tennis coach returned to the program in the fall of 2017.
Once Mee joined the program, Nord knew he had found a potential successor.
"I'm completely comfortable giving him the reins. I think he'll keep it moving upward and forward. I'm excited to watch that happen," said Nord, who has coached at Montana since 1982.
"He's genuine. You get the truth from him and he knows how to deliver it to the kids. He handles all the angles and has the right messaging going on out at the course and at practice. He checks all the boxes."
Mee, who comes from a family of teachers and coaches, from Anaconda to Libby, averaged more than 21 points per game as a senior basketball player at Libby High, from which he graduated in 2008.
He also had four top-10 finishes at the Class A state golf tournament as a Logger, placing second as a junior, third as a senior.
Mee was recruited to Carroll to play basketball. Shortly after he arrived on campus, Carroll golf coach Bennett McIntyre convinced Mee to double up and compete for the Saints in both sports.
He did for two years before going all in on golf. He and his teammates won the 2012 Frontier Conference title when Mee was a senior.
Mee graduated from Carroll in 2012 with a degree in civil engineering. He was inducted into the Carroll Athletics Hall of Fame in September 2023.
"I always enjoyed playing golf," said Mee. "After my sophomore year, I really got the golf bug and decided I wanted to be involved in this for an extended period of time.
"It kind of took off from there. Once I was able to devote all my time just to golf, I got addicted. It kind of took my life over for a while."
He moved to Arizona and supported himself on the mini-tours while caddying at the tony Silverleaf Country Club in Scottsdale, where he carried the bag for former NBA champions and US vice presidents.
"When you're caddying for someone for 18 holes, you do the best you can to get them through the round with the best score possible," said Mee. "Working with college players, you get four years."
On the course, in a competitive environment, the key to success for every player, from world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler to Montana freshmen Kate Bogenschutz and Elle Higgins, is course management.
"Golf is a big game of chess, essentially" said Mee. "The best players in the world have a plan and don't stray from that plan.
"If you go in with a plan, you know what you're doing on the first hole, you know what you're doing on the 18th hole. If you can stick to that plan, you can set yourself up for success."
It wasn't lost on Mee that Jon Rahm won the Master's in May even after double-bogeying the opening hole. He responded with back-to-back birdies, an opening round of 65 and never looked back.
It was Rahm's only double of the tournament as he rolled to a four-stroke victory and a final score of 12-under.
"It's easy to get caught up in the moment," Mee said, "but that's not how it works at all. Get too emotionally invested and get away from the plan and things fall apart quickly in golf."
When he moved to Missoula four years ago, he got a job as a teaching pro at the Ranch Club, site of Montana's Bill Ruegamer Indoor Golf Facility. It's where he first crossed paths with Nord.
"I was hitting a lot of balls in the indoor and kept running into Kris. He asked if I would help some," said Mee. A few years later, he has become Nord's successor, the sixth coach in program history.
"I owe it all to Coach Nord for allowing me to get involved with the program. I would like to thank him for this amazing opportunity," said Mee, who also will stay on at the Ranch Club as a teaching pro.
"It was awesome to get to learn from a coach with more than 40 years of coaching experience, learning how to run practices and how to get the most out of your student-athletes."
Once Mee became Nord's assistant coach in 2021, he began traveling with the team and coaching the Grizzlies not just at practice but in competition.
"I know he's really excited about this opportunity," said Director of Athletics Kent Haslam. "He feels like there is some room for growth and places for him to put his own stamp on this program.
"Whenever you change head coaches, there is a bit of nervousness of how that head coach is going to fit in with what we want out of a program and the expectations there are to be a Griz.
"Jimmy understands those completely and really values the same things and loves this place. I'm excited to watch what he does."
Mee began working with the program about the same time Tricia Joyce, now a fifth-year senior, was a freshman.
He's watched up close as Joyce has evolved and improved to a player who had a stroke average of 75.25 in the fall, the benefit of time and experience, things a caddie never gets but a coach does.
"It's been fun to see how much better and how much more consistent she's gotten and how much more she understands the game of golf," Mee said.
"I'm excited to see, with her greater knowledge of her own golf game, how she can do in the spring."
The role vacated by Mee, that of assistant coach, will now be filled by Jeff Allen, who has much the same story as Mee.
Originally from Dillon, Allen played at MSU Billings and later coached with the Yellowjackets from 2016-21. He moved to Missoula when his wife, Kalli, became the store leader at Scheels.
Allen is the experiential representative in Montana for TaylorMade Golf Company. "He's awesome. He knows so much about the game," said Mee.
"I've known Jeff for a long time. He's from Dillon, so another Montana guy. His knowledge is incredible to have around. It's fun to have him involved and helping out."
Just a Montana guy, just like Mee, living the dream.
"To get to stay in Montana, it's the perfect scenario," said Mee. "All my interests outside of golf revolve around Montana, so getting to do this in Montana is awesome."
Montana's first spring tournament under Mee will be the Bowling Green Intercollegiate, held at Wigwam Golf Club in Litchfield Park, Ariz., in mid-February.
Jimmy Mee, a standout prep athlete at Libby High who would go on to have a Hall of Fame career at Carroll, has been hired to replace Nord as head coach of the Montana women's golf program.
Mee has been around the golf program the last four years, formally working as an assistant to Nord since the spring of 2021.
"As I got more and more involved, I got hooked," said Mee, who moved to Missoula when his wife, Janell, got a nursing job at Community Medical Center.
"Coaching college golf had never crossed my mind. I had never thought of that as a career path. It's fun being able to stay competitive and help golfers improve at the same time. It's a dream job really."
Nord started the women's golf program at Montana in the early 90s and coached the Grizzlies' first three teams. The longtime tennis coach returned to the program in the fall of 2017.
Once Mee joined the program, Nord knew he had found a potential successor.
"I'm completely comfortable giving him the reins. I think he'll keep it moving upward and forward. I'm excited to watch that happen," said Nord, who has coached at Montana since 1982.
"He's genuine. You get the truth from him and he knows how to deliver it to the kids. He handles all the angles and has the right messaging going on out at the course and at practice. He checks all the boxes."
Mee, who comes from a family of teachers and coaches, from Anaconda to Libby, averaged more than 21 points per game as a senior basketball player at Libby High, from which he graduated in 2008.
He also had four top-10 finishes at the Class A state golf tournament as a Logger, placing second as a junior, third as a senior.
Mee was recruited to Carroll to play basketball. Shortly after he arrived on campus, Carroll golf coach Bennett McIntyre convinced Mee to double up and compete for the Saints in both sports.
He did for two years before going all in on golf. He and his teammates won the 2012 Frontier Conference title when Mee was a senior.
Mee graduated from Carroll in 2012 with a degree in civil engineering. He was inducted into the Carroll Athletics Hall of Fame in September 2023.
"I always enjoyed playing golf," said Mee. "After my sophomore year, I really got the golf bug and decided I wanted to be involved in this for an extended period of time.
"It kind of took off from there. Once I was able to devote all my time just to golf, I got addicted. It kind of took my life over for a while."
He moved to Arizona and supported himself on the mini-tours while caddying at the tony Silverleaf Country Club in Scottsdale, where he carried the bag for former NBA champions and US vice presidents.
"When you're caddying for someone for 18 holes, you do the best you can to get them through the round with the best score possible," said Mee. "Working with college players, you get four years."
On the course, in a competitive environment, the key to success for every player, from world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler to Montana freshmen Kate Bogenschutz and Elle Higgins, is course management.
"Golf is a big game of chess, essentially" said Mee. "The best players in the world have a plan and don't stray from that plan.
"If you go in with a plan, you know what you're doing on the first hole, you know what you're doing on the 18th hole. If you can stick to that plan, you can set yourself up for success."
It wasn't lost on Mee that Jon Rahm won the Master's in May even after double-bogeying the opening hole. He responded with back-to-back birdies, an opening round of 65 and never looked back.
It was Rahm's only double of the tournament as he rolled to a four-stroke victory and a final score of 12-under.
"It's easy to get caught up in the moment," Mee said, "but that's not how it works at all. Get too emotionally invested and get away from the plan and things fall apart quickly in golf."
When he moved to Missoula four years ago, he got a job as a teaching pro at the Ranch Club, site of Montana's Bill Ruegamer Indoor Golf Facility. It's where he first crossed paths with Nord.
"I was hitting a lot of balls in the indoor and kept running into Kris. He asked if I would help some," said Mee. A few years later, he has become Nord's successor, the sixth coach in program history.
"I owe it all to Coach Nord for allowing me to get involved with the program. I would like to thank him for this amazing opportunity," said Mee, who also will stay on at the Ranch Club as a teaching pro.
"It was awesome to get to learn from a coach with more than 40 years of coaching experience, learning how to run practices and how to get the most out of your student-athletes."
Once Mee became Nord's assistant coach in 2021, he began traveling with the team and coaching the Grizzlies not just at practice but in competition.
"I know he's really excited about this opportunity," said Director of Athletics Kent Haslam. "He feels like there is some room for growth and places for him to put his own stamp on this program.
"Whenever you change head coaches, there is a bit of nervousness of how that head coach is going to fit in with what we want out of a program and the expectations there are to be a Griz.
"Jimmy understands those completely and really values the same things and loves this place. I'm excited to watch what he does."
Mee began working with the program about the same time Tricia Joyce, now a fifth-year senior, was a freshman.
He's watched up close as Joyce has evolved and improved to a player who had a stroke average of 75.25 in the fall, the benefit of time and experience, things a caddie never gets but a coach does.
"It's been fun to see how much better and how much more consistent she's gotten and how much more she understands the game of golf," Mee said.
"I'm excited to see, with her greater knowledge of her own golf game, how she can do in the spring."
The role vacated by Mee, that of assistant coach, will now be filled by Jeff Allen, who has much the same story as Mee.
Originally from Dillon, Allen played at MSU Billings and later coached with the Yellowjackets from 2016-21. He moved to Missoula when his wife, Kalli, became the store leader at Scheels.
Allen is the experiential representative in Montana for TaylorMade Golf Company. "He's awesome. He knows so much about the game," said Mee.
"I've known Jeff for a long time. He's from Dillon, so another Montana guy. His knowledge is incredible to have around. It's fun to have him involved and helping out."
Just a Montana guy, just like Mee, living the dream.
"To get to stay in Montana, it's the perfect scenario," said Mee. "All my interests outside of golf revolve around Montana, so getting to do this in Montana is awesome."
Montana's first spring tournament under Mee will be the Bowling Green Intercollegiate, held at Wigwam Golf Club in Litchfield Park, Ariz., in mid-February.
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