Dixie State Men’s Golf Voted Second in RMAC Preseason Poll

Dixie State
Image: dixiestateathletics.com

A longtime resident of Beaver, Utah, Mark J. Yardley is the CEO of High Country Fuels, where he supervises his various businesses, including truck service stations, auto shops, and convenience stores. Mark J. Yardley also contributes to the Dixie State University (DSU) Athletics golf program.

In August, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II conference, released the results of the coaches’ poll for the 2019-2020 Preseason Men’s Golf and Players to Watch. The DSU men’s golf team was voted second in the poll. The team returned six players off of the 2018-2019 team, which won during the 2019 NCAA Division II Regional Championship.

In the poll, DSU garnered 69 points, second only to the Colorado School of Mines (the defending RMAC champion), which earned 76 points. Brad Sutterfield, who was head coach of the DSU men’s golf program for the past seven seasons, will continue in this role for an eighth season.

Bringing Players to Your Charity Golf Tournament

The owner and president of Beaver, Utah-based High Country Land Management for more than 30 years, Mark J. Yardley also owns High Country Fuels, Eagles Landing, and North Creek Properties. An active philanthropist, Mark J. Yardley frequently gives back to his Beaver, Utah, community by hosting annual charity golf tournaments through Eagles Landing.

No matter how great your venue is or how perfect the date, players are essential for the success of your charity golf tournament. Most of the time, golf players are drawn to your event for several reasons; they typically not only support the organization to which your tournament is donating money, but also have a desire to play more golf than they normally would and appreciate the chance to win prizes for their participation.

Since the reasoning behind player involvement is so varied, your charity tournament must fulfill more than just the basic requirements of a good cause and location. Prior to the event, make sure you advertise the great prizes available to players in addition to advertising the organization you’re supporting and the venue. Make registration easy and fast so players can join with minimal disruption to their lives, and create a committee responsible for bringing in players.

Beyond this, consider adding players to the sponsorship options at your event. The benefits of doing this are twofold: it not only brings more players to your event, but also makes sponsorship more attractive.

Motivating Your Athletes as a Sports Coach

Beaver, Utah-based business leader Mark J. Yardley owns and operates various travel centers, gas stations, motels, and other entities throughout the state. Alongside his professional endeavors, Mark J. Yardley of Beaver, Utah, has maintained a passion for golf and spent 15 years coaching golf at Beaver High School.

No matter what sport you coach, there will come a time when you need to motivate your team to succeed. The process of creating this motivation often begins with the environment you create for your team. Focus on creating an environment that promotes appreciation, challenge, and quality among your athletes. This variability in your practice environment feeds into each athlete’s personal motivators.

Aside from creating an inspiring and a variable environment, focus on each athlete on your team. Make sure you draw attention to the importance of individual success so that athletes understand how their personal performance impacts the team as a whole. Further, don’t be afraid to talk to each athlete to learn what motivates him or her or what he or she needs from coaches and other leaders. Taking the time to learn from your athletes makes you more effective when motivating them.

Finally, serve as a role model for your team. If you want your athletes to behave and perform in a specific way, then you must act in that same way. This shows athletes how to act and teaches them what you expect from them. Further, when your athletes know that you will practice what you preach, they feel a greater sense of collaboration and camaraderie that boosts their individual and team performances.