Coast Coaches Corner -- Sean Collins

For longtime Orange Coast College head coach Sean Collins, his craft of coaching men's and women's golf began as a kid ... on the baseball fields of Long Beach.

"Growing up, it was all about baseball," Collins said. "I played some golf as a kid too, but what I really wanted to pursue was baseball. I did a lot of both growing up in Long Beach and I with golf, I was able to play with guys like Tiger Woods and you could tell right away that he had LOADS of talent at an early age. I think my first connection with golf came when I was eight years old and I played in a group lesson with my mom and I was able to pick the game up."

But it was baseball that found the majority of Collins' heart and as a standout pitcher at Bellflower HS, his left arm helped preserve many victories for his club. "I never played high school golf," Collins said. "I wanted to play baseball at the collegiate level and after my time at Bellflower HS, I moved on to play at Cerritos College."

But a blown out arm derailed Collins' path to the mound and his stint at Cerritos College lasted just one semester. "All of my buddies I grew up playing golf with in Long Beach went to Long Beach City College and since I wasn't playing baseball anymore, I walked onto LBCC in the hopes of just making the team. I remember I played a round of golf with the coach and I shot a 67 with no bogeys and I ended up making that club."

Collins and his friends helped push LBCC all the way to a return trip back to the State Championship Tournament. After winning the state title the year before in 1986, the 1987 Vikings had to battle the elements of Fresno' Fort Washington Golf Club and had to settle for a runner-up team finish behind Monterey Peninsula College, who shot a team score of 765.. "I remember it was around 117 degrees that weekend and we ended up losing by just three strokes," Collins recalls. "But it was a great experience playing there and it helped me continue my golfing career at the four-year level."

After his time at Long Beach, Collins continued on at Cal State Dominguez Hills and it was there, where he really fine-tuned his craft. "Before going to Dominguez Hills, I basically just hit it as far as I could and went from there," Collins said. "I learned there how to actually 'score' on a golf course ... how to hit to a certain number ... how to hit to a certain part of a green ... when to attack and when to be patient on the course. My coach, John L. Johnson, really helped me get to that next level as a golfer. I began to incorporate working out and physical fitness to my game and all of these things really helped my game take off."

Following his stint at Dominguez Hills, Collins began a 27-year relationship with Costa Mesa Country Club in 1993. "I would play some rounds there with my friends and from there, I began to work there as a starter and as a marshall. Brad Booth here at CMCC convinced me to become a PGA Member so I went and pursued that. Basically it's like going back to school and learning how to run all aspects of a golf course. It was a chore but it really became a blessing in disguise for me."

The peak of his game came shortly thereafter as Collins continued to grow as a golfer on all levels. In 2002, he set the Mesa Linda course record with a 58 and with his game consistently in the 60s, Collins qualified for the U.S. Open and reached the Sectionals. "I remember we were playing in Tarzana at El Caballero against some of the best golfers around," Collins said. "It proved to me that I could really play this game at the highest level, but I was getting older and getting married with kids, I really had to change my priority."

With his work at CMCC as strong as ever, Collins became Tournament Director and began the CMCC Junior Golf Program that helped generate some of the best golfers in the area. But coaching was calling him out and with the help of then-Dean and Athletic Director Barbara Bond, Collins became the Pirates head coach in 2006. "I really didn't get the chance to finish what I started as an athlete so I wanted the opportunity to give that opportunity to others," Collins said. "Barbara was so instrumental for me in terms of what I needed to go to make it to OCC. She really showed me the ropes and got me started.

"To me one thing I really want to teach my golfers is time management. It doesn't come easy. You need to make time to work on our game and when you're on the course, you need to manage your time there as well. Golf parents sometimes hear things and want to incorporate other ideas into their kids, but at this level, they need to know that they are mine. Unless you want to spend the amount of time with them on the course as I do, then they need to let me teach and show them what I know. I'm a firm coach, but I'm a fair coach. I'll tell it like it is and show them what they need to do to be successful. Then, they need to put in the work and enforce those lessons into muscle memory."

While the men's golf program had pockets of success, the school needed a coach with the skills and experience and reputation in the area which would bring in those 'next level' golfers and bring OCC to the top of a very competitive region of colleges. After a few years of getting acclimated with community college golf, Collins began to see his team climb up the standings. Coast finished third in the OEC in 2009 and qualified for the Southern California Regionals and the following year, the Pirates picked up their first of five consecutive conference championships. From 2010-2019, OCC has won seven conference titles and earned four trips to the State Championships. 

"It took some patience and I needed to see what other successful schools were doing," Collins said. "Estancia HS was building a strong program and players like Ryan Knapp came to OCC and really helped us become a consistently successful program. Once we began winning, other really good golfers began to come to Coast and it just snowballed from there."

In 2013, the Pirates had their most successful year under Collins, winning both the Orange Empire Conference and Southern California Regional titles before finishing second by just three strokes at the CCCAA State Championships. 

"It's great when you see the athletes really take to what you're trying to teach and that 2013 team had that," Collins said. "We had a kid on that team, David Pelekoudas, who started the year as a player who wasn't in the top six, which is what we compete with. But he kept working hard and didn't get down. Eventually, he DID make the top-six on our team and ended up being one of our best golfers that year. At the State Championships, he finished second in the state and ended up going to Pepperdine University the following year."

In 2016, Coast returned to the top of the OEC mountain and again earned a trip to the CCCAA Men's Golf Championships, where the Pirates placed fourth in the state. Just two short years later, Collins brought the Pirates back to state, where they finished third against an elite field of golfers.

Heading into the 2020-21 season, Collins has depth and talent on both the men's and women's programs. Women's golf, which was brought back to OCC in the 2014 season, has also seen its own share of success, but at a different level. "To me, it's just about the golfers and watching them improve and grow and just love the game," Collins said. "I get just as much satisfaction watching a new golfer come out and improve from shooting a 130 down to a 95. It's not about winning championships ... it's about growing the sport and giving our golfers the ability to get the most out of the sport as they can.

"All of our work and preparation for each tournament is done before we get to the first tee box so when they do get there, they just go out and play. Our golfers know how their teammates play so if they see something, they can give advice to their teammates and help each other along the way. We teach the importance of always being a team player and to look out for each other."

Current OCC women's golfer Meah Collins (no relation) is competing for the Pirates for the first time this upcoming season and she's already seen what her coach brings to her team. "As a coach, he's great at keeping things short and sweet and not bringing too much emotions … he looks at things very straightforward," Meah Collins said. "He's looking for solutions instead of worrying about the problem. With his personality, he's just straightforward with everyone. He's straight to the point and not beating around the bush. He can give you a bit of a wake-up check, but to not get all flustered and just figure things out and move on."

The best advice Collins gives to the "weekend golfer" out there ... relax and enjoy the game. "To play at a high level, it takes hours and hours and hours of time and effort, working on each shot," Collins said. "If you can't put in that time, it's OK. Just go out and have fun. For those who want to see their scores drop, you have to get better at the short game and putting. We can help you control your slice or draw, but the low scores are made when you are near or on the green. If you can eliminate the three-putt and become consistent at that part of your game, your scores will drop."