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Stanford Golf Coach: Coaches Love To Recruit Multi-Sport Athletes

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Conrad Ray (@cardcoachray) is a former Cardinal standout student-athlete and touring golf professional and is Stanford’s Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf (Head Men's Golf Coach). During his tenure as head coach, Ray has led the Cardinal to 10 appearances in the NCAA Championships, including the school’s eighth national title in 2007.

In his role as Stanford Men's Golf Coach, Ray explains that he looks for kids who have played on teams, and kids who have played other sports. In today's day and age, Ray explains, there is an emphasis on specialization that hinders athletic development, but when kids have a narrow time to focus and don't have to one thing all the time, they may improve more quickly. Ray recognizes that it can be a difficult balance as a parent between helping their kid improve in that one sport and ensuring that they still love that sport. Ray recommends that parents have their kids play multiple sports because it can help kids maintain their passion for those sports over time.

Coach Ray also explains that specialization can cause overuse injuries, so when athletes play multiple sports, they may be less likely to get injured. At the end of the day, Ray says that if your kid is good enough to play at the level they are trying to play, that will shine through, even if they haven't taken the traditional path and have played other sports along the way

PCA hosted supporters at the Stanford Faculty Club for breakfast with Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf Conrad Ray and Margot and Mitch Milas Director Of Women's Golf Anne Walker, as Former PCA President Tina Syer covered topics on the mental game, sports parenting, recruiting, and more.