Girls Golf Team Welcomes Back this Saint Viator Alumna

Abby Dickey ’10 played golf and softball all four years while she attended Saint Viator, and now she finds herself back in the familiar Saint Viator vans, heading to practice. Only this time, she’s the coach.

 

Abby coaches the girls’ junior varsity golf team alongside Coach Jack Halpin who is coaching the varsity players. The JV team drew 14 players to come out for the team, including three juniors, six sophomores, and five freshmen. Abby draws from her experience while at Saint Viator as well as her collegiate career playing golf at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN.

 

“When I came to Saint Viator, I was the only student from my public middle school that was at the school,” Abby says. “While this was a challenging and sometimes scary transition, it helped that I joined the golf team right away. I met so many great girls immediately, which absolutely made the transition into high school much easier.”

 

The chemistry they developed as a team led to greater success on the course, she says. They won the ESCC conference championships, competed with top golf schools in regional and sectional finals, and qualified as a team to compete at state finals.

 

“Developing that level of camaraderie is so important in golf,” Abby says. “At times it can feel like a very lonely and individual sport.”

 

While at Saint Viator, Abby played under Coach Mick Drewes on the golf team and under Coach Dan Twarog and Coach John Scotillo on the softball team. She credits them with helping her improve her game while having fun with her teammates, and she wants to bring that philosophy to her JV golfers.

 

“While we want to find success through winning, my top goal for the girls is to have fun and to improve our games,” she says. “What I have learned from incredible coaches in the past is that having fun and improving takes time, effort and dedication, but doing it together makes everything worth it.”

 

The team already has two matches under their belt, with nearly a dozen more scheduled throughout the fall. They practice their short game at Old Orchard Country Club in Prospect Heights, and refine their long game at Highland Woods Golf Course in Hoffman Estates.

 

“I'm really excited about this team's potential,” Abby says, “and I know we are just going to keep getting better and better through practice, dedication, patience and excitement for the game of golf.”

 

Besides her experience playing golf, Abby also brings skills from her day job to the team, of being a leadership coach. She began her career in 2023 after earning her master's degree and coaching certification from Northwestern University.

 

“I feel like my experience as a leadership coach is extremely helpful as a golf coach,” Abby says. “I am making sure I know the goals of each player, setting the expectations of our goals as a team, and recognizing the strengths of each girl."

 

“However, similar to my work as a leadership coach, I cannot play golf for them,” she adds. “All I can do is give the girls the tools and the drills they need to be successful, while providing support and making sure the game is fun for everyone.”