Golf Q&A: U-M Athletic Director Warde Manuel
Conducted with Tom Lang
Warde Manuel is a New Orleans native who played defensive line for coach Bo Schembechler before ending his football career with a neck injury, and turning to college sports administration. He has earned three academic degrees from Michigan. His previous athletic leadership roles took place at Georgia Tech (assistant), Buffalo and UConn. His contract at Michigan runs through mid-2030.
Question: Do you recall when you fell in love with the game of golf?
Answer: “I was an assistant AD at Georgia Tech and football coach George O’Leary wanted me to play a golf outing for the team. I told George I really don’t play golf. The closest I came was a thing we called the Shank Open when I was playing football at Michigan. George said it didn’t matter that I really play golf. He said you played football for Bo and you work closely with our team and people would just love talking about football with you.
“So I went to see Puggy Blackman, a famous golf coach at Tech, and I said I have to play in this outing. Can you give me some clubs to use, and he gave me some, and shoes and balls. The outing was played at Reynolds Plantation. And it’s the prettiest course and land I had ever seen (up until then), meticulously taken care of, on Lake Oconee. It was gorgeous, and I just thought this was unbelievable. That’s when I fell in love with the game because I just couldn’t believe how beautiful that scenery was.
“I brought the clubs back to Puggy, and told him I didn’t hit them well, but it sure was beautiful and a lot of fun. He said, ‘yes, Stewart can’t hit those clubs either.’ They were Stewart Cink’s old clubs, forged irons, so he said I could keep them. I kept using them the next five years or so.”
Q: Do you see similarities or lessons to be learned between golf and your work as an AD ?
A: “100 percent. Day to day, different situations come up in my job, in any job… and in a similar fashion, hole to hole there are different situations you face, or different ways that you have to approach that challenge. So, there’s a lot about golf that really parallels what you do as a leader or in your work because you have to approach each hole, each day playing golf, differently – based on the conditions, based on what’s in front of you. Sometimes you take on a challenge. Sometimes you chose to play more conservatively. So, there are definitely parallels on how I approach being Athletic Director, and playing golf.
Q: Are you a regular at the two U-M golf courses – what do you like about them?
A: “I try to play both of them each year. I think they’re beautiful. You’ve got the Alister McKenzie design and the beauty of it – how hard it is – particularly to putt on that course is one of the more challenging sets of greens that you’ll face. I love it. Putting is probably a strength of my game. Now, how many times it will take me to get to the putting service may vary.
“Radrick is just unbelievable. To know that it was Pete Dye’s first 18-hole layout, the care he gave it, the stories about him and his wife, (Alice) coming back almost on an annual basis to visit and give insight to possible changes he thought would help. Radrick being out in a more wooded area gives you a northern golf feel. On certain points on that course, if someone blindfolded you and took you there, you wouldn’t know you’re in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“They both have their different challenges and I love both courses.”
Q: What are some memories of following former U-M golfer Nick Carlson playing in the U.S. Amateur semifinals at Oakland Hills in 2016 ?
A: “I’m 6-foot-5 and Nick might be 5-9? But he’s on a par 4 on the back nine, about 315 yards… and he takes out a 3-wood. So, I’m like, ‘okay, he’s going to lay up.’ But he knocked it on the green, and I was just amazed at how much control, the swing speed he had, the confidence he had. I said to myself I see why he’s a semifinalist at the U.S. Amateur. It was an amazing, amazing shot and it showed me how much skill he had and how much confidence he carried, and I was just really impressed with that shot in particular. He did a lot of great things, had great shots, great putts. He had an opportunity to close it out that day on 17, but he missed the putt and they (eventually) went to extra holes.”
Note: Carlson lost to the eventual champion, Curtis Luck of Australia, ranked No. 7 amateur in the world at the time.
Q: Any golf rituals?
A: “I mark my ball with a smiley face. When I put it down on the tee, I point the smiley face to me as a message to enjoy the game.”
Q: Any golf pet peeves?
A: “I don’t like to play with people who take forever to hit the ball. Because normally people who take forever to hit a ball, don’t hit it well. If I’m playing and I don’t play well, I pick up. If for example I’m not on the green and taking my chance at a bogey putt or something like that, then I’m picking up. I’m out, I’m taking my limit and moving on. I just believe you’ve got to keep it moving. The game of golf is something to enjoy, and I don’t enjoy being out there forever...”
