Trojans Locke in new golf coach
CALGARY, ALTA., (Aug. 12, 2022) – Eric Locke has been there, done that.
The SAIT Trojans named the 3-time Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian and National Championship winner as the new co-head coach of their golf program for the 2022 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) season.
"It worked out pretty organically, actually. I expressed interest in coaching to my wife a while ago and two days later, (co-head coach Stephen Yanitski) texted me out of the blue to see if I wanted to talk about SAIT," said Locke, who currently works as a teaching professional at Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club. "It's always something I wanted to get into no matter the level, so it worked out nicely."
Yanitski has served as the squad's lone head coach for the past three years but will transition to a managerial role following the completion of the season.
Locke grew up on the links in Digby, N.S., but ended up at Holland College in Charlottetown, PEI, where he played for the golf team and pursued a diploma in Professional Golf Management. While teeing it up for the Hurricanes, Locke earned CCAA All-Canadian nods in three-straight seasons (2012-14) and helped the program capture their first men's team national title (2014).
SAIT's men's team returned to the national championship in 2021 for the first time since the program was revived in 2018. At the event hosted by St. Clair College in Windsor, Ont., the team finished 10th.
"It wasn't necessarily a draw, but it definitely adds to the comfort level," Locke said when asked about coaching at the same level he once starred in. "I understand how it works. I've been there… My biggest fear is going into something with no clue what I am doing. But with this, I have a solid base to work off going forward with our men's and women's teams, and hopefully good things come from it."
The sentiment of 'those who can, do; those who can't, teach' does not apply to Locke. Since moving west in 2015, he has captured 9 PGA of Alberta titles – most recently the organization's sixth installment of the Golf Supply House Series earlier this week in Edmonton.
"Eric has accomplished a lot in his playing career, both as a student-athlete and now as a professional, so we are very excited to have him work with our Trojans in the search for success on the provincial and national stage," said SAIT's Director of Athletics and Recreation, Wade Kolmel. "Coach Yanitski has put in a lot of time and effort to get our program to a very good place, and the two of them working together should elevate it to another level. We look forward to what the future holds."
The SAIT Trojans golf schedule begins on the weekend of Sept. 10 when the team will head north to Lac La Biche, Alta., to compete in the ACAC North Regional, hosted by Portage College.
The ACAC Championships will go two weeks later in Edmonton at RedTail Landing Golf Club where SAIT's men's and women's teams will try to qualify for the CCAA National Championships set for Oct. 17-21 in Ajax, Ont., and hosted by Durham College.