JENNY MURDOCK LOOKS BACK ON HER LIFE SPENT ON THE GOLF COURSE AS SHE EMBARKS ON HER COACHING CAREER AT SECOND BAPTIST SCHOOL WITH AN INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE.
"I wish I would have enjoyed it more," she said. "I wish I didn't take it so seriously. My dad took it extremely seriously. I was always a grinder, and he really pushed me. It led me to tremendous success. I see some younger players with that look in their eyes. They have enormous pressure on them at an early age. I want to make sure those kids, and all of my players, have fun on the golf course."
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Murdock was wildly successful at Westwood High School in Austin. She led her team to a state title as a senior and won every tournament she played that year. She also met her husband at Westwood – Mark Murdock. Both would play their respective sports at the University of Texas. Mark was the quarterback for the Longhorns and Jenny led the golf team, who won the Southwestern Conference her senior year. She won that tourney as an individual.
"Mark would work so hard at two-a-days going into the football season," she laughed. "He'd work hard all day, while I was going to Hawaii to play a golf tournament. He always thought he picked the wrong sport!"
"My most memorable moment was qualifying for the U.S. Open while I was in college," she continued. "It was at Oakmont and I wasn't ready for it, but it was a blast. There were big crowds and my dad caddied for me."
Jenny played a few years in the LPGA before starting a family. She has three sons, Mark, Drew and Turner. Mark and Drew played multiple sports at Stratford High School and Turner will be a freshman at Second Baptist School.
"We wanted Turner to have a different path," she said. "We decided that SBS would be the place we would send Turner. We loved the combination of a commitment to excellence and a Christ-centered atmosphere.
Fate would have it that SBS was looking for a golf coach." She interviewed for the position and got the job as the varsity golf coach.
"I had been the touring pro at The Woodlands and had done some teaching, but nothing like this," she said. "It's really exciting. The men won state last year, but several graduated so we will rebuild this year."
She sees herself in many of the players on her team.
"I'm a very competitive person," she said. "But I have a different perspective after being a mom to my three sons. I've seen it all and am just more laid back now. All kids are different. Some are very competitive and love the sport, some start too early and get burned out. Some don't love tournament golf and posting a score at the end of their round. You can learn so much from the sport and I'm just trying to nurture that while having fun doing it."