“The biggest reason for our success is just the guys really acting like professionals on and off the golf course,” states Assistant Coach Michael Schaloum. 

“Last year we were kind of playing with house money and it just felt good to be at regionals. It was the first time and it was a great experience. But this year we're coming back with a little bit of a vengeance. We believe that we're one of the best mid-major programs in the country. 

In the 2023-24 campaign, GCU stepped up again, winning two regular season tournaments and finishing fourth or better in seven of their 10 events. They then successfully defended the Western Athletic Conference Championship they won for the first time in program history last season.

“We believe that we're going to be top-50 next year for sure and that we’ll continue to build and make multiple national appearances,” Schaloum continues. “This is a group of guys that can do it, for sure. When we're firing, it's a tough team to beat.”

Michael Schaloum is a young coach going places, just like the team he works with. The GCU alum began his collegiate career at the College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California where he led the Pacific Athletic Conference for two seasons, winning four tournaments. He was coached by the legendary coach Tony Manzoni, one of the founders of Callaway.

“I love the Clippd platform. You can't argue with the data”

Schaloum majored in finance and economics so it is perhaps unsurprising that he’s such a big believer in a data-based approach to player improvement. 

“Clippd is just perfect for us,” he says. “Instead of us telling the players, ‘Hey, this is what we've observed and where you might need to put in some work’, they can see it themselves. It's a lot more powerful when they have that ownership. 

“I love the Clippd platform,” he adds. “I like how we can compare ourselves to PGA Tour averages or to the top college players. It's just right there in front of you and you can't really argue with the data.”

The GCU men’s roster includes players with the same belief that data can give them an edge. “Pretty much everybody on tour is looking at it, so it's probably a decent idea that we're doing the same thing,” says their coach. “These guys want to play at the highest level and success leaves clues. Following those patterns is not a bad plan.”

The approach appears to be working. In his first three years, Schaloum has helped to guide the Arizona-based team to six wins, their first regional appearance, and highest ranking in program history by 30 spots.

“Shot Quality takes in more factors than traditional Strokes Gained. To me, that's the biggest benefit”

The 28-year-old admits to being a sponge for knowledge and new ideas, and draws on experience that ranges from coaching players of widely different abilities to caddying for Min Woo Lee and Cameron Davis, who he spent a summer playing with at Sahalee CC.

Schaloum believes that Clippd’s “gamification” of the data has been instrumental in getting his players to lean in. “Shot Quality is a great example,” he explains. “It gives them something where they can see direct correlation between not just PGA tour average but Division 1 average. There are different benchmarks there. The other thing is Shot Quality takes in more factors than traditional Strokes Gained. To me, that's the biggest benefit.”

In addition to having a strong group of players with the right attitude, he gives great credit to GCU Head Coach Mark Mueller and the support that the university has shown the program. Mueller has long been an advocate of paying extra attention to his players’ short games — a belief that has been born out by the Clippd data.

“Clippd shows that it’s the biggest gap between an average Division I player and the top Division I players,” says his No.2. “That's where the low-hanging fruit is. I think part of the reason we've had a lot of success is these guys were really working on the short game.”

The What To Work On feature in Clippd has helped the GCU men’s team to pick off their low hanging fruit this season. None more so than Italian senior Tommaso Zorzetto, who claimed his first individual tournament win in the regular season and was narrowly pipped for a second.

“His freshman year he averaged three over par,” Schaloum explains. “His sophomore year he didn't make the lineup. He's always been very talented, it's always been there inside of him. He’s a great ball striker but it was mental game and short game that held him back. 

“Over the last year and a half, his chipping has gotten night and day better. So has his mental game. His improvements have been truly remarkable. It’s probably one of the biggest improvements in college golf this year.”

Zorzetto set a new GCU record for single season scoring average. As Schaloum says, the numbers don’t lie: “He's officially the best player in GCU golf history.”

Mueller and Schaloum use Clippd’s What To Work On to tailor practice to the individual. He maintains it helps his players to build on their strengths and ensure that those strengths are “really firing on all cylinders”, especially useful when there are only a few days between tournaments. 

"Instead of just working on your weaknesses, it’s also very important to keep the best parts of your game in good shape," Schaloum explains. "Clippd’s Importance to Scoring feature highlights how you can improve most efficiently. If you can be really confident in one area of your game and you know that that's going well, then you're probably going to have a good week.”

When asked whether he feels Clippd has contributed to GCU’s success this season, Schaloum doesn’t hesitate. 

“It definitely has. The balancing act in college golf is it's a team sport but it's an individual game. A lot of our one-on-one meetings are really figuring out the right course of action for each individual player. You try to avoid a cookie cutter approach where all the guys are working on the same things.

“That's another great thing about Clippd, it breaks it down for each player, and then we can set up a good game plan for that individual.”

Watch out for Grand Canyon University men’s team. Their first National Collegiate Golf Rankings position on Scoreboard powered by Clippd was 104. They’re currently up to 66. Don’t bet against them going significantly higher.