By When Bob Livingstone started his men’s golf coaching career at Long Beach State, Tiger Woods was still tearing up the amateur circuit and metal woods in golf tournaments were a rarity. The longtime Long Beach resident said that the times have changed. So much, in fact, that he has decided to step down from his position.
“You have to understand where your program fits in the bigger picture,” Livingstone said. “The game has changed so much. The difference between the big programs and small programs is dramatic, so I’ve decided that it was time to go.”
After 14 years at the helm, the LBSU grad-turned-head coach walked into the clubhouse one final time after capping off the season with an 8th place finish at the Big West Conference Championships. Livingstone inherited a fledgling program with a $10,000-$12,000 yearly budget in 1994, then led The Beach to a Big West Conference championship in 2004.
Prior to his hiring, Livingstone was the executive director at the Southern California PGA’s Junior Golf Association. One day, he received a phone call from then-athletic director Dave O’Brien about the vacant head coaching position. He said that he found the job attractive at the time because of LBSU’s newfound interest in the golf program.
“When LBSU dropped football, golf became a targeted sport,” he said.”There was going to be a real commitment to the program.”
Livingstone’s tenure, however, did not come without its share of controversy. He had received his share of criticism for his views on Title IX, a law enacted in 1972 to help increase funding for women’s collegiate athletics. Livingstone said he actually supports the good intentions of the initiative, but at the same time feels that it places a strain on funding for men’s athletics.
“The way it’s implemented is a real deterrent,” he said. “It’s a challenge to being competitive.”
Speaking on Livingstone’s retirement, current LBSU athletic director Vic Cegles praised the coach for his years of loyalty.
“I know I speak for our staff, alumni and the golf community in acknowledging him for the contributions that he has made to the university,” Cegles said.
Cegles added that Livingstone’s service to the program transcends recruiting, coaching and mentoring student athletes.
“[Livingstone] has provided dedicated leadership to our 49er Athletic Hall of Fame and numerous fundraising campaigns,” Cegles said.
Big West Conference championships and NCAA tournament berths aside, Livingstone’s crowning achievement as a coach may actually lie beyond what he helps his athletes accomplish on the links.
According to the NCAA website, the 49er men’s golf team is shooting well-above par in the classroom with an Academic Progress Rate score that consistently ranks within the 90th-100th percentile among NCAA Division I golf programs.
“I think we’ve had only one player over the last 14 years who exhausted his eligibility,” Livingstone said. “I tell my players, ‘You might make it [to the PGA], but if not, take advantage of the college education.'”
After retirement, Livingstone will have time to catch a few more PGA events. He said that he keeps tabs on former 49er golfers currently playing on the Tour such as Paul Goydos and John Mallinger. In fact, Livingstone attended LBSU with Goydos during the 1980s. Livingstone said that the camaraderie with fellow coaches and with his own players will be the aspects of the job that he will miss the most. He has even attended three weddings of his former players.
“I call many of [the coaches] my best friends,” he said. “I’ll also miss seeing the players get better, and the relationships that you build with these guys.”
Although relieving himself of his coaching duties, Livingstone said he does not plan to step aside from the game anytime soon. He said he looks forward to working as a rules official at local golf tournaments.
“Every job I’ve ever had was related to golf,” he said. “It’s been part of me since I was 13, and it always will be.”
