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Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
(article posted by Lauren Brightmore, Student Sports Information Assistant)
Apr. 11, 2011 - Nick Guido sees nothing but fairways and greens in his future. The North Central College senior strives to make it to the NCAA Division III Golf Championships in his final season for the Cardinals. The finance and economics major has done the math, and if he continues to perform well, his dream may just become a reality.
Putting the work in early, Guido began his fall season smoothly, winning the Carthage College Fall Invitational out of a field of 96 athletes. His success continued when he finished runner-up at the Millikin University Fall Classic, shooting a 147 for the 36-hole event. For the season, Guido placed in the top five for three of the five total tournaments.
Now that winter has thawed, Guido has turned up the heat for this spring season. At the Arizona Christian University Spring Roundup, he finished sixth with a 78, defying the desert. Coming back home, Guido continued to focus on the task ahead, finishing third at the Illinois Wesleyan University tournament with a two-round score of 148. And this past weekend, as a tune-up for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championships, he finished fifth overall at the Augustana College Invitational.
Get to Know Nick Guido
Q: What was it like to take third place at Illinois Wesleyan University's 36-hole event, held at Ironwood Golf Course?
A: As a team we did not do as well as we wanted, but it was a good start to the season. Individually, I felt that it was a good beginning point since my season goal is to go to nationals. Since it's really hard to qualify as an individual, I need to place well in all these tournaments. Our main goal is to get the team to nationals though, first and foremost. There are only five bids for each region, and you basically have to send in a resume of your golf results for the year.
Q: Other than the weather, is there a difference playing in the fall versus the spring?
A: There is a small difference between the two. During the fall season, everyone gets warmed up and we're able to place where everyone is on our team, seeing who could be the top five for conference and everything like that. Then, when it comes to our spring season, everyone gets more serious. The tournaments really start to count. We had our first tournament last weekend and now conference is in two weeks, so it goes really quick.
Q: Have you ever played any sports besides golf?
A: When I was younger I played basketball and soccer: sports that every kid goes through at some time. I tried football in middle school, but I didn't like that either.
Q: What are some of the memorable things you did on the team's spring break trip to Arizona?
A: We always have a good time going to the different stores and restaurants in the area. On this trip we visited Arizona State University which was a good experience, and allowed us to see what a NCAA Division I practice facility looks like. We played on different courses, thanks to the North Central alums that have country club memberships out there. It's a nice change, especially since it's pretty much all desert golf.
Q: Did anyone on the trip have a close encounter with a rattlesnake?
A: No, nobody yet.
Q: Do people usually follow you while you're playing the course?
A: No, not usually. If anything, it's just some parents and coaches. We're trying to get people to come to our events though, but golf takes a long time and you have to be quiet for a while, so that makes it harder to get people to come.
Q: How do you keep your game fresh and train through the winter?
A: Actually, we go to a dome in Oswego and the indoor facility at Cantigny in Wheaton. In the winter our training is more about getting in shape, working out, and keeping your body familiar with the golf swing. When you're in a dome, you don't get much feedback to see where the ball is really going. So during that time, it's more about the repetition of your swing.
Q: Out of all the golfers in the world, who would you play with in a foursome and why?
A: Phil Mickelson because he is my favorite golfer. Since I started playing golf, he's been the guy I've looked up to. Also I'd want to play with Ricky Fowler who has succeeded all by himself without a coach. And Jack Nicklaus because in my opinion, he is the best golfer to ever live.
Q: What is your favorite course to play?
A: I would say Cress Creek and White Eagle (Naperville, Ill.) are my two favorite courses. I play White Eagle a lot because my friend is a member there, and we play at Cress Creek all the time since it's our home course. They are really nice facilities.
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: I am actually going to get my MBA here at North Central and hopefully be an assistant coach for the golf team too.
Q: What is the most challenging part of majoring in finance and economics?
A: Finance comes easy for me since I've always been around people in the field. My uncle owns his own private wealth management firm, so he has helped me understand finance ever since high school. Understanding economics is the challenging part for me.
Q: Are you the best golfer in your family?
A: Yes, my dad actually taught me how golf when I was three. Ever since then I've just loved golf. He used to beat me all the time—not anymore though (laughs).
Q: What has head coach Lloyd Krumlauf done to help you develop as a golf player?
A: Coach Krumlauf actually got me back into golf. I originally went to Carthage College my freshman year, and I didn't like it. Everyone on the golf team was out for themselves, and there was really no team aspect to it. When I came to North Central, I found out that Coach Krumlauf was a former football and track and field coach. He's been at North Central and in Naperville for close to 40 years since he's graduated from the college. I just knew that he would keep everyone focused on being a team. Coach Krumlauf also does everything he can to get teaching professionals to help us with our swing.
Q: Do you have any special golf club head covers?
A: I recently bought a gopher.
Q: How are you able to refocus both physically and mentally if you have a bad day?
A: I know it is cliché, but you have to take one shot at a time. When playing in longer two-day tournaments, you really have to separate the days as if they were individual tournaments. So once you're finished with one day it doesn't really matter anymore, even if you shot the best round of your life. You still have to go back out the next day and shoot another good round. Whether I play poorly or well, I just forget about it and figure out how it all panned out afterwards.
Q: Do you have a favorite go-to-club that you favor?
A: Not really. I mean, I like hitting the driver more than other clubs because it goes further, but no, I don't really have a favorite.
Q: Who do you think will win the Masters this year?
A: Phil Mickelson
Q: To you, what does it mean to be a Cardinal?
A: I would say it's being part of a team. The one thing I liked about North Central when I came here, was that everyone is there to help you. We have a faculty member that comes out to all of our tournaments. We even have a bunch of alums, friends of Lloyd's that watch tournaments and make donations. I feel like North Central is just a place where everyone wants to help and see one another succeed. It's almost, for lack of a better term, like a big family.
