Taking to the green
UWM basketball coach Rob Jeter got hooked on golf
he Bo Ryan-Rob Jeter connection
has been well documented. Jeter,
Jeter, who grew up in Chicago, played
for Ryan at UW-Platteville (1987-91) and
later served as an assistant coach under Ryan
for 10 seasons at UW-Milwaukee and
UW-Madison.
But here’s a little known fact: Ryan
taught Jeter the game of golf, too.
“I took a golf class with Coach Ryan,”
Jeter said. “My first time playing golf was
in Platteville, Wis., in Bo Ryan’s golf class.”
When asked if he considered Ryan a
mentor in golf and basketball, Jeter
backpedalled a bit.
“If you ever saw (Ryan’s) swing, I don’t
know if I’d want him to be my mentor,”
Jeter said with a laugh. “He can play, but
his golf swing isn’t the prettiest.”
Jeter had another sports role model
during his formative years. His dad Bob
Jeter spent 11 seasons in the National
Football League with the Green Bay Packers
and Chicago Bears and two seasons
T
before that in the Canadian Football
League. Bob Jeter is a member of the
Packers Hall of Fame.
Bob Jeter retired from football in 1973
when Rob was a few years old, so he has no
recollections of his dad’s pro career. But
he remembers sitting by his father’s side
watching golf on television – and considering the activity something close to punishment for a kid who didn’t appreciate
the game. Later, once Rob had picked up
golf, father and son played often together.
Jeter wishes he could play more often,
but he said summertime for a basketball
coach falls into a familiar pattern not always
conducive to golf. June is the month for
basketball camps. July is a key recruiting
period, although he fits in a golf outing
that helps support the UWM basketball
program. That leaves May for golf, if the
weather is good, and August.
Jeter said he’s taking the game more seriously now than he used to, and he
recently began taking lessons. Like many
athletes who honed their talents in other
sports, Jeter is hooked on the capricious
nature of the game. There’s no overpowering
the game of golf with pure athleticism like
Rob JETER
TREVOR THOMPSON
a top player can on the hardwood.
“It’s a challenging sport,” he said, “and
there are days you can be really good at
it, and there are days you can be really
bad at it. And sometimes that’s all in the
same round.”
Jeter has a 15. 9 handicap index at North
Shore CC in Mequon. He and his wife
Deanna, who also plays, are passing golf
on to their children. The couple has two
sons and an infant daughter, and
apparently his sons don’t view golf as
punishment like he once did.
