North Carolina State University Athletics
Where They Are Now - Fran Wilkerson
9/12/2017 10:34:00 AM | Women's Golf
GoPack.com recently caught up with former women's golf head coach Fran (formerly Allen) Wilkerson with what life has been like since her coaching days at NC State.
Wilkerson served as the head coach from the fall of 1983 to the spring of 1986, when the program was brought to a halt before being revived in 2000. She now dedicates her time to Wil-Mar Golf Club – a family owned and operated business in Raleigh. While running the business with her brother on a day-to-day basis, she's also a certified teaching professional at the club.
As a former athlete and having been around collegiate athletics for so long, it was her passion that steered her toward a coaching job at NC State.
"I always loved being around athletics," Wilkerson said. "I loved being around and associated with a university, and NC State was an excellent one to be associated with. I did the job for three years and just loved every minute of it. It was a lot of fun.
"I had been involved in women's athletics in the past, and when the opportunity became available Richard Sykes suggested me for the job. I ended up getting it and I loved it, but it did take up a lot of my time and with my other responsibilities at the family business."
She graduated from Appalachian State with a degree in health and physical education in 1976, and received her Master's in physical education from Georgia in 1978. Prior to returning to Raleigh in the summer of 1981, Wilkerson served as the volleyball coach and assistant basketball coach at Berry College for three years. She was also an assistant basketball coach at Alabama in the '81 season.
The realm of collegiate athletics has changed dramatically over the last several decades, as Wilkerson gave insight to what it was like as a head golf coach in the 1980s.
"The college level program at the time only consisted of the four big schools in North Carolina. They were the only schools that even had women's golf at the time in the ACC. They called my job full-time but it certainly was not, it was only full-time as far as pay scale. It was very much a supplementary type of job because I already had my full-time job at Wil-Mar with the family business," she mentioned.
She's observed the expansion of NC State golf to what it is today with the state-of-the-art facilities and tools needed for student-athletes to excel in the classroom and on the course.
"In the three years I was coaching we had several local courses in the area that were generous enough to let us practice there – MacGregor Downs, Bentwinds, Wake Forest, Wil-Mar of course and eventually Lochmere when it opened. We didn't have a "home course" like Lonnie Poole serves as now. Not to mention the short game facility at the University Club is fantastic. Everything in athletics has changed so much, and I was lucky enough to be a part of and witness to that.
"The scholarships, recruiting process and resources that are available to athletes now is so different. When I was coaching scholarships were available but the process to recruit golf players has grown. There's so much great competition now which is what makes coaching a full-time job now days."
(L to R) 1983-94 and 1984-45 NC State women's golf teams
While playing golf every chance she gets, the Raleigh native has enjoyed seeing the growth and development of Wil-Mar since her return to Raleigh in 1981 as the next generation of her family has begun to play a helping hand.
"In the past five years or so our children are now running the business with me and my brother. His son is our director of golf and my son handles our finances, so we now have the third generation running the business. It's been really fun to convert the golf course into a modern golf facility compared to the humble beginnings that it started with."
The course, which was converted from tobacco fields, opened its doors in 1961 by her father, Bill, as a nine-hole course. In 1975 Wil-Mar became an 18-hole course under the management of her brother, and Wilkerson returned to Raleigh in 1981 to help run the operation.
While finding fulfillment in running Wil-Mar from an administrative standpoint, she also enjoys creating relationships with customers as well as a fun environment that they'll want to come back to over and over.
"The best part about my job is the people. We have the chance to see people that are coming to our business to recreate and have a good time, and the relationships that we've built over the years have been fantastic. I've taught lessons to people from every walk of life and it's so much fun to stay in contact with them and get to know them. The contact we get to have with the general public is fantastic."
Wilkerson served as the head coach from the fall of 1983 to the spring of 1986, when the program was brought to a halt before being revived in 2000. She now dedicates her time to Wil-Mar Golf Club – a family owned and operated business in Raleigh. While running the business with her brother on a day-to-day basis, she's also a certified teaching professional at the club.
As a former athlete and having been around collegiate athletics for so long, it was her passion that steered her toward a coaching job at NC State.
"I always loved being around athletics," Wilkerson said. "I loved being around and associated with a university, and NC State was an excellent one to be associated with. I did the job for three years and just loved every minute of it. It was a lot of fun.
"I had been involved in women's athletics in the past, and when the opportunity became available Richard Sykes suggested me for the job. I ended up getting it and I loved it, but it did take up a lot of my time and with my other responsibilities at the family business."
She graduated from Appalachian State with a degree in health and physical education in 1976, and received her Master's in physical education from Georgia in 1978. Prior to returning to Raleigh in the summer of 1981, Wilkerson served as the volleyball coach and assistant basketball coach at Berry College for three years. She was also an assistant basketball coach at Alabama in the '81 season.
The realm of collegiate athletics has changed dramatically over the last several decades, as Wilkerson gave insight to what it was like as a head golf coach in the 1980s.
"The college level program at the time only consisted of the four big schools in North Carolina. They were the only schools that even had women's golf at the time in the ACC. They called my job full-time but it certainly was not, it was only full-time as far as pay scale. It was very much a supplementary type of job because I already had my full-time job at Wil-Mar with the family business," she mentioned.
She's observed the expansion of NC State golf to what it is today with the state-of-the-art facilities and tools needed for student-athletes to excel in the classroom and on the course.
"In the three years I was coaching we had several local courses in the area that were generous enough to let us practice there – MacGregor Downs, Bentwinds, Wake Forest, Wil-Mar of course and eventually Lochmere when it opened. We didn't have a "home course" like Lonnie Poole serves as now. Not to mention the short game facility at the University Club is fantastic. Everything in athletics has changed so much, and I was lucky enough to be a part of and witness to that.
"The scholarships, recruiting process and resources that are available to athletes now is so different. When I was coaching scholarships were available but the process to recruit golf players has grown. There's so much great competition now which is what makes coaching a full-time job now days."
(L to R) 1983-94 and 1984-45 NC State women's golf teams
While playing golf every chance she gets, the Raleigh native has enjoyed seeing the growth and development of Wil-Mar since her return to Raleigh in 1981 as the next generation of her family has begun to play a helping hand.
"In the past five years or so our children are now running the business with me and my brother. His son is our director of golf and my son handles our finances, so we now have the third generation running the business. It's been really fun to convert the golf course into a modern golf facility compared to the humble beginnings that it started with."
The course, which was converted from tobacco fields, opened its doors in 1961 by her father, Bill, as a nine-hole course. In 1975 Wil-Mar became an 18-hole course under the management of her brother, and Wilkerson returned to Raleigh in 1981 to help run the operation.
While finding fulfillment in running Wil-Mar from an administrative standpoint, she also enjoys creating relationships with customers as well as a fun environment that they'll want to come back to over and over.
"The best part about my job is the people. We have the chance to see people that are coming to our business to recreate and have a good time, and the relationships that we've built over the years have been fantastic. I've taught lessons to people from every walk of life and it's so much fun to stay in contact with them and get to know them. The contact we get to have with the general public is fantastic."
Marie Madsen NCAA Regional Interview
Thursday, May 08
Coach Page Marsh Announces Her Retirement
Wednesday, January 10
Page Marsh Announces Retirement
Wednesday, January 10
WGOLF Mexico Connection Feature
Thursday, February 03