“The Head Coaching Chair Just Feels Different”
Giovana Maymon's first year as the Head Coach at the University of Arizona
Contrary to popular belief, being the Head Coach of a college golf program is a little more than just ordering gear and drinking coffee in a clubhouse. It’s a complex position of leadership where every decision—big or small—lands squarely on your shoulders. The ever-changing dynamics of ten to twelve young adults finding their way in the world through the most variable sport in existence makes for very few moments of tranquility.
“The Head Coaching chair just feels different,” Coach McGraw always used to tell me. I’ve heard him say it so many times over the years, but I never got to experience it for myself. The responsibilities of being a Head Coach are naturally greater, but how different-feeling is the chair, really?
As an Assistant Coach, I’ve spent years on the other side of the desk—the one where you have opinions but no final say, where parents don’t call you at all hours, and where you don’t have to look a recruit in the eye and tell them no. The one where you care deeply, invest every ounce of energy you have, but don’t carry the weight of every decision. Being a Head Coach is different—or so I’ve always been told.
If anyone can tell me, it’s my friend Giovana Maymon. She’s not just theorizing about the transition to Head Coach—she’s living it, navigating her first year at the helm of one of the most storied programs in women’s college golf.
The First Months: A New Reality
When Giovana took the Head Coach job at Arizona last summer, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. After three successful years as an Assistant at Texas A&M, she was now leading one of the most storied women’s golf programs in the country—a program that boasts multiple national championships and alumni like Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sörenstam.
What’s the first move when you take over a powerhouse program? Where do you even begin?
“The biggest adjustment is getting to know the team, the community, and how everything works at a new school,” she told me. “Every place is different, and as a Head Coach, you have to be intentional about understanding how things move, who the key people are, and what the culture has been before you arrived.”
She wasn’t rushing to put her stamp on the program but instead taking the time to understand its foundation first. She told me early actions included caddying for each player in qualifying, spending hours on Zoom getting to know them, and reaching out to former staff for their insight. Necessary steps to adapt, to earn trust, to bridge the gap between what Arizona golf was and what she wanted it to become.
Adapting must be both exhilarating and challenging—trying to honor the past while simultaneously building her own program. How does she process the pressure that comes with those expectations?
“It is always there, but I really try to focus on the now and the every day because that is all I can control.”
That mindset was tested immediately. The team won its first tournament under her leadership, and while it was an incredible moment, it also raised expectations.
“You win, and suddenly people expect that every time,” she said. “But in golf, even finishing top five can be a great week. That’s hard to explain to people who only look at results.”
She seems to have found a nice balance of having awareness of the legacy and using it to the team’s advantage rather than passing the weight of expectations to her players: “My girls already have pressure and expectations on themselves—I don’t need to add more.” Instead, she reframes success in terms of progress. “We try to get better every day. We really get into depth with each player and how to get better and see that more as a process.”
The Weight of Every Decision
As an Assistant, you have thoughts, opinions, even strong convictions. But when it comes down to it, you don’t make the call—you don’t carry the weight of being right or wrong. Not anymore for Giovana.
When you’re the one making the call, hesitation is a luxury you don’t have. “As a Head Coach, you have to be decisive because the consequences impact so many people,” Giovana said. “There’s no more passing ideas up the chain. You have to trust yourself. You ask yourself, ‘Is this the right call? What if I’m wrong?’ But at some point, you realize that waiting too long to decide is worse than making the wrong choice. You have to commit.”
As an Assistant, you can weigh in, make your case, then step back and let the Head Coach take the majority of the scrutiny. I imagine the contemplation and second-guessing of important decisions make it hard to mentally get away.
The Personal Toll: The Job That Never Turns Off
“I used to feel guilty if I took a day off, like I should always be working,” she told me. “Now I’m realizing that if I don’t take care of myself, I won’t be my best for my team.”
She doesn’t have a family to balance yet, and she loves what she does, but struggle turning things completely off.
“You never fully step away. Your mind is always on the team, what’s next, what you need to be doing.”
You finally sit down for a quiet dinner, determined to disconnect—then your phone buzzes. A player has a putting crisis. The facility lights are malfunctioning. A recruit just texted with an urgent question. The job follows you home, sneaks into your downtime, lingers in your mind when you try to sleep. Even when you step away, you don’t really step away. It’s an incredibly awesome and rewarding job, but balance? That’s a fantasy—especially for coaches with families.
What I hear from Giovana is that the Head Coaching chair does, in fact, feel different. Maybe Coach McGraw was onto something for once.
I think the hardest part for me would be shutting off my brain and making sure I don’t lose myself in the constant weight of decision-making. That side of the chair would definitely feel different.
But at its core, the job isn’t about budgets, schedules, or lineup choices—it’s about coaching. Giovana talks about caddying for players, spending time on zoom, connecting with past coaches - all in the name of coaching. It’s about seeing progress, building trust, and being a part of players’ journeys. That side of the chair, I hope, would still feel familiar.
Coach Maymon’s team wrapped up the Charles Schwab Women’s Collegiate yesterday at Colonial in Fort Worth, TX. They finished 5th in a stacked field - a very solid performance. Arizona has one more regular season event before they tee it up in Hockley, TX for the Big 12 Championship in the middle of April. They are currently ranked 20th in the Scoreboard by Clippd rankings.
Bets of luck this postseason, Wildcats!
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Easy and informative read; thanks, Mikkel.