GolfNewsRI

Rhode Island golf great Bobby Leopold has been named the next head coach of the Bishop Hendricken golf team. 

“When I was younger I always wanted to give back, be a teacher, but that never came to fruition. Now that I’m in that position, it’s nice to be able to give back,  go out there with the boys and show em some things that I have learned over the years,” Leopold told GolfNewsRI.

He succeeds Rick Angeli, who left the program after ten seasons to be an assistant golf coach Bryant University. The Rhode Island high school golf season begins in early April. 

“I was kinda shocked, not going to lie. When Rick and I spoke about coming on as an assistant I felt it was a good starting point, good person to learn from. Hoping I would get another year or so of learning from him, so I was surprised when he told me a month ago he was going to move on to Bryant. He’s a really good coach, he is invested, he is really good with them,” said Leopold.

The Hawks finished second to La Salle last season after winning the state title in 2021 with Leopold serving as an assistant coach.

“We have a really good group of boys at Hendricken. They seemed pretty excited when they found out I was going to be the head coach,” Leopold added.

The Rhode Island high school golf season begins in early April. 

Leopold’s Amateur Career 

Leopold is among the greatest amateur golfers in the history of the state. 

He has won three Rhode Island Amateur titles, his most recent one coming in 2021. 

He has also qualified for multiple U.S. Amateur Championships, U.S. Four-Ball Championships with brother-in-law Tyler Cooke, and even played in the famous George Coleman Invitational at Seminole Golf Club in 2022. 

With all his accomplishments, Leopold now begins a new chapter of his legendary career. 

“My message to the team was don’t worry about what I’ve done, or what I’ve achieved. I told them when I was 13, I had a handicap of 25. I wasn’t good at their age, I was probably worse then they are right now.,” Leopold said. 

He adds, “Managing the kids the right way is always a challenge, I know what it is like when you are a teenager, it was a long time ago, but it doesn’t seem like it. There are a lot of other things going on more important than golf. School, girlfriend issues, friends. It’s just about getting them to focus for a few hours. At the end of the day, being part of the golf team is a huge thing, but they are also growing as an individual.”

Leopold is off to Florida this upcoming week to play in the Gasparilla Invitational, where he finished second in 2022.

After that, focus will surely shift to the Hawks.