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Mike Gowens in Hall of Fame

Golf coach has 7 State Championships, 3 Runners-up

The Purcell Register
Posted 1/23/25

Purcell Coaching Legend Mike Gowens was inducted into the Oklahoma Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame last weekend at the Shawnee Elks Golf and Country Club.

Also in the Class of 2025 were …

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Mike Gowens in Hall of Fame

Golf coach has 7 State Championships, 3 Runners-up

Posted

Purcell Coaching Legend Mike Gowens was inducted into the Oklahoma Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame last weekend at the Shawnee Elks Golf and Country Club.

Also in the Class of 2025 were Jack Hopkins, Vicki Huhges, John Kitchens and Rick Leath. It’s the association’s second class.

Gowens, who has seven State Championships and four State Runners-up titles as head coach, took over the coaching duties for the high school boys and girls in 2004.

That year Purcell Schools needed a coach for their boys and girls golf teams. Gowens had been giving lessons to several of the team members so he stepped in to help.

The girls’ golf team was crowned State Champions that year.

The girls went on to become the 2005 and 2006 State Champions and took State Runners-Up honors in 2007. Gowens continued to coach both teams and in 2008 the boys golf team was State Runners-Up.

In 2014, the Cinderella Lady Dragon Golf Team from Purcell beat out the returning champions when they surprised everyone and won the school’s fourth State Championship.

They went on to “Three-peat” and won the title again in 2015 and 2016.

The team rallied to take State Runners-Up in 2017, but came back as State Champions in 2018 and State Runners-Up in 2019, bringing the Lady Dragon Golf Program to a count of seven State Championships and three State Runners-Up.

Born and raised in Purcell, Gowens attended Purcell Schools from kindergarten through graduation in 1978.

In high school, Gowens played football for four years, basketball for two years and ran track for four years.

Coach Bob Haley was a coach, mentor, friend and was also Gowen’s Assistant Golf Coach for a few years and served on the Golf Board for the Purcell Golf Course.

After graduating from Purcell High School, Gowens accepted a scholarship to play college football for the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers in Alva.

When his final season of football was over, Gowens decided to try out for the NWOSU Golf Team and made it.

Gowens started working as a greenskeeper for the Brent Bruehl Memorial Golf Course. That job led to him becoming the Assistant Golf Pro under Professional Frankie Rinehart for the nine-hole course and in 1992, he was made the Head Golf Professional.

Mike went through the process to become a PGA Golf Professional and is a member of the South Central Section of the PGA of America.

After taking the Head Pro position, he was able to design and help build the additional holes when then Purcell Golf Course became an 18-hole course in 1995.

He also worked with the builder to design the layout of the new pro shop.

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