Mattapoisett Bay Club Golf Pro on par with basketball greats

At Mattapoisett’s Bay Club, Head Golf Professional Greg Yeomans may be known for his swing, but he’s also played basketball with the some of the league’s stars.

“I’ve always been a basketball player.  By my junior year of high school, I knew I wanted to be in the golf business. I just didn’t know in what capacity,” said Yeomans.

Toward that goal he joined the University of Connecticut’s golf team, where he was a captain for three years and also set a few records.

“I won six individual tournaments and finished second six other times,” he said. “That’s my little claim to fame.”

But Yeomans, who graduated in 1995, had another brush with fame while at UConn.

A coach from the women’s basketball team asked him to practice against the team.

Getting to hangout with a bunch of co-eds was a no-brainer.

“I said, ‘Of course.’ It wasn’t a hard decision to make,” he said.

A coach from the men’s team saw Yeomans playing and asked him to consider walking on the court.

“I remember this like it was yesterday,” said Yeomans, who had a few sleepless nights before his first practice on the nationally ranked team.

He stepped onto the court with his knees knocking, but Donny Marshall, who went on to play in the NBA and is now a commentator for Comcast SportsNet, quickly extended a hand to the golfing basketballer.

“After that I felt pretty comfortable,”  said Yeomans.

During his year on the team, which finished in the Elite Eight, Yeomans also got to know NBA star Ray Allen.

“I’ll take a little of the credit of introducing him to golf,” said Yeomans, who still hits the links with Allen.

Now 18 years after graduating from UConn, Yeoman’s said he wouldn’t mind being a college basketball coach, but “this work here at the Bay Club is my dream job. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Yeomans, a Marion resident, has remained competitive in the golf field and has won the Cape Cod PGA’s Wessner Player of the Year Award three years running.

“I’m currently in second place with five events left. I’m gearing up my fall game to see if I can make it four in a row,” he said.

Still, Yeomans hasn’t left the game behind.

When golfers go indoors for the season, Yeomans trades his clubs for the court, playing a few games a week.

He’s also committed to helping local kids learn the basics of the game in a fun environment.

A father of three, Yeomans has helped organize and coach basketball teams in the area, including a travel team with the Cape Cod Youth Basketball League and most recently a team with the Mattapoisett Recreation Committee.

“It works perfectly for the schedule here,” he said.

“I can become a coach and volunteer a little bit. I want the kids to have fun first, and make sure they’re getting the proper coaching so they can develop the skills.”