Arkansas men’s and women’s golf has added Martina Gavier as a member of the staff in September 2023 and serves as the Director of Golf Operations and assistan coach. The former Symetra Tour player and decorated collegiate golfer has over seven years of coaching experience, hailing from Córdoba, Argentina.
“I am very honored Brad [McMakin] and Shauna [Taylor] considered me for this position and are giving me this amazing opportunity,” Gavier said. “I am grateful they appreciated my dedication and hard work in junior golf all these years and saw me as a good fit to help serve their golf teams. My biggest passion has always been working with young golfers and helping them unlock and fulfill their potential. I’m very excited I’ll get to do this at the collegiate level now with the amazingly talented and committed young adults we have on both the men’s and women’s teams at the University of Arkansas.”
Gavier will have coaching responsibilities with the nationally ranked men’s and women’s programs and will also take charge of the day-to-day operational duties, which include scheduling, travel plans, academic progress and administrative assistance, among other duties.
“Martina will be a great asset to both the men’s and women’s golf program,” Razorback head men’s coach Brad McMakin said. “Her background as a collegiate and professional golfer and her time as an instructor, as well as her previous work experience makes her a perfect fit for this new role that includes administrative duties combined with coaching ability.”
“We are excited to finally have Martina join our golf staff,” Razorback head women’s coach Shauna Taylor said. “I have known Martina for several years and I know she will come right in and have an immediate positive impact on both teams. Her passion for golf and her eagerness to help us achieve our goals will pay dividends as we start our season. Martina has an extensive golf background, and it excites me to see what she will bring to both of our teams on and off the golf course!”
Over the last year, Gavier has served as a golf professional at Lomas de la Carolina Golf and Country Club in Córdoba, where she developed junior programs and gave private lessons to amateur golfers at various levels. Gavier has also served as the owner and manager of the Martina Gavier Sport Ventures since December 2020, in which she provided college placement services for junior golfers and soccer players interested in going to the U.S. for college athletics.
Gavier was the head coach at the Junior Program Córdoba Province Golf Federation for three years, where she developed and carried out training programs for top-ranked juniors in the strongest federation in the country, including current Razorback Manuel Lozada and former Hog Segundo Oliva Pinto. She worked closely with the coaching staff at the Argentina Golf Association Elite Performance School and was actively involved in the development of junior golfers.
In her hometown of Córdoba, Gavier helped launch Campra Golf Academy. She gave thousands of lessons to players of all levels and took the lead on developing an elite junior program. Early on in her coaching career, she worked as an assistant coach at the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy in Orlando, Florida.
The Argentinean first came to the U.S. to play collegiate golf at Kent State University. Gavier was inducted into the Kent State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017 after a storied career, where she was tabbed the MAC Golfer of the Year for two consecutive seasons in 2010 and 2011, won the MAC Championship individual medalist and NCAA DI Central Regional Individual Championship in 2010, as well as earned 20 top 10 finishes in 45 events played during her collegiate career. During her four-year career, Gavier led the Golden Flashes to four consecutive MAC Team Championships. A stellar student, Gavier was a four-time National Golf Coaches Association All-Scholar Team recipient, two-time Academic All-MAC Team honoree and earned a spot on the Dean’s List six times.
Following her collegiate playing career, Gavier went on to play three years on the Symetra Tour. Gavier earned four top 10 finishes and 13 top 40 showings and was the 50th ranked player on the 2013 Official Money List.
Gavier graduated from Kent State with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations in 2011.
