The first-ever female golfer at Temple High School and once a member of the PGA, Ralston found her opportunity when coach Aaron Rodeffer resigned in May to take over as men’s golf coach at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
With support from her 15-year-old daughter McKenzie, a sophomore on Temple’s golf squad, her husband, Jack, and 12-year-old seventh-grade daughter McKenna, Ralston decided to pursue the opening.
Pending approval by the Temple ISD school board at Monday’s meeting, Ralston will be hired as the new boys and girls golf coach.
“We just enjoyed being with him (Aaron) and being in the program,” said Ralston, a 1979 Temple graduate who will also be a teacher in special education. “I was very involved with the golf team as a mom. I went to all the tournaments as a mom cheering on the team.
“When I heard that Aaron was stepping down, in the back of my mind I said it was an opportunity to get back into golf.”
Ralston will replace Rodeffer, who spent the last five years as Temple’s boys coach and the last two as boys and girls coach.
“We were looking for someone to build on what Aaron established in our program,” Temple athletic coordinator Steve Prentiss said. “Her résumé kept coming to the top. She knows our kids, our community. We just felt she would be the best candidate to keep our program headed in the right direction.”
Ralston graduated from Lamar in 1985 and became a PGA member in 1986. She turned professional that year and worked as an assistant at Horseshoe Bay Resort near Austin.
She then played on the Futures Tour for three years before returning to Horseshoe Bay. She became heavily involved in teaching, including a stint at her alma mater.
From 1993-2000, she served as the first assistant golf professional at Wildflower Country Club and was elected to the PGA as a Class Member in 1995.
Then in 2000, Ralston sought more freedom and decided to get out of the golfing business altogether.
But when the Temple job opened up, Ralston suddenly found the teaching itch she enjoyed for so long and realized she needed to return.
“This is a way I could get back into golf, give back to the kids and help every one of them,” said Ralston, whose daughter McKenzie advanced to the Class 5A Region II Tournament as a freshman and tied for 21st place.
“When the position came open, I took it as an opportunity to be with all the kids and get back into golf and teaching it with the team."
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
