Report reveals Hugh Freeze's golfing numbers compared to four other SEC coaches

The offseason allows college football coaches to bring their guard down a bit. Especially in the summer months, when there are not many actual football-related activities ongoing. Yes, recruiting is as important as anything, but June and July are when some relaxation can take place.

Everyone has different ways of spending time and one of the more popular hobbies has to be playing golf. So what AL.com did is find out the GHIN handicaps of coaches from around the SEC, figuring out who is playing the most golf this year. It should be noted that GHIN is an app people must register for through a public or private course, meaning they may not even be signed up to possess an official handicap.

Turns out, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze is playing significantly more than his peers. In the month of June alone, Freeze got on the course 10 times, AL.com found. They also say he has recorded more than 20 rounds throughout the calendar year already, showing a handicap of 7.4.

AL.com then broke down four other coaches, all of whom are sitting behind Freeze when it comes to recent golf outings. South Carolina‘s Shane Beamer came up in second place, having three recorded GHIN scores in June. A handicap of 11 is not too shabby, scoring in the 80s on a couple of occasions.

Mark Stoops is one of the “most prolific score-posters,” according to the report. However, entries have slowed down in recent times for Stoops. AL.com says his most recent score was inserted in May and the Kentucky head coach has not played since summer officially started.

Attention was then turned to two of the SEC’s most high-profile coaches, Kalen DeBoer and Kirby Smart. Neither one of them is pulling out the golf bag too often these days. DeBoer only has six recorded rounds thus far in 2025, while Smart is sitting at zero. However, Smart (and DeBoer) did participate in the recent Regions Tradition Pro-Am in Birmingham. DeBoer’s handicap of 20.4 and Smart’s 12.6 might be equal to each coach’s scoring defense goal entering the season.

Before we know it, the time for golf will be over. Teams will soon head to Atlanta for SEC Media Days, which is the unofficial start to football season. The last weekend in August will sneak up on everyone as well, where all five head coaches have important early portions of the schedule to deal with.