Alan Fowler

Men's Golf

'Where Are They Now Wednesday' - Alan Fowler

Our student-athletes are what make Georgia State so special. Our 'Where Are They Now Wednesday' segments feature former student-athletes from across all of our sports and not only look back on their accomplishments, but where they are now.

Alan Fowler got to play with some of the best players in Georgia State history while putting together a solid collegiate career for himself that included finishing in the top 20 at four-straight conference championships. During his junior season he earned a pair of fourth-place finishes including one at the Samford Intercollegiate where he shot a 64, a round that is still tied for the third-lowest round in program history. Following his playing days he has remained closed to the Panther program most recently working with business partner and former teammate Stephen Oakey on several projects for the athletic department including the hugely successful 'This is Our City' campaign and the 10-year football anniversary documentary.

Talk a little bit about what you have been up to the last 10 years since finishing up at Georgia State (work, sports, family, travel)
Well after college (and after traveling through Europe with Tommy Caswell) I tried to play professionally for about one year while also starting a business which provided instruction and services for up and coming junior golfers hoping to play collegiately. I eventually gave up the professional aspirations and worked on the junior golf business until about 2015 when I joined up with former teammate Stephen Oakey as he was transitioning his business from film/production into more of the broad based marketing services industry. Stephen and I have been working together ever since, steadily growing the business and always learning as we go. We have been fortunate enough to do quite bit of work in the sports world, particularly collegiate athletics, including GSU. It's been great to stay connected with sports while also getting to apply my creative attributes into the work we do. 
 
How did your experience at GSU help you get to where you are now?
My time at GSU will always be a foundational piece in my life. The connections and camaraderie with former teammates as well as so many people within athletics helped shape who I am, and the people I met on campus and through the university were/are so influential in what they taught me as a person. GSU always gave me a sense of belonging, and still does to this day. More than the education and knowledge, it will always be the people (teachers, coaches, other students, etc.) and the life experience that sticks with me the most…I actually barely remember what I majored in (said with a smile of course)
 
You played alongside some of the best golfers in program history and had a nice run yourself. Talk about playing with those guys and how they helped your game and pushed to make you better.
I did play with some phenomenal players and I'll be honest it took some time to figure out how to learn from them rather than just watch them. I think most of my freshmen teammates got sucked into just watching Joel play during the 2007-08 season and we relied far too heavily on him while not getting better ourselves. For me personally, I really got settled in the summer going into my sophomore year and head coach Matt Clark helped me immensely in the off season with gaining confidence and figuring out what things I needed to work on. When head coach Joe Inman arrived, I felt like I was in a completely different place as a golfer and as a person and was ready to contribute to the team. We had a very solid team in 2008-09 and I certainly learned a lot from guys like Tom, Toby, and AJ while also being able to compete against them and try and beat them. That ability to compete in a healthy way with your teammates is crucial to the success of the team and success as individuals. 
 
What is one thing you would go back and tell your college self?
There are vocal leaders, and there are quiet leaders, neither is better than the other and we need both.
 
Is there a tournament or moment from your time that sticks out more than maybe some others?
People who are golfers like to ask who the best player I played with was and I tell them that, while still playing, I would've said Harris English who I played with quite a bit through junior and amateur golf, but retrospectively and watching careers evolve, it is Brooks Koepka. I played with him on the 36 hole day at UF my sophomore year (he was a freshman) and we started in the morning on the 5th hole which is probably the toughest hole on the course- longish kind of winding par 4 with some awkward angles and a fairway that gets pinched by some big oaks and a hazard all up the right. I hit a beautiful low cut driver off the tee and then a trap draw 4-iron approach shot inside 10 feet and made birdie. Brooks just pounded a 3 wood then probably an 8 iron in there to about 5 feet and also made birdie. Two very different ways to play a hole (with one having an obvious advantage) but it's all golf just the same. I think the story has merit for current players trying to get better to remind them to do what they do best and not try to mimic some other player's style or skillset. Take yourself to your own limits and then look around and see where that compares to everyone else. 
 
You came to Georgia State and started off by playing for Matt Clark before Joe Inman took over. Give us a couple of your best stories about playing for each of them.
They are certainly different (both in intensity and age, lol) but it was nice to have a couple of different perspectives and outlooks about the game. I remember Coach Clark blasting "Lose Yourself" by Eminem while we were all sitting in the team van of the parking lot at The Farm waiting to play our first tournament of the year in 2007, but I also remember his calm demeanor when walking the course with us, which particularly helped some of the freshmen I think. Coach Inman was much less interactive during tournament rounds but the insight he provided (from his own playing career) during practice rounds and after the rounds was top notch. However, don't ever let Coach Inman be in charge of navigation, or driving, or booking hotels…and don't ever ask him to stop and eat at Bojangles!
 
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