Longtime golf coach Kaczmarek dies
Joe Stippich will never forget the valuable lesson he learned from Lee Kaczmarek, his golf coach at Waukesha South High School.
The Blackshirts, a strong team, had easily won a quad meet at Chenequa Country Club. During the car ride home, Kaczmarek told his players in no uncertain terms that he was disappointed in them because they hadn’t played up to their potential.
“I said, ‘But Kaz, we won by nine shots,’ ” said Stippich, a 1987 graduate. “He said, ‘Joe, when my car gets to the parking lot and there’s air in all four tires, I expect us to win. But more importantly I expect you to play to the best of your ability, and you did not do that today.’
“That stuck with me. He expected you to do your best on the course and in the classroom.”
Kaczmarek, who was inducted into the Wisconsin High School Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2005, died suddenly on May 17, one day after playing golf on his 75th birthday.
“We’re pretty sure it was a cardiac event,” said his son, Brian.
Kaczmarek coached the boys golf team at Waukesha South for 37 years and the girls golf team there for 29 years. Led by his son, Brent, the Blackshirts won the 1989 WIAA title; Brent was the individual champion. His teams made numerous other trips to state.
Known as a stickler for rules in his classroom and on the course, Kaczmarek was tough but fair, demanding but compassionate.
“He ran a tight ship,” said his wife, Gretchen.
“He took an interest in me and I became a decent player,” said Stippich, who went on to play in five United States Golf Association championships. “More importantly, it was the structure. He would brag to other people about our grades more than our golf and that helped me as a student.
“It was like having another father at school. You could not play for him unless you were getting As and Bs.”
Kaczmarek was talented enough to play on the golf team at UW-La Crosse. Don Iverson, who went on to play on the PGA Tour, was a teammate.
Kaczmarek retired from teaching full time in 2003, though he stayed at South for two more years and taught AP history classes.
He kept in touch with his players through the years and continued to coach many of them.
“He had a number of kids that went on to play college golf and when they came home for Christmas, he would go watch them hit balls indoors,” Brian Kaczmarek said. “Obviously, we have a short golf season but in his mind, it was all year long.”
Kaczmarek is survived by Gretchen, Brian and Brent, daughter Kristin and five grandchildren. Family and friends will gather to celebrate his life from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 3 at Western Lakes Golf Club in Pewaukee.