What happens when the data revolution meets the golf course — and what does it mean for coaches across every sport?
In this episode of the Leading the Pack Speaker Series, BIOS Director Peter Miller sits down with Todd Oehrlein, head coach of the UW Women’s Golf team, for a conversation on data and analytics in coaching, the psychology of performance, and what it means to lead at the highest level.
Coach Oehrlein brings a perspective you won’t find on many coaching staffs. A former chiropractor-turned-coach, he has led programs in both basketball and golf, coached men’s and women’s teams, and spent more than two decades building Wisconsin into one of the most consistently competitive programs in the Big Ten. The conversation draws on a research article examining the gap between sports scientists and coaches — what coaches actually want from data, and what concerns them most about integrating it into their work.
“You have to help players find that balance,” Oehrlein says. “There are very analytical people, and then there are people that would rather play by feel — and a bigger question for me is how do you frame it.”
About Todd Oehrlein
Todd Oehrlein is going into his 23rd season as head coach of the UW Women’s Golf team in 2025-26. Since arriving at Wisconsin in 2003, he has built the program into one of the most consistently successful teams in the Big Ten and respected nationally. Under his leadership, the Badgers have finished sixth or better in the Big Ten 11 times and qualified for the NCAA Regional six times — compared to just three appearances in the program’s entire history prior to his tenure. In 2011, he was named Big Ten Women’s Golf Coach of the Year. Before Wisconsin, Oehrlein led the UW-Eau Claire men’s golf program to the 2001 NCAA Division III National Championship and was named National Coach of the Year. He also served as an assistant basketball coach at Eau Claire and holds a chiropractic degree, bringing a science-informed perspective to athlete development.