A quick check of the UNO men's golf roster online shows ... no players.

The last press release called attention to an informational meeting for anyone interested in playing.

But have no fear, coach Tim Nelson said, the Mavericks' first men's program is on course to tee it up this fall.

Where? That's where it becomes a little difficult, at least for the first season.

"The schedule is still a work in progress," Nelson said. "Most of these tournaments were already filled up."

UNO announced its plan to start men's golf and men's soccer last spring, when it dropped football and wrestling but still needed two men's sports to meet the Division I minimum of offerings.

Nelson, who has coached the UNO women's team since 2003, added the men's coaching responsibility in May.

"From a coaching standpoint, the biggest adjustment for me is getting reacquainted with the men's game, particularly the distance (of their shots)," Nelson said.

Nelson said he has recruited several freshmen and transfers who are set to join the men's program, and that a number of good players already enrolled at UNO have contacted him about playing.

He said he has the equivalent of about 1.5 scholarships to offer on the men's side (the Division I limit is 4.5). UNO's initial study in moving to Division I showed a plan to have about 1.5 scholarships available for women (the limit is six), but Nelson said he actually has closer to 2.5.

In its transition year, UNO isn't eligible to compete in the Summit League or NCAA tournaments, but it will be eligible to play in the Summit League tournament in 2013. UNO can't qualify as a team or individually for the NCAA field until 2016.

"With some of the recruits we have coming in, I think we'll be competitive in the Summit League," Nelson said. "(Not being eligible for the NCAA field) doesn't seem to be a factor in recruiting. ... I'm probably more bummed about it than the kids are.

"We had a lot more legitimate chance to compete for a national championship in Division II, but in Division II, there were no automatic qualifiers like we'll have in Division I, so at least there's a different route we can take."

Nelson said he's working on lining up a permanent home course and is hopeful of having a home tournament in October that would include Division I opponents.

He said his women's program will have some work to do to catch up with Summit League champion Oral Roberts over the next few years, but he's confident in how it matches up with the rest of the league. He wants the men's team to reach that level over the next three to five years.

Nelson said his recruiting base has expanded some, with good reception in particular coming from Minnesota golfers.

"We're going to go where the players are," he said. "By advancing to Division I, more kids are interested and — like our other sports — we're going to have to step up our talent level ... not that we haven't had great talent in our women."

Nelson said part of UNO's recruiting pitch is its ability to develop golfers once they are on campus.

"We're looking for kids with great mechanics and a great swing, and then we can help them develop their club selection and shot selection," he said. "I told one gal I loved her mechanics, but she doesn't know how to play golf yet. That's what we're here for."

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