From the Rough 2013

Catana Starks is the coach for the women’s swimming team at Tennessee State University. She meets her new boss, Kendrick Paulsen, who reveals the school is creating a men’s golf team. Starks asks to be the team’s coach and Paulsen agrees. However, she quickly learns the golf program will receive very little funding, and she must push hard just to secure enough money for scholarships. The challenge begins with her mission to recruit players who reflect the school’s diversity and ambition, and she sets out to prove that she can lead a team in a brand-new sport.

Starks attempts to recruit African-American golfers for the squad, but the pool is small, and she ends up with Craig, a talented former caddy, as the core of the team. When she discovers that the school’s soccer team has already recruited German players, she decides to expand her reach internationally, bringing in four young men from different corners of the world: Edward from London, Ji-Kyung from South Korea, Cameron from Australia, and Bassam from Algeria. Training begins with high hopes, but the reality is grueling, and the group must learn how to work together despite their varied backgrounds and personalities.

Edward and Ji-Kyung initially mock the idea of a golf team led by a coach who has no prior golf experience, Bassam carries a volatile temper, and Craig struggles with confidence when the teammates watch him perform. In the mix, Stacey, a medical student and former member of Starks’s swim squad, becomes a focal point for the growing tension as Edward develops a crush on her. Stacey visits Starks to seek advice about her relationship with Edward, but Starks cautions her against getting involved with him. The four newcomers join the rest of the team in a series of early, difficult tournaments that end with a disastrous last-place finish. The defeat underscores the need for unity, practice, and trust, and Starks uses the setback as a teachable moment to refocus the team on the upcoming Minority Championships.

The atmosphere at practice and in the team’s daily dynamics begin to shift as Starks works to connect with each member individually. She shares stories of her own life and explains that her own choices—between love, education, and career—shaped her, aiming to guide the younger players so they won’t repeat what she once faced. As the team bonds, Starks invites them to her home for dinner, revealing that she has lost her job but remains determined to help them succeed. The revelation strains the group’s stability, yet it also deepens their commitment to each other and to the mission ahead.

Meanwhile, the athletics board grows divided, and Paulsen’s insistence on maintaining control over the program leads him to fire Starks after a heated confrontation about the team’s progress and the hidden costs of her leadership. Roger, a janitor who was once Paulsen’s football teammate, intervenes with a timely dose of perspective, reminding Paulsen that respect must be earned and given in equal measure. The moment marks a turning point not only for Paulsen but for the entire school, as the team’s resilience begins to pay off.

At the Minority Championships, Craig is the team’s anchor, but he faces pressure when a rival player bullies him in the first round. A critical misstep at dinner—Cameron’s severe shellfish allergy—removes him from further competition, forcing the remaining four to rally around Craig and prove that their strength lies not in singular talent but in collective effort. The team’s camaraderie grows palpable as they support Craig through the rounds, and Edward helps create an opening by distracting the rival golfer with a technique he learned from Cameron, causing the opposing player to miss a crucial putt.

In the final moments of the competition, the quartet—Craig, Edward, Stacey, and the others—demonstrates improved coordination and tenacity. The underdog team finishes in first place, a result that earns Paulsen’s reluctant respect and solidifies Starks’s stay as coach, recognizing that her belief in the players—and in a sport that can bring people together despite their differences—has reshaped the program. The victory underscores a broader lesson about perseverance, leadership, and the power of embracing diverse talents to build a team that rises above initial doubts and constraints.