The Sedona Red Rock High School Scorpion golf team tees off its 2026 season Thursday, Feb. 26, at 2:30 p.m. at Agave Highlands Golf Course in Cornville with new head coach Jeffrey Furst, 74, taking over for Joseph Hazlitt.
Seven Canyons Golf Course also becomes the team’s new home course.
“I have not met a single kid yet on the team … but my vision for them is to be good people,” Furst said ahead of the start of the practice season for spring sports. “Golf offers a lot more than just the sport itself. It builds character, integrity, honesty, friendship, teamwork, because you still have to work as a team, even though you’re out there playing as an individual, at least at this level, because you’re playing for a team. So I’m looking to build character in the young people and give them a sense of accomplishment.”
A 1973 Syracuse University graduate with a degree in marketingFurst was in the retail business, working for Ralph Lauren and then Tommy Hilfiger. He was a vice president of merchandising for both between the two companies, starting in 1986 and finishing his career around 2008.
“I grew up as a youngster, a teenager, on Long Island, New York,” Furst said. “I’m married, 53 years to Marcia; moved around in retail, but spent the bulk probably the last 25 years in New Jersey, and then finally moved out here full time” in October 2020.
“We originally purchased land, built a house, started in 2003 finished in 2005 and then it was pretty much a second home for us for the next few years.”
The couple has one son and two grandchildren. Their granddaughter is a world champion Irish dancer who has been the No. 1-ranked under-16 competitor for the last two years, and their grandson is Raiden.
“My mother was working at Lord & Taylor on Long Island, and I walked into the store with my dog when I came home from college on break,” said Furst. “My wife-to-be noticed me and asked my mother, ‘Who’s that?’ And the rest is history.”
Before taking the helm of the Scorpions program, Furst honed his skills on the tennis courts, playing from his youth through his late 30s before transitioning to golf.
“Golf and tennis are very similar in terms of strokes and stroke production,” Furst said. “Golf and tennis are the same swing on a different plane. In other words, your lower body and your hips move the same in both sports, pretty much and the swing path is the only thing that changes. So that’s the plane that’s changing. I was a pretty good tennis player and didn’t take up golf seriously until later in my life.”
“Any day he gets an opportunity to go out and refine his game, [Furst] takes advantage of it,” Athletic Director Peter Brock said. “I’m really excited to bring someone on board who has a passion for golf like he does. He’s been a member of the Sedona community for a long time, so bringing in someone who understands the history of the team here is a big asset.”
