College golf coaches job blog: News from around the coaching community for 2024

News from around the college golf coaching community in 2024.

Interested in the college golf coaching scene around the country in 2024? Get the latest updates on this page.

If you have information to share on this page, please e-mail Lance Ringler or Cameron Jourdan.

Editor’s note: To see previous listings, click here.

January 24

JAMES MADISON

James Madison Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne announced Carter Cheves has been extended as head coach of the men’s golf program through the 2027-28 season.

“Carter has been a positive presence and steadying force for our men’s golf program at James Madison,” Bourne said. “He inherited the program amid the COVID pandemic with his first competitive season a shortened spring campaign in 2021 before then facing CAA ineligibility due to transition in 2022. As the program moved to the Sun Belt, the team had a respectable first season in 2022-23 and has already climbed significantly in Sun Belt rankings based upon Fall results this year. He is a positive role model leading our student-athletes not only on the golf course but in all aspects of their collegiate experience. We’re excited for him to continue leading the young men in our golf program.”

Cheves has been part of the JMU men’s golf program for 10 years, first serving as an assistant coach from 2013-2018. After one year away from the program, he returned in 2019 to serve as associate head coach for one year before being named head coach in the summer of 2020. He served one year as head coach at Ohio for the 2018-19 season before returning to James Madison. He also filled the head coaching role for three seasons at Western Carolina prior to his first JMU stint.

Cheves graduated from UNCW in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Prior to UNCW, he played for two years at NC State.

USC UPSTATE

USC Upstate head men’s and women’s golf coach Todd Lawton has announced the hire of Matt Smith as the program’s assistant coach for the men’s and women’s programs.

Smith joins USC Upstate after two seasons as the head men’s golf coach at his alma mater, Truett McConnell University, in Cleveland, Georgia.

In 2022-23, TMU recorded the best season in program history, being ranked as high as No. 13 nationally at the close of the fall season. TMU would go on to claim the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) championship, earning a bid to the NAIA National Championships.

Smith was tabbed AAC Coach of the Year with student-athlete Caden Sanders bringing home AAC medalist honors. Both awards were firsts in program history. Competing in the National Championship, the Bears made the cut for the final round as a team and finished 13th (of 29 teams), marking the best finish in program history.

“I am thrilled to add Matt to our golf staff and look forward to his experience and golf acumen giving our players another resource to get the most out of their games on the course and life off the course,” said USC Upstate head men’s and women’s golf coach Todd Lawton. “As an accomplished player on his own, he brings a strong resume that will help him make an immediate impact. As a person, he is a man of high integrity and moral character and that resonated with me in the process of hiring our newest assistant coach.”

January 23

PEPPERDINE

Jason Allred, a 2014 Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame inductee and the first-ever recipient of the prestigious Byron Nelson Award, has been hired as an assistant coach at Pepperdine.

“I’m very thankful Jason is with us,” said head coach Michael Beard. “He will bring experience, competitiveness, a passion to serve, as well as a relational approach. Jason’s high character and love for Pepperdine will make this an easy transition for everyone involved with our program.”

Most recently, Allred has enjoyed working with a Christian Ministry called College Golf Fellowship (CGF) and continues to enjoy the opportunity of serving the world of collegiate and professional players through CGF.

Allred competed for the Waves from 1998-2002, helping lead the squad to West Coast Conference titles all four years he was in the lineup. The team advanced to the NCAA Championships twice, finishing in a tie for 23rd place in 2000 and eighth place in 2002.

He also earned a major prize given for the first time in 2002, the Byron Nelson Award, which is presented to a graduating men’s senior by the GCAA. The honor takes into account a nominee’s entire academic career, college golf career and his character and integrity while in college.

Allred, who is from Ashland, Oregon, arrived at Pepperdine with a victory at the 1997 U.S. Junior Championships.

After graduating, Allred reached golf’s highest level when he earned PGA Tour cards in 2005, 2008 and 2014. Other years, he competed on the Korn Ferry Tour. Throughout his career Allred competed in five major championships, 70 PGA Tour events and 152 tournaments on the Korn Ferry Tour.

January 23

TROY

Nathan Griffin is the new assistant coach for the Troy men’s and women’s golf teams. Griffin joins the Troy staff following a stint as the assistant tournament director for the Alabama Junior Golf Organization.

Prior to his run with the AJGO, Griffin was an operations and administration assistant for the Auburn men’s and women’s golf teams during the fall of 2022, following a year as a graduate assistant for the Jacksonville State athletics department during the 2021-22 athletics season.

Griffin began his professional career as a first teaching assistant at Cider Ridge for 15 months before moving into the assistant pro role at the club for 18 months before moving into the collegiate athletics realm at Jacksonville State.

He was a four-year letterwinner at Faulkner.

January 10

NC STATE

North Carolina State women’s golf coach Page Marsh has made the decision to retire effective immediately. Marsh has served as head coach since its re-establishment in 2000,

Darby Sligh, who joined the Wolfpack staff in June 2018, will succeed Marsh as the program’s next head coach. Sligh just wrapped up her fifth season with the Wolfpack after previously serving as the head coach at Illinois State for 11 seasons (2007-18). “After 24 years, the time has come for me to retire from an extremely rewarding career here at NC State,” said Marsh. “I am so proud to have witnessed all the growth and incredible achievements these student-athletes have gained on and off the golf course. Thank you to all who have enriched my life in so many ways. I wish everyone associated with NC State continued success as you navigate the path to fulfill your dreams.”Marsh, who was named 2002 ACC Coach of the Year, has guided NC State to 11 team tournament wins, 19 NCAA Regional Championship appearances and four NCAA Championship team berths over the last 23 years.

January 10

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

Southern Illinois’ Cindy Bodmer announced she will retire at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Bodmer has served as SIU’s women’s golf coach since September of 2022. She is well-known in the local golf community for starting the women’s golf program at Rend Lake College in 1999 and guiding that program to 15 NJCAA National Championship appearances.

“It was an absolute pleasure to work alongside Coach Bodmer these last two seasons,” said SIU Director of Golf Justin Fetcho. “She poured everything she had into the program, and I can’t thank her enough for her contributions both on and off the course. We wish Cindy the absolute best in her retirement and know that she will always be a Saluki.”

After her first season at Southern, Bodmer overhauled the program’s roster by bringing in six freshmen for the 2023-24 campaign.

“Leaving a program is never easy, but I take great comfort in the knowledge it is in great hands moving forward,” Bodmer said. “Coach Fetcho is a proven winner, and I feel fortunate to have worked with him these last two years. I also want to give a shout-out to my dedicated assistant coach, Sarah Haas, for her unwavering commitment to our student athletes. During my time at SIU, teaming with the athletic staff and coaches here was an amazing experience, one I will always hold dear.”

Southern Illinois will conduct a national search this spring to hire Bodmer’s successor.

College golf coaches job blog: News from around the coaching community for 2023

News from around the college golf coaching community.

Interested in the college golf coaching scene around the country in 2022? Get the latest updates on this page.

If you have information to share on this page, please e-mail Lance Ringler or Cameron Jourdan.

Editor’s note: To see previous listings, click here.

January 30

PEPPERDINE

Pepperdine head coach Laurie Gibbs has signed a contract extension through the 2028 season, announced Director of Athletics Steve Potts.

“Laurie Gibbs is the heart and soul of Pepperdine women’s golf,” said Potts. “She has built a program that consistently competes for championships and has done so with the utmost integrity. We are fortunate to have Laurie continue to lead and teach the amazing young women in our program.”

Gibbs was named the first full-time head coach in the program’s history in 1993 and is currently in her 30th season at the helm. She was inducted into the Women’s Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame in December 2015. She was selected the 2004-05 National Golf Coach of the Year by Golfweek and has been named West Coast Conference Coach of the Year 14 times.

The Waves have played in the NCAA finals 12 times, with eight top-10 finishes and four top-five showings, including a program-best second-place result in 2003.

Gibbs has led Pepperdine to 19 WCC Championships in the last 24 tournaments, including a streak of 14 titles that ran from 2002-15. Over the course of her career, the Waves have won 55 team tournament titles and have had 56 individual medalist honors.

“I am blessed to have been the Pepperdine women’s golf coach since 1993,” said Gibbs. “Our success has been the result of so many wonderful people at the university, the golf courses that have allowed our team to play and those that have given the financial support to allow us to compete against the best teams in the country. Without outstanding young ladies competing for our team and representing the university with the highest integrity, my journey as their coach would have ended long ago. I welcome the challenge to continue our success and validate Dr. Potts’ decision to offer me an extension.”

January 26

HARVARD

Naree Song, who has been associate head coach for Harvard women’s golf since 2015, has been named head coach. Song is the third head coach in program history. Kevin Rhoads, who has spent 18 seasons as the women’s golf head coach and 10 with the men’s program, will continue to coach the men’s team.

Song had a decorated playing career and quickly became one of the top junior golfers in the world. She won her first professional event, the Thailand Ladies Open, at the age of 14. She also went on to win three AJGA major championships and became a two-time AJGA First Team All-American. She competed in her first U.S Women’s Open at the age of 14 where she took low-amateur honors.

Song attended the University of Florida at the age of 17 and after one semester turned professional and competed on the Symetra and LPGA tours, winning one event on the Symetra Tour in 2004.

Due to illness and injury, she retired from professional golf and turned to education at Rollins College where she assumed the Assistant Women’s Golf Coach position.

December 22, 2022

ARIZONA STATE

Arizona State has announced the extension of the contracts of Missy Farr-Kaye and Matt Thurmond into the 2027-28 athletic season.

Thurmond was hired at Arizona State in the summer of 2016 after a successful coaching record at Washington. The Sun Devils are currently ranked No. 2 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings heading into the spring season.

“Coach Thurmond has put us back in NCAA championship discussions with back-to-back top-five finishes for the first time in three decades and has done a fantastic job with our alumni, former players and the golf community,” said Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson. “Much of the success of the NCAA championships at Grayhawk and our relationship with Golf Channel has to do with his ability to connect with so many people. We hired a proven head coach when we hired Matt, and that is shown in his ability to lead other coaches in our department. It is also incredible he decided to earn an ASU master’s degree while coaching… he not only survived what the pandemic threw at all of us, he thrived.”

Farr-Kaye played her college golf for the Sun Devils, was an assistant coach at Arizona State and now the head coach. In 2017, she completed the trifecta, winning her third NCAA national championship as a Sun Devil – first as a player (1990), then as an assistant coach (2009), and now as a head coach (2017).

“We hired Missy Farr-Kaye and she then won a national title, because as a player and assistant coach she knew the path. Her squads are always in the top-10, she is incredible with the alumni and since she has won an NCAA title as a Sun Devil player, assistant coach and head coach, she truly is one of the best Sun Devils of all-time,” said Anderson.

November 14, 2022

LONG BEACH STATE

Long Beach State has announced the hiring of Rob Murray as the 12th head coach of the Long Beach State men’s golf program. Murray comes to Long Beach State after serving as an assistant coach at Kansas State for the last six seasons. The Wildcats are currently ranked No. 19 in the Golfweek/Sagarin college rankings.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rob as the new Head Men’s Golf Coach at Long Beach State University,” said Interim Director of Athletics Ted Kadowaki. “We love Rob’s competitive drive and desire to build a program of sustained excellence, to build relationships with the community, and lead the program with integrity.”

Prior to Kansas State, Murray worked at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa for four years. His first two years were spent as an assistant coach as he helped the squad capture the 2014 and 2015 NJCAA Division I National Championships. He was subsequently promoted to head coach where he was named 2017 Dave Williams National Coach of the Year as the team was the National Runner-up at the 2017 National Championship. Additionally, Murray coached the 2017 Individual National Champion, Ricky Sanders, who went on to win the 2017 Phil Mickelson Award.

A native of Colchester, Essex in England, Murray made his way to the United States in 2007 to play collegiately at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix.

Assistant Coach Reilly Hegarty led the team this fall after Michael Wilson left to take over at Colorado State this summer. Long Beach State is ranked No. 65 after the fall season.

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College golf job blog: News from around the coaching community for 2022

News from around the coaching community.

Interested in the college golf coaching scene around the country in 2022? Get the latest updates on this page.

If you have information to share on this page, please e-mail Lance Ringler or Adam Woodard.

Editor’s note: To see previous listings, click here.

January 12

IDAHO

Athletic Director Terry Gawlik announced the hire of Stephanie Young  Stephanie Youngs has been named head women’s golf coach at the University of Idaho.

Young comes to Idaho from Bowling Green where she was the head golf coach for the past 16 years.

“It is an honor to become the next head women’s golf coach for the Idaho Vandals,” Young said. “Thank you to Terry Gawlik and Heath Senour  for this fantastic opportunity. I am excited to begin working with our student-athletes and get settled into the Moscow community. I would also like to thank everyone at BGSU for entrusting me to lead their women’s golf program for 16 years. I will be forever grateful for my time there and am proud of all that we were able to accomplish together.”

During her time at BGSU, Young has guided the Falcons to a school-record 12 team tournament titles and 11 individual tournament titles. Young played her college golf at the University of Toledo.

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