College Golf Today: Inspiring Tomorrow's Coaches and Players

In this episode of College Golf Today, host Kelly Okun speaks with Kevin Williams, the Director of Golf and Head Coach of the Women's and Men's teams at East Carolina University.Kevin shares how he started the women's program from scratch, what he looks for in his recruits, why specializing in a sport too early could be a risk and his take on the future of women's college golf. With so much wisdom in just this episode, it's no surprise Kevin was named the 2025 Kim Evans Award recipient and the incoming president of the WGCA.

In this episode of College Golf Today, host Kelly Okun speaks with Jonathan Howard, the recently appointed head women's golf coach at William & Mary.Jonathan shares his journey into coaching, his learnings as a new Division 1 coach coming from the Division 3 level, his thoughts about hosting a larger golf tournament and how academics play an interesting role in the transfer portal for schools like William & Mary.Jonathan emphasizes the importance of building and maintaining relationships as a college golf coach and staying true to yourself. He also dives into what it's like to rebuild a team culture as the "new kid."

In this episode of College Golf Today, host Kelly Okun speaks with Lauren Guiao, assistant women’s golf coach at Purdue University and alumna of the golf program herself.Lauren shares how she switched from an accounting path to coaching, knowing it was the right move after her first tournament on the other side of the ropes. She also explains how she navigated coaching former teammates by balancing personal relationships with constructive critique, a transition many up-and-coming coaches may face. Lauren then dives into why the assistant golf coach role is her favorite place to be, relaying her responsibilities with recruiting, tournament qualifying and, most importantly, her players' success on and off the golf course. She finishes with yet another definition of success that aspiring and current golf coaches should add to their philosophies.

In this episode of College Golf Today, host Kelly Okun speaks with Kelsie Warren, head women’s golf coach at Methodist University, two-time Coach of the Year and recipient of the Kim Evans Award.Kelsie shares her path from Methodist’s Professional Golf Management (PGM) program and internships into coaching at the Division III level and explains how her playing experience and PGM training help her relate to her student-athletes and support them as both people and players.In addition to sharing tips on how to manage such a large roster, especially when it comes to qualifying and playing time, Kelsie outlines her recruiting approach and her definition of success for her student-athletes, which goes beyond tournament performance. She also adds some interesting thoughts on how the transfer portal and roster limits may shift more players to Division III schools.

In this episode of College Golf Today, host Kelly Okun speaks with Dan Brooks, Duke University's women's head golf coach for the last 43 years. Together, they explore Coach Brooks' journey into coaching, from his early career in the regular golf business to leading Duke to numerous championships. Coach Brooks shares insights on effective coaching, college recruitment strategies, the impact of NIL and transfer portals in golf, and his philosophy on handling student-athletes' mental and physical challenges. Coach Brooks ends the discussion advising new and aspiring coaches on what to look for in institutions when applying for assistant and head coach roles.