Troy University Men's Golf

Terrys leadership and vision over the past two decades reached its pinnacle in 2015 as both the Troy mens and womens teams competed in the NCAA Regionals and Troys new golf practice facility opened its doors for both teams. Over the first 11 years of his Troy career, Terry had the responsibility of coaching both the mens and womens teams. He passed the torch on the womens side to his protégée Bart Barnes two years ago and the foundation Terry had built led to back-to-back Sun Belt Conference championships and a pair of berths in the NCAA Regionals; the first in Troys Division I history on the womens side. Terry saw his hard work payoff as the Troy mens team won the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Championship with a dramatic match play victory over Georgia State. The Trojans knocked off the Panthers, 3-2, as Luke Moser birdied the first playoff hole in the deciding match after rallying from a hole down with two to go. The Sun Belt title was Troys first conference championship since the Trojans won back-to-back Mid-Continent championships in 1996 and 1997. The conference title came as no surprise as the Trojans entered the Sun Belt Championship as the leagues highest-rated team in the national rankings, thanks to victories at the Sun Belt Preview and the Tiger Invitational (Auburn). The 2016 Trojans rewrote the Troy record book as Moser tied the school record with a 7-under 65 at the Seminole Intercollegiate, while Troy set school records for 18 and 36 hole scores both overall and on par-72 courses. The Trojans fired a 14-under 270 in the second round of the Sun Belt Preview to set a school record, while Troys 557 over the first two rounds set a new 36-hole record. In the spring, Troy shot a 14-under 272 in the second round of the Seminole Intercollegiate to set a school record for a par-72 course, while tying the overall and establishing a new par-72 course record with a 36-hole total of 557. Four of Terrys former players are currently playing the pro circuit Zach Portemont (Sunshine Tour), Tolver Dozier (PGA Latin American), Jake Tucker (PGA Latin America) and Sofia Björkman (Nordea Tour). While Terrys legacy still has many chapters yet to be written, one of the shining achievements during his tenure at Troy was the addition of one of the top on-campus practice facilities in the country prior to the 2014 season. The state-of-the-art facility features nine holes, putting and chipping greens, a wedge practice area, a full driving range and a new clubhouse. The state-of-the-art facility includes a 4,400-square foot Troy Golf Clubhouse that features mens and womens locker rooms, coaches locker room, three coach offices, team lounge, two indoor hitting bays, large indoor bay for full shots and putting. The hitting bays feature FlightScope technology for swing analysis, Sam PuttLab for putting analysis and BodiTrak Monitor to measure a players weight at address and during the swing. The 35-acre practice facility features six mini verde greens that can be played from multiple tees, in addition to three practice tees two for short game and one for longer shots. Terry saw the fruits of his labor come to a head last season as he led the Trojan men to an at-large berth in the NCAA Regionals. Troy finished the season ranked No. 57 nationally by Golfstat after reaching as high as No. 35 in the national rankings. Competing at the New Haven Regional hosted by Yale, Troys first NCAA Regional since 1995, the Trojans were in the mix heading into the final round and senior Doizer hit the shot that sent shockwaves through the collegiate golf community. Dozier holed out from 138 yards away on the first playoff hole at the NCAA New Haven Regional to earn an individual spot in the NCAA Championships. He had birdied three of his final four holes to force the playoff and the video of his playoff hole went viral online and was shown on golf highlights across the country. Troy had a league-high four players earn All-Sun Belt honors as Jared Bettcher, Moser, Dozier and Jake Tucker were recognized as some of the best golfers in the Sun Belt Conference. One consistent throughout Terrys career has been his commitment to academics. Dozier earned the NCAA Elite 89 Award for mens golf in 2015, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest GPA at each of the NCAAs 89 Championships. The mens team has won five straight Troy Athletics Academic Team Awards (highest team GPA) and two of the last three Sun Belt Academic Awards. Additionally, four of Terrys golfers have earned Troys Clements Award, which is presented annually to the top male student-athlete in the department.  Troy golfers under Terry have also had success on the amateur circuit as a Trojan golfer has competed in the U.S. Amateur each of the past four years. Dozier played in the 2012 and 2014 event, while Jake Tucker qualified in 2013 and Bettcher in 2015. The 2013-14 Trojans came close to earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships and finished the year ranked 78th nationally. Bettcher, then a freshman, earned first team All-Sun Belt honors and became the first Trojan since 2008 to earn an individual berth into the NCAA Championships.  Prior to coming to Troy in the fall of 2002, Terry served as the head coach at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, Ala. During his three seasons there, he led the Buccaneers to the national tournament three times, finishing in third place twice before winning the championship in 2002. A native of Moulton, Ala., Terry has been an avid golfer since dropping baseball to concentrate on the sport in high school. He served as director of the Tuscaloosa Junior Golf Tour, supervising up to 175 children ages 8 to 18. Terry also has experience as a teacher, serving as the assistant pro at the Turtle Creek Golf Club in Rockledge, Fla. Terry has professional experience playing on the Hooters, Central Florida/Tommy Armour and North Florida PGA Winter tours. He also participated in the 1988 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, better known as q-school. Born in Augusta, Ga., Terry received his bachelors degree in marketing from Alabama in 1996. He is married to the former Dixie McCreless and the couple has three children, Mya, Alyssa and Sawyer. Customize how you experience . You can change your selections at any time.

Barnes, the 2014 & 2015 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year, was named the Troy womens golf head coach in August 2013 after four seasons as an assistant with both the mens and womens programs.   The Trojans took out a full on assault of the school record book during his second season as his team completely rewrote the annals of Troy history. Five of the top 10 rounds in Troy history came during the 2014-15 season, while six of the top 10 36-hole scores and five of the top 54-hole scores came during Barnes second season. Fátima Fernández Cano set the single-season records for lowest round (65), lowest 36-hole score (141), lowest 54-hole score (210) and stroke average (73.42). Canos single-season average broke the school record by 1.54 strokes, while her career mark is 2.13 strokes lower than anyone else in Troy history. In fact, six members of the 2014-15 squad rank in the top 10 for career stroke average, while Taylor McGraw and Langley Vannoy are tied for fifth on the single-season average list. The Trojans won three tournaments during Barnes second season as the head coach, including the final two of the year heading into the NCAA South Bend Regional. Troy set school records for lowest round, lowest 36-hole score and lowest 54-hole score. Remarkably, the Trojans fired the top three 54-hole scores in school history, while shooting the top two 36-hole scores (five in the top 10) and four of the top 10 rounds. Barnes led the Trojans to a No. 82 national ranking and a 12-shot victory over Texas State in the Sun Belt Championship (36 holes). Cano, McGraw and Vannoy were all named to the All-Sun Belt Team, marking the first time in school history three Trojans made the team. The Trojans advanced to play in the NCAA South Bend Regional. In his first season, Barnes led Troy to the Sun Belt Conference Championship and a berth in the NCAA East Regional. The conference title was Troys first since moving to Division I in 1993. Barnes also helped tutor then-freshman Cano to the Sun Belt Individual Championship, Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year honors and a spot on the All-Sun Belt First Team.   During his first season, Troy posted four of the top five rounds in school history, including the best round by a Troy team with a 287 in the final round of the Fred Marx Invitational during the fall. Additionally, Canos 75.56 stroke average then ranked as the second-best mark in Troy history and Becca Horners 76.96 was the sixth best.   Barnes coaching really showed in the spring of 2014 as the Trojans showed dramatic improvement from the fall season. Brooke Spinks finished third at the Sun Belt Championship and saw her overall stroke average drop by 1.33 strokes from the fall to the spring.   The Trojans defeated No. 50 Georgia 3-and-1 in match play on the Bulldogs home course in the Liz Murphey Classic during his initial campaign.   Barnes joined the Troy staff in January 2010 following a standout playing career at Middle Tennessee and a stint on the National Golf Association Hooters Tour.   Entering his first season, the womens team was coming off its best finish at the Sun Belt Conference Championships after placing fourth at the event in April 2013.    The Troy women claimed three team titles during the 2011-12 season and one during the 2012-13 campaign under the guidance of then head coach Matt Terry and Barnes.    Barnes began his collegiate playing career at Central Alabama Community College where he earned Academic All-America honors before transferring to Middle Tennessee for his final two seasons.   Barnes most notable finish during his college career was his final tournament, the Middle Tennessee Intercollegiate, where he placed second. Upon graduation, Barnes was granted the honor of being the under-25 representative for the Alabama State Team in the Southeastern Challenge Cup Matches in 2008. Later pursuing his dreams of playing professionally, he was a member of the National Golf Association (NGA) Hooters Tour in 2009.    Hailing from Elba, Ala., Barnes received a marketing degree from Middle Tennessee in 2008. Barnes is currently pursuing his masters degree in sport and fitness management at Troy University and was valedictorian of his graduating class at Elba High School.