Peter Coughlin has led Cal U to the NCAA post-season in each of his eight years with the program. Now in his ninth year, Coughlin has also guided the Vulcans to a pair of second-place finishes at the PSAC Championships and a third-place showing at the NCAA Regional Championships in 2013.
Coughlin has the Vulcans off to a strong start in the 2015-16 season. In the fall, Cal U recorded five top-five finishes in six events, including a victory in the 18-team Glade Springs Intercollegiate. The team currently features two of the top-10 players in the Atlantic Region in juniors Kirby Manown and Tyler Robinson.
During his time at Cal U, Coughlin has worked with three Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-America Scholars, including two-time recipient Jordan Eck. The Vulcans have also featured 16 All-PSAC honorees and eight all-region golfers over the past eight years. The program has won eight titles during his tenure and placed in top-three an additional 13 times. Coughlin was honored as both the PSAC and GCAA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year in 2013.
A graduate of Maryland, Coughlin came to Cal U after leading nearby Washington & Jefferson, a NCAA Division III program, to tremendous success. While with the Presidents, he served as both the head men’s & women’s golf coach for four-plus years.
During the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Coughlin guided W&J to a combined four Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Championships behind four medalist golfers and seven all-conference golfers. In 2006, he was selected as the Eaton Golf Pride Mid-Atlantic Men’s Coach of the Year after leading the Presidents to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA National Championships.
Among the PAC medalists was Michael Grasso, who became the first golfer in W&J history to be named to the GCAA PING All-America Team. Coughlin also coached Grasso to two-straight NCAA Tournaments.
Prior to his tenure at W&J, the Pennsylvania native served as the golf services assistant at the Heron Creek Golf Club in North Port, Florida. During his time at Heron Creek, he represented the club in various PGA professional tour events, including the Canadian Tour Winter Qualifying School.
Coughlin earned his degree in marketing from Maryland in 1999 and served as the assistant golf professional at the University of Maryland Golf Course for two years. During that time, he grew the junior camp from 15 kids over one week to 100 junior golfers over three weeks. In addition, he instructed hundreds of golfers of every age and ability, both in individual and group settings.
