A graduate of the university and a veteran assistant coach with the programs, Kyle Bennett enters his fourth season as head coach at California (PA) in 2026-27.
Bennett previously served six years as an assistant coach with the Vulcans before being appointed head coach in the summer of 2023. During his time with the golf programs, Cal has featured multiple PSAC Athlete of the Year and PSAC Freshman of the Year recipients while producing numerous All-PSAC selections.
In the 2025-26 season, the men’s team finished sixth at the NCAA Atlantic/East Regional Championships to mark its best finish at the event since 2013. The Vulcans featured a pair of top-10 individual finishers at the regional championships, marking the program’s first top-10 individual finishes at the event since 2019.
Gavin Goodrich and Chaz Ekoniak both earned All-PSAC Second-Team honors for the first time in their careers. Goodrich recorded the lowest single-season scoring average since Cal began tracking the statistic in 2008, while Ekoniak posted the second-lowest mark. On the women's side, Ari Kaser earned All-PSAC Second-Team status for a consecutive year in 2026.
Bennett previously worked with three-time, all-region honoree Ryan Smith. He placed third overall at the 2017 PSAC Championships, as the Vulcans finished second in the team standings, and the following year was named the PSAC Champion Scholar. Smith closed his junior campaign by finishing in 10th place at the regional championships, which Cal hosted at Totteridge Golf Club in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
On the women’s side, Bennett aided in the development of four-time All-PSAC honoree Rachel Wilson, who was also tabbed the 2019 PSAC Freshman of the Year. She earned All-PSAC First-Team status in each of her last three seasons while carding a top-three finish at the league championships each year.
The Vulcans have enjoyed academic success in recent years. The women’s program has earned the PSAC Team GPA Award twice in the last four years, as during the 2022-23 academic year it boasted the second-highest GPA of all league teams at league institutions. The men’s program also has featured the highest GPA of all men’s teams at Cal in each of the last two academic years.
A native of New York, Bennett was one of six finalists for the 2022 Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach Award presented by TaylorMade Golf Company. He was the lone NCAA Division II finalist among the group as the other assistants were from Kansas, North Carolina, Pepperdine, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest.
Bennett previously served as an assistant golf professional at Lone Pine Country Club in nearby Washington, Pennsylvania. While residing in Washington County, he also spent time as a coach at the scholastic level by working with the junior varsity program at Trinity High School.
Bennett earned his bachelor's degree in professional golf management with a minor in business administration from Cal in 2012. While pursuing his degree, he spent time working at The Chevy Chase Club in Maryland, the Country Club of York in Pennsylvania and Valley Brook Country Club in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
As a senior at Cal, Bennett played for the PGM club team before becoming the Tri-State Assistant Tournament Points Leader in 2016. He has posted seven top-10 finishes at the Tri-State Assistant Section Championship in the last eight years and qualified for the 2017 National Assistant Championship. Bennett won the Tri-State PGA Associate Player of the Year Award in 2020.
Bennett was elected into PGA Membership in the fall of 2020. He qualified for the 2024 Tri-State Palmer Cup Team by finishing among the top 10 in the point standings.
He resides in Washington, Pennsylvania, with his girlfriend Ashley and dog Yeti.
