Andy Walker, a four-time National Champion as a player and coach, was named the fourth head golf coach in VCU history on June 11, 2021.
“Andy joins us at an exciting time for our program,” said VCU VP and Director of Athletics Ed McLaughlin. “We have ourselves positioned for even greater success. He created an impressive amount of success at his previous stops because he connects so well with the student-athletes and knows the game. We are excited to have him become a Ram and get to work with our team.”
Walker wasted little time making his presence felt inside the VCU Golf program. Under Walker's tutelage, senior Adrian Vagberg captured the 2022 Atlantic 10 Conference individual title and later placed sixth at the NCAA New Haven Regional to advance to the NCAA Championships -- the first VCU individual to do so since 2003. The Rams recorded four runner-up finishes in Walker's first VCU campaign in 2021-22, including a second-place effort at the A-10 Championship. For his efforts, Walker was the recipient of the inaugural Black College Golf Coaches Association (BCGCA) Coach of the Year award.
An Arizona native, Walker joined the Rams following a three-year tenure at Division II Lynn University that produced a National Championship in his first season (2019). That squad captured five tournament titles, tying for the second-most for a single-season in Lynn history and the most for a first-year coach.
Under his tutelage four student-athletes were honored as All-Americans, with two newcomers also garnering Freshman All-America recognition. Additionally, Toto Gana became the first men’s golfer in school history, and fourth overall, to be named the Sunshine State Conference Male Athlete of the Year.
Walker relocated to Boca Raton from Phoenix, Ariz., where he served as head men's golf coach at South Mountain Community College (SMCC) from 2013-18 and as a senior staff instructor and director of player development at the Golf Channel Academy.
Walker led the SMCC Cougars to back-to-back National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II National Championships in 2015 and 2016. The Cougars also held the No. 1 national ranking for 155 out of 156 weeks, beginning in the summer of 2013. Walker's most decorated recruiting class claimed three Region I Championships, four Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) Championships and 31 tournament victories. Walker has coached two Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Phil Mickelson National Freshman of the Year honorees and three GCAA Arnold Palmer National Champions. His student-athletes have collected a combined 25 All-American selections and 30 All-ACCAC accolades. Off the course, SMCC was named the 2018 NJCAA Academic Team of the Year with a 3.81 GPA.
At the Golf Channel Academy, Walker trained junior to professional-level golfers to build physical and mental skills that translate into improvements during competition. Walker's clients include professional golfers from the PGA, LPGA and European Tours, along with notable stars from the NFL and MLB.
Walker's success earned him a GCAA Dave Williams National Coach of the Year accolade in 2019, two nods as the NJCAA National Coach of the Year, five ACCAC Coach of the Year awards and a GCAA West Region Coach of the Year honor.
Walker also has been featured as a television and radio personality in multiple capacities since 2010. He was a contestant on the Golf Channel's reality show “Big Break Ireland” while co-hosting the NBC Sports Radio Show “For the Love of the Game”.
Before Walker joined the coaching ranks, he spent 11 years playing professionally on various domestic and international tours. He played in over 375 professional tournaments, garnering 28 professional victories and over 70 Top-10 finishes. Walker ranked as high as No. 272 among Americans on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and was the second-highest ranked African American in the world on the OWGR, behind only Tiger Woods.
Walker first tasted national collegiate success as a student-athlete, winning the 1997 NCAA National Championship at Pepperdine University. During his three years as a Pepperdine Wave, Walker was a two-time All-West Coast Conference selection and the 1997 WCC Individual Champion.
He graduated from Pepperdine University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and was inducted into the Pepperdine Sports Hall of Fame. He is also K-Vest Level II, Trackman and Flightscope certified and holds memberships with the Golf Channel Academy and GCAA.
