Kevin Jennings, Sr., enters his fifth season as head coach of the Prairie View A&M University men’s and women’s golf programs. During his short time on The Hill, Jennings has quickly established himself as one of the SWAC’s top mentors in the sport and has wasted no time in rebuilding the men’s and women’s golf programs into two of the top academic teams in the conference while establishing the Panthers as a force to be reckoned with on the links.
He is a two-time SWAC Men's Coach of the Year (2018-19) and has also led the women's program to back-to-back third-place finishes in the SWAC Tournament over that same time frame, the best result in the history of the women's program.
The 2019-20 season was a banner year in the classroom for the men and women’s golf teams, as the Panther men posted the highest GPA of any PVAMU men’s teams. The Lady Panthers also had one of the highest GPA marks in the athletic department.
The 2019 season was another historic chapter in Prairie View A&M golf. Not only did the Panthers repeat as SWAC Champions for the first time in almost 50 years – adding the program’s 15th championship overall -- but they also earned a trip to the NCAA Division I Regionals for just the second time in program history. Jennings guided Laurence Crea to the tournament’s low medalist award as well as a spot on the all-conference first team. Zane Brooks, Jordan Stagg and Lorenzo Elbert each earned second team nods.
The Panthers also received The Mark Laesch Award given by the Golf Coaches Association of America, NCAA Division I and Golfstat, which is a national award given to the NCAA Division I institution with the most improved adjusted team stroke average in the country.
The 2018 season was the initial breakthrough for PVAMU men's golf as the Panthers won their first SWAC Championship since 1979 in Jennings’ second year at the helm. The Panthers led after every round of the three-day, 54-hole championship, shooting a team score of 891, pulling away to win by 31 strokes to win the program's 14th league championship. Under Jennings’ tutelage, Crea garnered low medalist and SWAC Freshman of the Year honors, and he and Brooks, John Jones, and David Baker Jr. were named First Team All-SWAC. Prairie View A&M went on to the NCAA Regional round, at the time the first such occurrence in the history of Panther golf.
Prior to PVAMU, Jennings spent a short stint at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff after leaving Talladega College, where he guided the program to its first tournament win in the rebirth era of the school’s athletics programs. Jennings coached Talladega to the PGA Minority national title in just his second year at the helm.
In 2013 at Talladega, Jennings' team defended its title winning their first competition at the National Black College Hall of Fame Classic. That team was ranked the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation by GolfStat and the NAIA. They also won the highest team Grade Point Average (GPA) award in the 2012-13 season. Jennings continued building a competitive program while focusing on recruiting and academics along with player and program development.
As assistant golf coach, Jennings spent stints at Christian Brothers University and his alma mater Mississippi Valley State University. He also still teaches golf lessons at Quail Ridge Golf Course in Bartlett, Tenn. Jennings has studied under Rob Akins, a top 25 instructor and No. 1 instructor in the state of Tennessee. He has also studied under well-known PGA professional instructor Jeff Jones, who has been featured on the Golf Channel six times.
Before joining the Delta Devils’ staff, Jennings spent a year as head coach at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis helping develop and initializing the school’s first ever men’s and women’s golf programs. He also coordinated the fundraising and recruitment for the programs.
From 1996 thru 2001, Jennings worked at the Encino/Balboa Golf Complex in Encino, Calif. as well as the Pure Shot Golf Academy at the Paiute Golf Resort outside of Las Vegas, owned and operated by Jeff Jones. He also spent three years at De Bell Golf Course in Burbank, Calif. as golf instructor and playing professionally.
No stranger to competition himself, Jennings received a full professional sponsorship, played mini tours and in regional professional tournaments prior to moving to Memphis, Tenn. Jennings began his career facilitating physical education golf classes while attending St. Augustine’s College on a golf scholarship.
Jennings also serves as chairman of the SWAC golf coaches committee and is on the board of the BCGCA (Black College Golf Coaches Association). He also serves on the advisory board for the PGA Works Championship and is a member of the Golf Coaches Association of America, where he serves on the diversity council.
Jennings is a native of Memphis, Tenn. and a 2010 graduate of Mississippi Valley State with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration while minoring in accounting. He received his Associates of Business degree in Golf Complex Operations and Management from the Golf Academy of America in December 1991. He is also TPI Level 1 Certified in golf instruction, health and fitness.
