As the only coach in program history, Mike Cook has quickly built Coastal Georgia men’s golf into a national powerhouse. The 2019-20 season was Cook’s 10th overall season at the helm of Coastal Georgia’s men’s golf team, including his eighth guiding a four-year program.
At Coastal Georgia
- 2019-20 Season, the Mariners ranked No. 1 in the country on all of the Bushnell Golfweek Polls and NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Polls
-Named a finalist for the NAIA Dave Williams Award in 2019.
- Led the Mariners to back-to-back NAIA National Championships in 2014 and 2015.
- Taken Coastal Georgia to six straight NAIA National Championships (2014-2019).
- Guided the Mariners to Top-5 finishes at four NAIA National Championships (2014 – 1st, 2015 – 1st, 2018 – 4th, 2019-2nd).
- Coached the Mariners to a school-record eight tournament victories during the 2014-15 season.
- Named NAIA Men’s Golf Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2015
- Earned Golf Coaches Association of America Dave Williams Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2015.
- Named Golf Coaches Association of America Regional Coach of the Year in 2014, 2015 and 2019
- Two-time Southern States Athletic Conference Men’s Golf Coach of the Year (2014 and 2016) and selected as the overall SSAC Male Coach of the Year in 2014.
- Won Sun Conference Men's Golf Coach of the Year in 2019
- Headed both the men’s and women’s golf teams for the first three years (2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13).
- In Coastal Georgia’s inaugural season, took the Mariners to the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championships.
- Named Region 17 NJCAA Coach of the Year in 2011.
-Selected as 2016 U.S. Team Captain for Arnold Palmer Cup
Coastal Georgia Men’s Golf Athletic Accomplishments Under Cook (as of July 7, 2020)
- 21 NAIA All-Americans
- 21 Ping NAIA All-Americans
- 10 NAIA All-Tournament Team selections
- Seven NAIA Golfer of the Week honorees
-One Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year winner (Mark David Johnson, 2019)
- Three Golf Coaches Association of America All-Nicklaus Team selections (Alastair Tidcombe, Mark David Johnson, Eli Scott)
-Two Golf Coaches Association of America All-Freshman Team selection)
- 27 Ping NAIA All-Region Team
- Four Conference Players of the Year
- Two Conference Newcomers of the Year
- Two Conference Freshman of the Year
- 29 All-Conference selections
- Two Conference All-Freshman Team selections
- 14 Conference Player of the Week honorees
- Seven Coastal Georgia Male Student Athletes of the Year
Coastal Georgia Men’s Golf Academic Accomplishments Under Cook
- Two NAIA Scholar Team distinctions
- Four Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes
- Five NAIA Cleveland/Srixon All-America Scholars
- One Academic All-District, selected by CoSIDA selection
- One Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- 14 Conference All-Academic Team honorees
Key Dates
May 30, 2019 - Mark David Johnson is named the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award winner for the NAIA by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
May 21-24, 2019 - competes in their sixth-straight NAIA Men's Golf National Championships, finishing second overall. Mark David Johnson wins NAIA individual national championship, making birdie to defeat two others on first hole of sudden-death playoff. Johnson is the first CCGA golfer to win an individual national championship.
May 15-18, 2018 – competes in their fifth-straight NAIA Men’s Golf National Championships, finishing fourth overall. Was in first place on the team leaderboard after Round 2.
Apr. 22-24, 2018 – Mark David Johnson claims medalist honors at The Sun Conference Championships
May 16-19, 2017 – compete in their fourth-straight NAIA Men’s Golf National Championships
May 24-27, 2016 – compete in their third-straight NAIA Men’s Golf National Championships
May 19-22, 2015 – men’s golf leads from start to finish en route to collecting its second-straight NAIA National Championship
Feb. 15-17, 2015 – team winners of the Coastal Georgia Men’s Golf Winter Invitational, first time the team won both of its home tournaments in the same season.
Sept. 15-16, 2014 – first of a program-record eight team victories throughout the 2014-15 season (Coastal Georgia Men’s Golf Fall Invitational)
May 13-16, 2014 – men’s golf claims the NAIA National Championship, which is the first national title in department history
Apr. 14-16, 2014 – Dylan Freeman becomes the first men’s golf conference champion, claiming Southern States Athletic Conference medalist honors
July 12, 2013 – Cook is named Director of Golf, overseeing both programs, and head coach of just the men’s team.
Feb. 11-12, 2013 – first home tournament to be won by either the men’s or women’s teams (Coastal Georgia Women’s Golf Winter Invitational)
Sept. 17-18, 2012 – both men’s golf and women’s golf have medalists at their own fall tournaments. Dylan Freeman won the Coastal Georgia Men’s Golf Fall Invitational. Christian Liggin won the Coastal Georgia Women’s Golf Fall Invitational.
Feb. 20-21, 2012 – first women’s golf tournament team victory competing as a four-year school (Start 2 Finish Tournament), which also included women’s golf’s first-ever medalist (Christian Liggin)
Sept. 12-13, 2011 – first men’s golf competition as a four-year school, which resulted in the program’s first team tournament victory and individual medalists (Piedmont Fall Invitational; Hunter Cornelius and Shiloh Snow tied for medalist honors)
In addition to Coastal Georgia
- Long-time teaching instructor at renowned Sea Island Golf Club, where he is currently a Senior Instructor.
- Chosen by Golf Coaches Association of America to coach the 2016 U.S. Arnold Palmer Cup team in England.
- 2007 Georgia PGA Junior Golf Leader.
- Among the Top 15 Teachers in Georgia, as selected by Golf Digest in 2001.
- 1998 Georgia PGA Champion.
- Georgia PGA Teacher of the Year – East Chapter in 1994 and 1996.
- Won the Georgia PGA Assistant Professionals Championship in 1992.
- Played professionally from 1983-86 and was a member of the South African PGA Tour in 1984.
- NCAA Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC selection at the University of Georgia.
Personal
- Married to his wife Lori.
- The couple has a son, Michael, and a daughter, Madelyn.