Women's Golf

Former Golden Eagle golfer Polk Brown is in his third season as an assistant coach of the Tennessee Tech women’s golf team after serving as the program’s head coach for the previous 10 seasons.

 

Named the first full-time head coach of both the Golden Eagle men’s and women’s programs back in July 2011, Brown shifted into an assistant role for the women’s team with the elevation of former assistant coach Amanda Smith to the head role. He continues to serve in his position as the head coach of the men’s program, entering his 13th year overall in the role.

 

Under Brown’s watch, the Tech women’s program saw four members claim All-OVC honors, two combine for three OVC All-Tournament accolades, and one earn a spot on the OVC All-Newcomer Team. A total of 32 Golden Eagles collected All-Tournament honors during his tenure as head coach, with a pair winning medalist honors as well. He also guided the team to a pair of tournament titles and three top-five finishes at the OVC Championships, including a runner-up showing in 2016.

 

His women’s teams set program records for 18-, 36-, and 54-hole scores both as a team and individually. The women also established each of the top-six team season scoring averages under Brown’s direction, including the top showing of 308.27 during the 2016-17 campaign.

 

On the men's side, the 2023-24 Golden Eagles captured their first Ohio Valley Conference title since 1990 and earned the program's first bid to the NCAA Men's Golf Championships in school history. The purple and gold finished second during the stroke play portion of the OVC Championships before downing No. 3 seeded UT Martin 4-1-0 to set up a title bout with No. 4 SIUE.

Tech topped the Cougars in thrilling fashion, rallying from a 2-1-0 deficit to secure a 3-2-0 decision and the program's first crown in 25 years. Tech went on to represent the league at the NCAA West Lafayette Regional. 

The Tennessee Tech grad and men's golf alum collected his first career OVC Coach of the Year honors following the 2021-22 campaign as the Golden Eagles finished the year with a program-record and league-leading scoring average of 289.96. The Golden Eagles finished as the OVC's runner-up, securing the No. 1 seed in the first-ever match-play portion of the league's championship. The purple and gold turned in four runner-up showings on the year, including each of the final three tournaments during the year.

In his time at the helm of the men's program, he has coached eight individuals to a combined 10 All-OVC honors, including two-time recipients Mitch Thomas and Jackson Skeen. Seven Golden Eagles have gone on to earn OVC All-Newcomer accolades under Brown's guidance while seven have claimed spots on the OVC All-Tournament Team.

During the 2021-22 season, Jackson Skeen was honored as the OVC's Freshman of the Year. In 2022-23, Skeen earned just the second at-large selection to participate as an individual at the NCAA Men's Golf Championships in program history. Skeen also broke the program's regular-season scoring average record, posting a mark of 70.96 before his trip to the NCAA Tournament.

During his tenure, the Tech men have combined to win 55 All-Tournament nods, five individual medalist honors, and five tournament titles. The Golden Eagle men's squad has finished in the top five of the OVC Championships six times, including runner-up performances in 2015 and 2022 and its most recent championship in 2024. 

Among the men's program records that have been set under Brown's direction include the all-time team scoring marks for both 18 and 54 holes, as well as the season scoring average record. The Golden Eagles have also posted four of the five lowest team season scoring averages since he took over in 2011. 

Under Brown's watch, the Tech women's program saw four members claim All-OVC honors, two combine for three OVC All-Tournament accolades, and one earn a spot on the OVC All-Newcomer Team. A total of 32 Golden Eagles collected All-Tournament honors during his tenure as head coach, with a pair winning medalist honors as well. He also guided the team to a pair of tournament titles and three top-five finishes at the OVC Championships, including a runner-up showing in 2016.

His women's teams set program records for 18-, 36-, and 54-hole scores both as a team and individually. The women also established each of the top-six team season scoring averages under Brown's direction, including the top showing of 308.27 during the 2016-17 campaign.

Brown received his bachelor’s degree in finance from Tech in 2006. He spent his first year after graduation as an apprentice at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, then returned to school in 2009 to begin working toward his master’s. He earned his master's degree in curriculum and instruction in August 2011. 

A four-year letterman under Hall of Fame coach Bobby Nichols, Brown played for the Golden Eagles from 2001 to 2006, with a redshirt season in 2003-04. As a player, he earned All-Tournament honors three times during his career, including the Mercer Invitational as a freshman and the EKU Spring Invitational as a senior. A team captain in his final year, he finished fifth at the 2006 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament to claim his third All-Tournament honor. In 2001-02 he won the Most Improved Player Award and the Impact Award, and in 2005-06, he received the team’s Most Dedicated Player Award.