Western New Mexico University Athletics

When it comes to late spring, you can usually count on Coach Kent Beatty and his golf teams to be near the top in crunch time. In his 26th year at WNMU, Coach Beatty leads a group of talented golfers that have their sites set on matching the consistently good performances posted by Mustang teams of years past.

2016 was a bright one for WNMU as Calum Hill finished second individually in the NCAA Championship, and etched his name into Mustang lore as yet another All-American that Coach Beatty mentored. Hill is now a full time member of the DP World (formerly European) Tour, where he is a winner. 

Named head coach in 1997, Beatty has learned many of the tricks it takes to lead a successful program, and it shows. Both his men’s and women’s teams are regular participants in the post season, an accomplishment which has been instrumental in giving WNMU’s other athletic programs the confidence to succeed.

The fact that Beatty’s position at WNMU is full-time is an indicator that WNMU is committed to its golf program. The majority of small-school college golf coaches are employed elsewhere or are instructors at their respective universities, and WNMU’s commitment to golf and it’s athletes has paid great dividends over the past few years.

In addition to coaching in 14 NCAA Championships (30 NCAA post season tournament appearances and eight conference championships in his 24 years at the school), Coach Beatty has mentored eight all-Americans, 15 academic all-Americans and five PGA golf professionals. He, himself, was also named RMAC Women's Golf Coach of the Century in May 2009, along with numerous Conference Coach of the Year awards from the PacWest, Heartland, RMAC and most recently, Lone Star Conferences. 

Beatty’s teams at WNMU have continued to improve with each passing season. The quality recruits who commit to WNMU and Beatty’s no-nonsense approach to athletics and academics seems to be a popular one for newcomers — stressing that great golf, solid classroom performance, and learning people skills will increase his players chances of success — is the cornerstone of the Beatty philosophy.

“We are a small school in a small town, which some future student-athletes look as a weakness. I choose to look at as a strength. It’s not all about golf at WNMU … golf is the fun part. We want our athletes to travel, graduate, and be able to handle life’s problems head-on, through hard work and communication. If they can do that, then they will have a great four years here,” says Beatty.

A Class A member of the PGA of America, Coach Beatty started one of New Mexico’s golf dynasties at Ruidoso High School, a team that has captured five state championship trophies in recent years and continues to churn out top players that are also excellent students. Beatty also served on the NGCA All-American Committee and was the NMAA High School Golf Committee’s chairman for seven years.

“The exciting part to me about coaching golf at Western New Mexico is that fact that our weather gives us a great opportunity to attract quality players from around the world. We always give the area student-athletes the first chance, but they often want to get away from home and that opens the door to some great players from out-of-state or even out of country. I love to teach golf, so those that want to learn on the range and in the classroom have a great opportunity here. It’s a real joy to be around those individuals and see them grow,” says Beatty.

“To me, the most rewarding aspect of coaching golf is the finished product. It’s a great feeling when you talk to your former players, see them with their own families and being successful in business and in life. It’s kind of neat to know that they call from time to time as 30-40-year-olds and talk about life, old times, and to see what “Coach” is up to…. and sometimes just because they need to get chewed out again … for old times sake.”