Jay Hardwick Head Coach
Golf

Jay Hardwick is in his 27th season at Virginia Tech. During that time, Hardwick has developed the Hokie golf program into one that not only wins, but does so the right way. Academic integrity, solid fundamentals and a sense of right are trademarks of this program. The Hokies don’t just win, they achieve.

With his attention to detail and the support of an outstanding group of boosters, he has brought Hokie golf into national prominence. The Hokies have appeared in three consecutive NCAA Regionals, including last year’s trip to Austin, Texas to the Southwest Regional. The previous year, senior Jurrian van der Vaart advanced to the 2008 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship, where he finished ninth individually.

Hardwick, never one to prize individual honors, nonetheless continues to acquire them. In January of 2008, Hardwick was inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America’s Hall of Fame. The honor is a further testament to the mark Hardwick has left on collegiate golf and the golf world as a whole. He received the award at the association’s annual banquet in Orlando, and sharing the dais with Hardwick and the two other inductees was golf legend Arnold Palmer, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the GCAA.

Hardwick was named the 2005 recipient of the Bill Strausbaugh Award presented by the Middle Atlantic PGA. This award bestows special recognition on a PGA member who has made significant contributions through mentoring of PGA Professionals and through involvement in community and charitable activities. The award was presented at the Middle Atlantic PGA Hall of Fame Awards Banquet on November 12, 2005, in Richmond. 

He also received the inaugural Labron Harris Sr. Award, given by E-Z-GO Textron, in association with the PGA of America. The award is presented to the college or high school coach and PGA Professional whose support of the game through teaching, coaching and involvement in the community has helped ensure the continued growth of the game and represent the finest qualities the game has to offer. Hardwick received that award at the Golf Coaches Association of America Honor Awards Banquet on January 12, 2005 in New Orleans.

Hardwick counts among his proudest moments the 2009 induction of former player and current Associate Head Coach Brian Sharp into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, as well as being named the recipient  of the 2009 National Assistant Coach of the Year, as selected by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

The Hokies embarked on a new era in 2004, when the school joined the Atlantic Coast Conference, the top golf conference in the country. Hardwick jumped right in with hard work, and with the continued support of loyal friends and alumni, began a program to improve facilities and continue the quest to remain among the elite programs in collegiate golf. 

When the Virginia Tech community was rocked by the tragedy of April 16, 2007, Hardwick mourned with his players and then went about helping the community in the best way he knew how: he and his team of achievers captured one of the most improbable, but well-earned, ACC titles in any sport. His group of players, with tears in their eyes and a strong will, tied Georgia Tech for the 2007 ACC Golf Championship six days after the tragedy.

Upon entering the BIG EAST Conference in 2001, Hardwick and the Hokies established their place among the best in collegiate golf. Tech had a streak of four consecutive trips to the NCAA Division I Golf Regionals from 2001 to 2004, including two appearances in the finals.

In the spring of 2001, Hardwick led the Hokies to the BIG EAST Conference Golf Championship and an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Golf Championship. Hardwick was named the 2001 BIG EAST Conference Golf Coach of the Year and the Virginia Collegiate Golf Coach of the Year. In the spring of 2002, the Hokies and Hardwick repeated their BIG EAST accomplishments and accolades. In 2003, the Hokies made it a BIG EAST three-peat, while Hardwick picked up his third consecutive coach of the year award. Tech’s final year in the BIG EAST saw the Hokies finish second in the league.

A tireless worker, Hardwick has taken on even more duties and responsibilities over the past six years. In January 2003, he was named Director of Golf Operations at Virginia Tech, a position that not only continues his stewardship over the Virginia Tech Golf Course, but also the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech. “The River” underwent a major renovation under renowned golf course architect Pete Dye. The renovation included a new state-of-the-art practice facility for the golf team and other amenities that afford Hokie golfers one of the finest team-oriented practice complexes in the nation.

With Virginia Tech’s move to the Atlantic Coast Conference and the course and practice facilities at the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech, Hardwick’s Hokie program has moved even higher in the world of collegiate golf.

Recruiting is an international process and every year Hardwick draws top young golfers to play at Tech. He also has built a solid financial foundation for the program, receiving 27 endowed scholarships over the past 23 years. These scholarships will allow numerous student-athletes to continue their careers at the collegiate level.

A true professional and proven recruiter who emphasizes the ideal of the student-athlete, Hardwick has built the Tech golf program around players who are standouts in the classroom as well as on the golf course. During Hardwick’s years, the graduation rate for golfers who have completed their eligibility at Tech is 99 percent. Virginia Tech placed different players on consecutive Academic All-America squads. The Hokies’ Jake Allison was named to the 1985 Golf Coaches Association Academic All-America team and Mark Teachey claimed the same honor in 1986. In 2006 Carl Wakely received this same prestigious recognition, now referred to as an All-American Scholar. The academic success of the Hokies continues to grow, as van der Vaart was named the  2008 Virginia Tech ACC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and he and Drew Weaver became the fourth and fifth All-American Scholars in Tech history. Weaver became the first Tech player to earn this distinction twice when he was named an All-American Scholar again in 2009. He made it two years straight for Hokie golfers when he was named the 2009 Virginia Tech ACC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

Two members of the Hokies’ BIG EAST Conference championship teams, Johnson Wagner and Brendon de Jonge, have graduated from successful stints on the Nationwide Tour and competed on the PGA Tour. Wagner won the 2008 Shell Houston Open and with it, a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour. De Jonge was named the Nationwide Tour Player of the Year in 2008, after finishing second on the money list. In doing so, he earned his card for the PGA Tour, and retained his playing priveleges for 2010.

A look at Hardwick’s accomplishments the past 26 years shows just how successful he and his Hokies have been. His teams have finished in the top 10 of 217 tournaments and have won 30 tournaments, including eight conference championships in four different conferences. With the 2007 ACC title, Hardwick becomes the only coach in history to have captured conference titles in four separate leagues with the same school.

Since 1993, Hardwick’s teams have won the conference championship eight times and have placed second four times. In 2001, Virginia Tech claimed the BIG EAST Conference Championship in just its first season of competition in the league, duplicated the feat in 2002 and made it a three-peat in 2003, staging a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Notre Dame on the Irish’s home course. His team captured the Atlantic 10 Championship in 1996 and 1997, and in 1993 and 1994 won back-to-back Metro Conference Championships. In 2007, he added the ACC Championship to his resume. In the past 12 seasons, 11 Tech players were named to the A-10 All-Conference team and 10 more earned All-BIG EAST honors. In 2008, van der Vaart became the first-ever Hokie to earn ACC all-conference honors, an honor that Weaver earned in 2009. Hardwick has had 43 players named to the all-state team, 33 to all-conference teams, eight to the GCAA All-Region teams and has produced 11 All-Americans.

Hardwick has received numerous honors during his career. He won the BIG EAST Conference Coach of the Year Award in each of the Hokies’ first three seasons in the league. In his first two years in the Atlantic 10, he was chosen that conference’s coach of the year. He was named Metro Conference Coach of the Year in 1992 and 1993. Hardwick also received the inaugural 1993 Virginia Collegiate Coach of the Year award and was selected for the same honor again in 1994 and 2001. In January 2001, Hardwick served as an instructor at the Hall of Fame Teaching and Coaching Seminar at Walt Disney World Golf Resort. He was one of six coaches selected to present the two-day seminar prior to the GCAA annual convention and PGA Merchandise Show.

In January 2008, at the Golf Coaches Association of America annual convention, Coach Hardwick was presented with the GCAA Service Award. The award was presented for outstanding service to Virginia Tech and the sport of golf for the last 25 years. 

On July 13, 1994, Hardwick received one of his greatest honors when he was selected as the 11th inductee to the Virginia PGA Hall of Fame, making him the youngest member of this elite group. In addition, the coaching members of the Golf Coaches Association of America named him the NCAA Golf Coach of the Year for District 3-North for the 1993-94 season.

In the summer of 1992, Hardwick was chosen to coach Team USA at the World Junior Team Championship, held in Izumo City, Japan. It marked the first time the United States had officially sponsored a junior team in international competition. Team USA won the gold medal in the 12-team tournament, with pre-tournament favorite Sweden finishing second, 18 strokes behind. Four of Team USA’s players placed in the top 10, including Justin Roof of Conway, S.C., who captured the individual title.

On January 1, 1988, Hardwick was recognized as one of the nation’s Outstanding Young Americans by Who’s Who in Society for “distinguished accomplishments, which have been demonstrated through unparalleled excellence in professional and civic affairs.”

Hardwick has twice been selected by the NCAA to serve as an instructor at the Youth Education through Sports (YES) golf clinic, which is held at the site of the NCAA Golf Championship. He conducted a clinic in 1990 at Innisbrook, Fla., and again in 1996 in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Hardwick served on the NCAA Golf District Advisory Committee for three years from 1994 to 1997 and was chairman of District 3-North in his last year. In addition, he also was a member of the GCAA Wilson Coaches Top 25 Poll and the Golf Digest Collegiate Poll, and currently serves on the All-Region Committee.

In October of 1991, Norwegian Cruise Lines selected Hardwick to serve as the golf coordinator in their NFL/PGA Instruction Program. He conducted golf clinics on the five southern Caribbean Islands of Barbados, Martinique, St. Marteen, Antigua and St. Thomas.

Coach Hardwick has been an instructor at the Championship Coaches Golf School since 1986. During that time he has taught at 67 golf schools.

Hardwick was elected president of the BIG EAST Golf Coaches Association for the 2003-04 season. He has also served as a liaison between the GCAA and the PGA of America.

Coach Hardwick has compiled an impressive list of playing accomplishments. He won the 1981 Spalding International Professional Championship in Castle Harbour, Bermuda, and was low pro in the Virginia PGA State Open in 1976. He qualified for the National PGA Club Professional Championship in 1978, 1988 and 1992 and was selected by the PGA as a member of the Yamaha Cup team in 1988.

In both 1989 and 1992, Hardwick compiled a 72.5 competitive stroke average and was a member of the winning team in the 1989 PGA/VSGA team matches.

In 1995 he won the Middle Atlantic PGA Head Professional Championship after he birdied the last five holes to win by one stroke. That year, he also won the Bobby Jones/Homestead Invitational at the Lower and Upper Cascades with rounds of 68-65 for a seven-shot victory. In addition, he was named a member of the PGA Challenge Cup Team for 1995, 1996 and 1997. Hardwick also holds five course records, two tournament records and has twice shot 29 in competition. In the Fall of 2009, less than a year after reconstructive shoulder surgery, Hardwick accomplished perhaps the most impressive feat of his playing career by winning the State Senior Open of Virginia. He birdied four of the last five holes for a first-round score of 69 and led by a shot. A second-consecutive 69 propelled him to a one-stroke victory.

An excellent player and teacher of the game, Hardwick became Director of Golf at Virginia Tech in the spring of 1983. On January 1, 2003, Hardwick was promoted to the position of Director of Golf Operations. In addition to serving as head golf coach, he is responsible for the staffs and overall operation of both the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech and the Virginia Tech Golf Course.

A Narrows, Va., native, Hardwick is a past vice president of the Virginia chapter of the Middle Atlantic PGA. He has also served on the tournament rules and regulations committee, the membership committee, and the employment and club relations committee. He has been a head professional for 36 years and is a Class “A” Member, Quarter Century Club Member and Life Member of the PGA of America.

Hardwick played collegiate golf for the same team he now coaches. During his four-year playing career at Tech, the Hokies posted a 64-9 match play record and won three straight state intercollegiate championships. Hardwick was a four-year letterman for Tech and captain of the 1971 squad that claimed the state crown.

After graduating in 1971 with a degree in business administration, Hardwick turned pro and played for a year on the Florida winter tour. In 1973 he became the head professional at Giles Country Club in Pearisburg, Va., where he developed an outstanding junior golf program. He held that position for 10 years before returning to his alma mater. Upon his departure, the club members presented him and his family with a lifetime membership.

Hardwick, who officiated high school and college basketball for 25 years, retired from the sport in 1997 after working more than 1,000 games.

He is married to the former Celia Martin of Pembroke, Va. The couple has a son Cris, daughter-in-law Melissa and grandsons Jacob and Aiden, who reside in Fredericksburg.