Eastern Names Jennings As Head Women's Golf Coach
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Stephanie Jennings, former EMU golfer and the assistant PGA professional at Meadowbrook Country Club, has been named the new head women's golf coach at Eastern Michigan University, Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee announced today, Sept. 7.
"We are excited to welcome Stephanie back to Eastern Michigan as our next head women's golf coach," said Wetherbee. "Her enthusiasm and knowledge of the game made her the perfect candidate to lead our program."
This will be Jennings' first foray into the college coaching scene, but she's no stranger to amateur golf having been employed for 13 years at various levels of the golf industry along with her own collegiate career. A native of Pemberville, Ohio, Jennings played in 82 rounds for the Eagles between 1996 and 2000. She tallied a 79.7 scoring average with nine top-five finishes and 17 top-10 showings during her EMU career.
"Becoming the head women's golf coach at EMU is truly a dream opportunity; something for which I have a great passion," added Jennings. "As a former member of the inaugural women's team at Eastern, I have a great connection to EMU and seeing our team be at the top of the Mid-American Conference."
Part of the inaugural recruiting class for the EMU women's golf program, Jennings (then Smoot) was the 1998 Mid-American Conference Golfer of the Year before an official league championship was held, and then followed it up by collecting Second Team All-MAC honors in 1999 and First Team All-MAC accolades in 2000. At the 2000 MAC Championships, Jennings finished fourth as a senior with a final score of 226 (78-75-73) as the team recorded a third-place showing.
The medalist at the 1999 Lady Gopher Invitational, Jennings collected honors off the course as a 1998 Academic All-MAC honoree as well as a 1999 Division I Scholar by the National Golf Coaches Association. For her efforts, she was selected to participate in the 1999 LPGA Jamie Farr Kroger Classic in Sylvania, Ohio. She also took part in numerous amateur tournaments, including a 10th-place finish at the 2002 Michigan Women's Open and the 1998 and 1999 U.S. Women's Amateur Publinks Championships.
Following graduation, Jennings began working as an assistant golf professional at Lakelands Country Club in Brighton, Mich. There she became involved with the Michigan PGA's Assistant's Association and volunteered to be the group's secretary in 2002. From there she moved on to an assistant position with Barton Hills Country Club in Ann Arbor, Mich.
From 2006-11, Jennings was the Director of Golf Programs with the Executive Women's Golf Association (EWGA). During her time at the EWGA, she led the EWGA Championship to a record participation year and earned an ING Industry Honors Award in Tournament Service.
In 2012, Jennings was hired as the director of communications/player development coordinator for the Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA. She returned to Michigan in 2015 as the Director of Player Development for Golf Digest's 42nd best public golf course in the country, Shepherd's Hollow Golf Club, and sister courses Pine Trace Golf Club and Cherry Creek Golf Club.
Most recently, Jennings had been the Assistant PGA Professional at Meadowbrook Country Club in Northville, Mich. In that role, she helped increase women's golf participation at the club by 35 percent by creating a welcome to golf program for new female golfers.
Jennings earned her class A membership from the PGA of America in 2007. She also is a member of the Michigan PGA Board of Directors, the chair of the Michigan PGA Growth of the Game Committee, and a member of the PGA's Employment Committee.
Jennings earned cum laude recognition upon graduation from Eastern Michigan with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2000.
