2015-16: Holly Clark begins her third season as the associate head coach and sixth season overall with the Vanderbilt women’s golf team after spending two seasons as the head coach at Carson Newman College.
Clark assists head coach Greg Allen with all facets of the program, including individual workouts and practices, recruiting, and on-the-course coaching.
Clark has helped guide the Commodores to four NCAA Championship appearances and six consecutive NCAA Regional appearances in her time at Vanderbilt. Clark has coached a SEC Player of the Year in Marina Alex, who won two of those awards, a SEC Freshman of the Year in Simin Feng, two first-team All-Americans in Alex and Lauren Stratton, and a NCAA regional champion in Jennifer Hahn.
Prior to her arrival at Vanderbilt, Clark began the Carson Newman golf program in January of 2008 as the team’s first head coach, and helped lead the Lady Eagles to their first NCAA Regional appearance in 2010 and the South Atlantic Conference Championship in their first year of existence in 2009. Clark had an individual compete in the NCAA Regional in the program’s first year in 2009, and coached a NGCA All-American and an Academic All-American in 2009-10.
“I’m really excited to have Holly as a part of our program and golf family,” said Vanderbilt head coach Greg Allen. “She has tremendous intitiative and drive, which she demonstrated when she started a college golf program at Carson Newman before she came to work at Vanderbilt. She has a wonderful personality filled with southern charm that the Vanderbilt community has fallen in love with.”
Before her arrival at Carson Newman, Clark was a four-year standout player at the University of Tennessee, where she helped lead the Volunteers to the 2006 NCAA East Regional title. The Morristown, Tenn., native turned in one of her top individual finishes at the Southeastern Conference Championships that same year, when she placed 12th. Clark also finished eighth at the Mercedes-Benz Women’s Collegiate Championships in 2004.
Off the course at Tennessee, she was named to the All-SEC Good Works team and earned Academic All-SEC honors. She also earned National Golf Coaches Association Academic All-America honors as a senior.
Originally from Morristown, Tenn., Clark was a standout at nearby Morristown West High School, where she led the Lady Trojans to a state title in 2003 and captured state medalist honors. She was named East Tennessee High School Player of the Year as a senior.
Holly and her husband Chris reside in Brentwood, Tenn., with their daughter, Harper Kenley, who was born on April 17, 2013.