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On Tuesday, Aug. 1, Troy University announced the hiring of new head men’s golf coach Clay Bounds.

Bounds comes to Troy after four years as an assistant coach at West Virginia.

“Our golf program enjoys a tradition of excellence, and Clay Bounds is the right leader to build on this legacy,” Troy University Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr. said. “We have invested in the best practice facility in the Sun Belt Conference. Coach Bounds’ selection underscores our commitment to ensuring our program continues to compete at the highest level. I am confident the best for Trojan Golf lies in our future.”

Former Troy Coach Forrest Schultz resigned from his position last month to accept an assistant coaching job at the University of Alabama. Bounds is a Meridian, Miss., native, who played college golf at Meridian Community College before transferring to Birmingham Southern College and ending his playing career at Mississippi State University. He earned Freshman of the Year at Meridian College and was named All-Tournament three times there. As a senior in 2012, Bounds qualified for the SEC Championship for MSU.

Following his playing career, Bounds spent 2012-2013 as a student assistant at MSU and then took over as an assistant coach at Rice in 2014. He remained at Rice until accepting the position at West Virginia in 2019.

During his time at WVU, Bounds helped coach and mentor the school’s first-ever golf All-American Mark Goetz and eventual PGA Tour Canada winner Etienne Papineau.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Clay Bounds, his wife Jessica, and their three young sons to the Troy Family,” Troy Athletic Director Brent Jones said. “Clay is widely considered one of the best assistant golf coaches in Division I. He has incredible experience as a golfer competing at nationally ranked junior college and in the SEC at Mississippi State. Additionally, he has nine years of successful coaching at Rice and West Virginia. He is known as a tireless and great recruiter, coupled with his connectivity to the student-athletes, his knowledge of golf and his passion and vision for Troy Men’s Golf.”

The West Virginia golf team shot a combined 56 rounds under par and 401 total birdies during the 2022-2023 season and shot a 281 at the Big 12 Championship, which was a postseason school record.

“One Troy! That statement gets me pumped. My family and I are so excited to join Troy Nation,” Bounds said. “It is an honor to be named the next head coach for the men’s golf team. I would like to thank Chancellor Hawkins and Athletic Director Bent Jones for believing in me as a coach but more importantly, as a person. My time at West Virginia has been incredible. I want to thank Sean Covich for his unwavering friendship and mentorship. To my former players, I cherish our time together. Thank you for all the memories and camaraderie. Coaching is such a rewarding job, and we wouldn’t be where we are without the student-athletes. We cannot wait to get settled in Troy and to continue building on an already storied program. Let’s sharpen those swords.”