Kelley Hester Golf Academy
Head Coach Kelly Hester
The first six-plus years of Kelley Hester’s career as a collegiate head coach were spent almost exclusively trying to put programs on the map. On June 6, 2007, Hester traded in the opportunity to build for the decidedly different challenge of helping maintain and further the status of a traditional national powerhouse. Hester was introduced as the head coach at the University of Georgia, her alma mater, just weeks after coaching Stacy Lewis, a relatively unheralded prep recruit when she signed with Arkansas, to an individual national title.
Kelley Hester and the University of Georgia are a match made in Bulldog heaven. To say that Hester, a three-time All-SEC performer for UGA in the mid-1990s, accepted her dream job would be a gross understatement.
“It’s hard for me to put into words how much this opportunity means to me,” said a beaming Hester when hired. “The University of Georgia has given me so much, and I’m excited about the opportunity to come home and give back. In my mind, there’s nothing better than being a Bulldog.”
If her results prior to returning to Athens are any indication, Georgia Golf couldn’t be in better hands. In six years at UNLV and Arkansas, Hester guided those institutions – one literally in its infancy and another mired in mediocrity – and quickly lifted them to heights previously thought improbable, if not impossible. Hester brought with her to Georgia the same work ethic and dedication that provided stellar results in Las Vegas and Fayetteville.
While she is excited about returning to UGA, Hester is anything but complacent. She is simply eager to add to Georgia’s storied history and pay homage to her predecessors such as Liz Murphey and Beans Kelly, who worked tirelessly to make Athens a centerpiece of the women’s college golf universe.
A proven track record
The path Hester took in returning to Athens was impressive. A native of Macon and a Bulldog fan since the day she was born, Hester was a standout golfer for Georgia from 1992-96. After two years on the Futures Tour (1996-97), a stint as an assistant pro at Idle Hour Club in Macon (1997-99) and a season as head coach at Mercer (1998-99), Hester returned the Bulldogs as an assistant coach for three highly
successful teams from 1999-01.
Hester was named UNLV’s initial head coach in February 2001 and was charged with building a team from scratch to begin competition the following fall. Hester’s recruiting efforts paid immediate dividends as she put together the nucleus of a roster that would make the NCAA Championships in just its second season of existence. In only the fourth tournament in UNLV history, Hwanhee Lee captured medalist honors at the Lady Aztec Invitational. The Lady Rebels wrapped up 2002-03 with a significant team milestone – breaking 300 for the first time in the final round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.
Though Hester left UNLV after one season to venture closer to her SEC roots, her influence on the Lady Rebel program continued. Sunny Oh, another Hester signee, led UNLV to an NCAA Championship bid in 2004. Oh won the 2004 West Regional and finished 11th at the NCAAs as a freshman. After placing UNLV on remarkably solid ground, Hester had a similar effect on an Arkansas program which by its own admission had lost its direction.
She upgraded the Lady Razorbacks’ schedule and recruiting efforts and quickly reversed Arkansas’ fortunes on the course. Arkansas won two team titles, produced one medalist and made just one appearance in the NCAA Regionals during its first seven seasons of existence. Hester led Arkansas to a pair of victories in her first fall in Fayetteville, a campaign that culminated with the Lady Razorbacks making their first of five straight NCAA Regional appearances. Arkansas advanced through Regional play for the first time ever in 2005 and posted its first top-10 effort a year later. All the while, the Lady Razorbacks were excelling individually as well. Four different golfers claimed a combined 13 individual titles under Hester, headlined by Lewis’ 2007 NCAA title.
Not that long a wait, really
Less than two weeks after helping Lewis to her national title Hester became the fourth head coach in Georgia women’s golf history. And after putting UNLV and Arkansas on the map, she took aim on taking the Bulldogs, a program she helped build both as a player and assistant coach, to even greater heights.
“I teed it up for the first time as a Bulldog in 1992, and I think knew then I wanted to be a coach and ultimately coach here,” Hester said. “So this has been a while coming in those terms. But this is actually only my 10th year coaching. I’d love to say that I’ve waited a really long time to do this, but I feel like I’m so fortunate to be here at 33.”
In many ways, the hiring of Hester emulated a tried and true method of success in Athens. Georgia has been extremely successful entrusting youthful head coaches, most with collegiate playing careers as Bulldogs, and watching as their programs blossomed into nation’s elite in their respective sports.
Among those: Jack Bauerle, who has won four NCAA titles and was head coach of the 2008 U.S. Women’s Olympic Swimming Team; Andy Landers, a four-time national coach of the year whose Lady Bulldogs have reached five Final Fours; baseball’s David Perno, who has led UGA to three College World Series in just seven seasons; Jeff Wallace, who has led Georgia to two NCAA titles in women’s tennis; and Suzanne Yoculan, whose Gym Dogs have captured nine NCAA titles including the last four crowns.
Hester’s history in Athens was a solid indicator of her potential to match those performances. She was a member of Bulldog squads that finished fourth at the 1993 NCAAs and won the 1993 and 1994 SEC Championships. During her tenure as an assistant, Georgia placed second and seventh at the 1999 and 2000 NCAAs, respectively, and won the 2001 national title shortly after she departed for UNLV. Hester also was a standout off the course. As a senior, she served as the female student-athlete representative to the University of Georgia’s Athletic Board and also was president of UGA’s Student- Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC).
A peek at the future
With the storied history of Georgia Golf already secured, there aren’t many “firsts” left for the Bulldogs to achieve as Hester’s teams have in her previous coaching stops. However, even a quick conversation with Hester about her Athens aspirations includes the words “national titles”...with a distinct emphasis on that “s.”
Assistant Coach Margaret Shirley
Margaret Shirley, a native of Roswell, Ga., and a two-time winner of the Yamaha Georgia Women's Open, joined the University of Georgia women's golf program as an assistant coach on July 2009.
"Margaret brings many great things to the table," head coach Kelley Hester said. "She has great ties to junior golf and golf in general inside the state of Georgia. I feel Margaret will be able to give us an edge with recruiting of our in-state players, and she also will be a wonderful asset in terms of outreach to clubs all over the state. One of my primary goals is to help with grassroots efforts in growing girls' golf in the state. I think that Margaret can definitely assist with that. She has worked for the Atlanta Junior Golf Association for quite a few years in the summers."
Shirley was a standout golfer at Auburn from 2004-08 and is one of seven players in the program's history to compete in four straight NCAA Championships. She won the Georgia Women's Open in both 2006 and 2008 while competing as an amateur.
"This is just a tremendous opportunity to come work at the University of Georgia and work for Kelley," Shirley said. "I have so much respect for her as a coach, but I have even more respect for her as a person. To be able to work with her and learn from her as I start my coaching career is something I'm very excited about."
Shirley was a three-time All-SEC performer for the Tigers and also was named to the SEC Community Service Team on three occasions. She helped Auburn capture back-to-back SEC Championships during her freshman and sophomore years, placing third individually in 2006 after tying for 16th in 2005. Shirley also led the Tigers at the 2008 SECs where she tied for fourth in the individual field.
Shirley enjoyed a successful junior career, both on the AJGA and prep levels. She recorded five top-10 finishes on the AJGA Tour, including three top-five performances. Shirley helped Lassiter High School capture the Georgia AAAAA state title as a freshman in 2001 and tied (with former Georgia All-American Garrett Phillips) for medalist honors at the 2004 Georgia AAAAA State Championships as a senior.
"Margaret came along the same route that I did, playing in little tournaments in the state, then bigger tournaments in the state, then bigger tournaments all over the country," Hester said. "Then, before you know it, you’re a SEC golfer. She’s a strong competitor and a very good golfer and will continue to play a little bit here and there in tournaments and to play with the girls.”