MARTIN, Tenn. – Friends of the University of Tennessee at Martin golf program gathered over the weekend at the Rhodes Golf Center for a surprise ceremony as the outdoor portion of the facility was branded “Jerry Carpenter Practice Grounds”, honoring the former head coach.
Carpenter has spent over 60 years at UT Martin, including 18 seasons as the Skyhawks’ head golf coach. He led the program to unprecedented heights as UT Martin won its first-ever Ohio Valley Conference golf championship in 2016. A two-time OVC Coach of the Year, Carpenter presided over two OVC Golfers of the Year, three straight OVC medalists from 2015-17 and three consecutive OVC Freshmen of the Year from 2013-15. Overall, he coached 30 All-OVC, All-OVC Tournament or All-OVC Newcomer honorees until his retirement from coaching in 2020.
The Newbern, Tenn. native has remained on the Skyhawk golf coaching staff as a volunteer assistant, aiding the program to two more OVC championships in 2021 and 2022. Carpenter has additionally served as a big influence on a program that has earned an unprecedented nine OVC Team Sportsmanship Awards for the sport of golf over the past decade.
A 1966 UT Martin graduate, Carpenter was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2021.