Dalton State Golf Coach Ben Rickett Has Enjoyed Lots of Success Since Starting the Program

Dalton, GA-(WDEF-TV) Dalton State did not have a golf team until 2013, and now, they already have an NAIA national championship.
Head coach Ben Rickett has been there since day one to witness the Road Runners incredible journey on the lynx.

Ben Rickett’s office can no longer hold all the awards from his Dalton State golf team.
Something Rickett could not have envisioned when he started the program nearly a decade ago.
Said Rickett:”You can go back to that first week of starting the program. I sat in an office for a week and had a pencil and paper and didn’t write anything down. It’s very kind of surreal starting something. If anyone asks me to do it again, I’ll definitely say no.”
Having great courses around Dalton helped Rickett’s Road Runners rise to the top, along with some friendly advice.
Said Rickett:”My wife gave me a little bit of a heads-up too. She’s a Daltonian. She has been here her whole life. She said you better win, and you better win quickly because Dalton doesn’t like losing at anything. Our first conference championship in 2015 I believe it was. That was a strange one because you had Coastal Georgia in the conference that had gone undefeated the whole year. We almost needed a miracle to beat this team, and again, evidently a miracle happened.”
It’s almost miraculous that Dalton State has produced four Jack Nicklaus award winners, an honor that goes to America’s top college golfer on each college level.
Said Rickett:”When Erik our SID told me. He said you do know that you are second all time in all divisions. (for Nicklaus awards) I said what do you mean. He said Oklahoma State has five. Georgia Tech, Arizona State, and Dalton State all have four.”
The Road Runners captured the national title last month with a yes sir, Jack Nicklaus moment.
On the final hole, Ben Rebne dropped a birdie bomb to seal a one shot victory.
Said Rickett:”Obviously you can tell by the amateur video. Footage of the hand shaking all over the place that we weren’t quite expecting the 25-footer to go in. Again this team just did a phenomenal job across the board.”