Men's Golf
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- dsmith@athletics.msstate.edu
- Phone:
- 662-325-2722
Dusty Smith was hired as the Bulldogs' head men's golf coach prior to the 2017-18 season. In his eight-year tenure at State, Smith has guided his teams to a program-record seven NCAA Tournaments, including their first NCAA Championship appearance since 2008. The Bulldogs have won seven individual tournament titles and six team titles in that span, including the first NCAA Regional Championship in school history in 2023. His 37 top-five team finishes entering 2025-26 rank second in MSU history.
Smith has seen four Bulldogs earn GCAA All-Region recognition and guided then-freshman Garrett Endicott to State's first All-American honor in 23 years in 2023. His players have also earned three CoSIDA/CSC Academic All-American honors, three SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards and three All-SEC honors. Eight of the 11 best individual single-season stroke averages in school history have been set under Smith's guidance. In 2024-25, Bulldog golfers compiled 36 rounds in the 60s, which ranked third in program history; the top five season totals in that category have come under Smith.
As a head coach, Smith was also responsible for bringing MSU women's golf head coach Charlie Ewing to Starkville as his assistant. In 2023, Ewing's squad reached the SEC championship match and joined the men in winning its NCAA Regional.
The 2024-25 Bulldogs put together a high level of consistency throughout the season with four top-five finishes and a victory at the Desert Mountain Collegiate. Garrett Endicott was named SEC Golfer of the Week for his runner-up finish at the event, making him the third golfer to receive the honor under Smith's tutelage. Smith's golfers put together 87 rounds of par or better, the third-highest total in program history.
A record-setting 2022-23 season saw Bulldogs post three of the 15 lowest individual rounds in school history, three of the 15 lowest 54-hole totals in school history and four of the top 10 totals for par or better rounds in a season. State broke the school record for team low round with a 265 on its home course at the Mossy Oak Collegiate and the low team 54-hole total with an 823 at the SEC Fall Preview. The Bulldogs combined for 41 individual rounds in the 60s and 120 par or better rounds, both of which were program records.
The previous year saw State reach the match play portion of the SEC Championship for the first time in school history. That was thanks to a 274 second round that was then tied for the second-lowest ever by the Bulldogs.
In the 2020-21 campaign, Ford Clegg matched the school’s 54-hole total record of 198 (15-under), carded a new low round of 63 and claimed his second career-individual win at the Steelwood Collegiate. It was a second straight year of success at the Steelwood, as Clegg also won the title as he led MSU to the team title in 2019-20. State also finished second at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate, with Garrett Johnson finishing second individually, in 2019-20. Johnson was the first Bulldog to win a title under Smith. His 70.81 stroke average set during the 2019-20 season stands as second-best in program history.
Under Smith’s instruction, 2019 GCAA/PING All-Region Team and 2019 Arnold Palmer Cup International Team member Peng Pichaikool went on to play professionally on the Asian Tour. His 71.36 career stroke average stands as the school’s record.
In his debut head coaching season with MSU in 2017-18, Smith led the Bulldogs to six top-five finishes and the program's 10th NCAA Regional appearance. In March and April of 2018, the team took four consecutive top-five finishes, which included a fourth-place finish at State's home event, the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship. Along the way, Smith's squad shot the then-third-lowest 54-hole score in team history with an 834 at the Bighorn Invitational in Palm Desert, California, where the Bulldogs finished second.
The team's performance at the Bighorn Invite bested its season-opening total by one stroke. To start the Dusty Smith era, the Bulldogs shot an 835 at the Bearcat Invitational, which was then the fourth-best score in MSU history and the best season-opening team total on record.
Smith came to Starkville following six years as an assistant at Vanderbilt. During that time, he helped the Commodores reach a program-record four consecutive NCAA Championships, including three straight years of reaching match play. In his final season, Vanderbilt won the stroke play portion of the championship by 12 shots and advanced to the semifinals of match play. Earlier that year the Commodores had captured the program’s first SEC Championship.
Overall, Smith assisted the Commodores to 12 team tournament titles, with 10 players earning individual medalist honors. While at Vanderbilt, seven of his golfers earned All-American status, highlighted by three first-team selections. He also tutored 11 players to All-SEC accolades, with four earning First-Team All-SEC honors.
Vanderbilt saw three players named to the Palmer Cup, while another was selected to play in the Walker Cup during his time in Nashville. He also helped coach the Commodores’ first SEC Player of the Year (Hunter Stewart) in 2015 and the program’s first SEC Freshman of the Year (John Augenstein) in 2017. Stewart and another of Smith’s players, Matthias Schwab, went on to earn exemptions into PGA Tour events.
The 2007 Lamar graduate made the move to Nashville after spending three seasons as the assistant men’s and women’s coach at his alma mater.
With the Cardinals, he helped the men’s team to the 2009 Southland Conference championship and a second-place finish in 2011. Lamar advanced to an NCAA Regional during each of his three seasons.
He helped mentor eight All-Southland Conference Team selections during his time in Beaumont, led by the SLC Player of the Year M.J. Daffue in 2011.
Under his watch, the Lady Cardinals earned six tournament victories, including a second-place showing at the 2011 Southland Conference Tournament. Five women’s golfers earned All-SLC accolades in his three seasons, while Therese Nilsson and Stine Pedersen were named Southland Student-Athletes of the Year in 2009 and 2011, respectively.
The coaching success he has experienced as a coach carried over from a sensational playing career that saw him earn Ping All-America honors and three All-Southland Conference selections while guiding the Cardinals to four-consecutive NCAA Regionals from 2004-07 and a pair of NCAA Championship berths in 2006 and 2007.
The Woodlands, Texas, native earned All-America accolades as a junior as he tied for 10th individually and helped Lamar to a tie for ninth at the 2006 NCAA Championship in Sunriver, Oregon. As a senior, he notched All-SLC honors for the third time as the Cardinals went on to post the program’s best NCAA Championship finish with a tie for third in Williamsburg, Virginia in 2007. Smith inked with Lamar after a stellar prep career at The Woodlands High School that included a 2002 Class 5A state title.
Smith and his wife, Janie, have three daughters: Ella, Scottie and Caroline. Scottie is a childhood cancer survivor, whose fight with the disease during the 2021-22 season led Smith's team to create the Scottie's Birdies campaign to raise funds for the hospital where she received treatment.
What They’re Saying On Dusty Smith:
"Coach Smith is a class act who stands for things that are right. He has an exceptional eye for seeing talent and player development. I know he will establish a vision for taking the program as far as it can go. He also understands our jobs are to help them become men that can have a positive influence in life. He, Janie, and Ella will fully embrace this new venture. I know they will have a ton of success, and we are so happy for them. They have forever left their mark on this program and will be missed by our entire Vanderbilt golf family."
- Scott Limbaugh, Head Coach, Vanderbilt University
“Dusty Smith has been successful at all levels as a player and coach. Playing on two teams at Lamar University that finished ninth and third in back-to-back NCAA Championships is quite an accomplishment. He then carried his momentum into his coaching career in helping Vanderbilt become a golf powerhouse. Mississippi State has hit a home run with Dusty Smith, another great hire in the SEC golf community.”
- Brad McMakin, Head Coach, University of Arkansas
“Dusty is a fine young coach, and I'm sure he will do well at Mississippi State. He has learned from one of the best in Scott Limbaugh, and the two of them have put Vanderbilt on the map. Dusty has the ability to lead, motivate and inspire his players to reach their goals. He knows what it takes to win and will make a tremendous impact on the Mississippi State program."
– Chris Haack, Head Coach, University of Georgia
