By: Arantxa Taberneiro
Sports Writer & Social Media Coordinator
First-year Wingate golf coach Christian Pickerel knew he had big shoes to fill when he was hired in July to replace J.D. Lamm, who left in June to direct the women’s team at Division 1 Troy University in Alabama.
Lamm built Wingate into a national golf power during his five years in charge of the Bulldogs, leading both the men and women’s programs to historic seasons in 2026. The women ranked No. 1 at season’s end and lost in the national semifinals, while the men finished No. 4 and made it all the way to the national championship match, where they lost to No. 2 Florida Southern.
Graduate assistant coach Brian Murtagh unexpectedly left the program after Lamm’s departure, leaving Pickerel to direct both the men’s and women’s teams on his own. So what was a big job already became somewhat overwhelming for the Wingate alum and former Bulldog golfer.
Because the men’s and women’s teams often play in different tournaments each week, Pickerel was only able to travel with one squad when they were both scheduled to play.
“It [was] not very easy . . . because you want to help everyone, but you do not have the time,” Pickerel said about his first days in charge of the program this semester.
Prior to tournaments, Pickerel would typically meet with the team he couldn’t accompany and discuss the course they would be playing while customizing their practice plans to the upcoming tournament venue. He said player statistics enabled him to pinpoint the flaws after their returns without actually viewing the rounds.
Help soon arrived, however, from a familiar face in the form of John Hackney, who was Pickerel’s coach when he was a player for the Bulldogs from 2017 to 2019. Hackney volunteered his services to help out a former player in need upon retiring as head coach at Coker University 2024 after three years there. Ironically, Pickerel served as a volunteer assistant under Hackney during his last season as Wingate coach in 2020.
Hackney began his volunteer duties in late September, traveling with the men’s team to the Lake Lanier Collegiate Classic while Pickerel went with the women.
Sophomore men’s player Finn Ellis said that Hackney provided guidance in terms of course strategy and shared how the team members had performed on the holes with Pickerel.
Sophomore Charles Cirier said Pickerel provides the players with the training schedule on a weekly basis and that having Hackney available to supervise training sessions and provide structure when Pickerel is not available has been invaluable.
Ines Marty, a sophomore on the women’s team, said that having Pickerel at the Savannah Lakes Fall Invitational on Sept. 21-22 helped organize the team better.
“Having him there made things much easier and smoother,” Marty said.
The next tournament overlap begins Oct. 26 and includes participation of the men in the Golfweek Invitational at Fripp Island in South Carolina and the women in the D2 Elite Invitational in Georgia.
