Dismuke Hired as Head Golf Coach at Houston
Jul 15, 2009 | Men's Golf
July 15, 2009
HOUSTON - Texas A&M assistant men's golf coach Jonathan Dismuke has been hired as head coach at the University of Houston.
"We are very happy and excited for Diz and (his fiancee) Maggie but at the same time we are sad to see them go," A&M Head Coach J.T. Higgins said. "Diz is one of the best young coaches in the country. He is a tireless worker, a terrific recruiter and a good communicator. We are thankful for the year he gave to Texas A&M and wish him the best of luck."
Dismuke, who became the sixth head coach in the program's history, joins the Cougars after helping lead the Aggies to their first NCAA golf national title in May with a 3-2 win against Arkansas in the final match.
"The last year as been the best year of my life," Dismuke said. "It will always be special to me and my family and I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to work at such an outstanding university. I appreciate everything J.T., (Director of Athletics) Bill Byrne, (Senior Associate Athletics Director) Jeff Schmahl, (Deputy Athletic Director) Penny King and all the people at A&M for all they did to help make us successful.
"When I came to A&M, I wanted to learn all I could from J.T., who I thought was one of the best coaches in college golf," he added. "After working for him for a year, I have no doubt that he's the best coach in the country."
Houston's golf program ranks among the best in NCAA history, winning 16 NCAA team national championships and eight NCAA individual national crowns. The program also has produced 19 team conference champions and 20 individual conference champs and 44 All-America honorees while former Cougars on the PGA Tour have won more than $73 million during their careers.
"Much of what attracted me to the University of Houston is the past success of the golf program," Dismuke said. "It's one of the most decorated programs in collegiate golf history, and I am excited to have the opportunity to be a part of this special program."
Prior to joining Higgins' staff, Dismuke served as an assistant coach at Mississippi from 2006 to 2008. During the 2006-07 season, he helped lead the Rebels to the NCAA East Regional and a fourth-place showing at the SEC Championship.
A native of Calhoun, Miss., Dismuke has a decorated background on the course. He was the 1997 Mississippi State Junior Champion and was the Mississippi Junior Player of the Year in 1998.
As a four-year letterman at Auburn, he competed in four NCAA Regionals and three NCAA Championships and was a member of the 2002 Tiger team that won the SEC championship.
His individual career was highlighted by numerous top-five showings, including a third-place finish at the 2004 NCAA Regional. That same season, he earned All-SEC honors and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
His amateur career included a victory at the Greystone Invitational (Birmingham, Ala.), where he set the competitive course record (65) and the tournament scoring record (202). He also set the Course Record at Mobile Country Club (Mobile, Ala.) en route to a third-place finish at the 2003 Labor Day Invitational.
Dismuke qualified for the 1999 USGA U.S. Public Links Championship and the 2002 and 2004 U.S. Amateurs.
In addition, he played two years of professional golf on the NGA Hooters Tour and received the NGA Golf Achievement Award in 2005. He also attended he PGA Tour Qualifying School in 2004 and 2005.
Dismuke received his bachelor¹s degree in education from Auburn in 2004.
He is engaged to marry Maggie Bussman in November.
