The Golf Coaches Association of America announced Thursday its 2026 Hall of Fame class.
Nick Clinard, Pat Goss, Jake Harrington and Jamie Howell will be inducted at the GCAA Hall of Fame Reception and Awards Dinner on Monday, Dec. 7, at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Clinard is entering his 18th season as the Auburn men's golf coach, and the Tigers have won two of the past three NCAA Men's Golf Championship titles. He won Golfweek's Coach of the Year honors following the 2023-24 season and has helped Auburn to an SEC-leading 64 tournament victories and 55 individual medalists since he was hired. His 74 career team tournament victories are the most by an active Division I men’s coach and eighth in NCAA Division I Men’s Golf history.
Goss was head men's coach at at Northwestern 1996-2014 and Director of Golf and Player Development 2007-25. A four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (1997, 1999-2001) and two-time Region Coach of the Year (1997, 1999), Goss’ Wildcats won 30 team and 37 individual tournaments, four Big Ten Championships (1999-2001, 2006), and had five Big Ten individual championships (2000-01, 2006, 2009-10). They made 14 NCAA Regional and seven NCAA Championship appearances, recording two of the program’s 10 best finishes at an NCAA Championship.
One of the most successful men’s golf coaches in NJCAA history, Harrington was head coach at South Mountain Community College for six seasons (2007-13). A six-time NJCAA Division II West Region Coach of the Year, his Cougars won 41 team tournaments, highlighted by NJCAA Division II Championships in 2010, 2012, and 2013. Harrington is the current men's head coach at New Mexico and also coached at Little Rock for 10 seasons.
Howell is entering his 25th season as head coach at Eastern Florida State College. He has coached the men’s program since 2002, advancing to the NJCAA Division I National Championship all 24 seasons and leading the Titans to 58 team victories and 10 NJCAA District (District IV/Southeast) Championships (2007-09, 2013, 2015-17, 2019-20, 2023). More than 80 of Howell’s players have transferred to four-year colleges on golf scholarships/aid.
In 1980, the GCAA began inducting outstanding men’s college golf coaches into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame. Since then, the hall has grown to include more than 170 members. To be selected to the Hall of Fame, a coach must be nominated by their peers and then selected by the GCAA Hall of Fame Committee. Selection criteria not only include a coach's record on the golf course, but also their contributions to the game, student-athletes, and school.
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Auburn's Nick Clinard highlights 2026 GCAA Hall of Fame class
