Chan Metts was announced as the new head coach for women’s golf at App State on Thursday.
Before coming to App State, he served as the head coach for both women’s and men’s golf at Charleston Southern. As head coach of the women’s team at Charleston Southern, he led them to a NCAA Regional berth and a 2024 conference title, making it the team’s first appearance in 14 years.
“Winning a conference championship is never easy, which shows he is more than capable of bringing the program to new levels,” said Georgia Southern head coach and App State graduate Mimi Burke.
Metts is also 2024’s Big South Women’s Golf Coach of the Year.
“What an honor to be here,” Metts said during a press conference held Thursday where Director of Athletics Doug Gillin introduced him to App State.
In attendance were other head coaches for App State Athletics as well as Phillip Byers from the Board of Governors.
“It’s a big deal when we hire a head coach at Appalachian State,” Gillin said. “The head coaches here are the backbone of our university athletic department.”
Before his coaching career, Metts worked in the Department of Juvenile Justice for seven years in his home state of Georgia. Metts said what he’s learned in that field has helped him in his coaching.
“For me, there’s a couple of things as to why I want to coach,” Metts said. “I truly wake up every day and think that I have the best job in the world. There’s nothing else that I would rather be doing than working with young people on the golf course.”
Metts also shared that his father was a football coach, and he grew up appreciating the process of getting better and putting in the work to prepare for a season. Metts arrived at App State on Monday and the women’s golf team had their first practice on Wednesday. He said he makes practice difficult.
“I want all of my players to be able to look at me 5, 10, 20 years down the road and say ‘I was a better player for having played for you, but more importantly I’m a better person for having played for you,’” Metts said.
Emotions were high in the room as one golfer teared up when Metts spoke about his excitement for working with the team.
Metts’ goals for the team this year include winning the female GPA award and winning the Sun Belt title.
Metts’ goals for the team this year include winning the female GPA award, being the “hardest working team” in the conference and winning the Sun Belt title.
The first match for women’s golf is at Clemson on Monday.
Moving from the coast to the mountains, Metts shared that it has “always been a dream” for him and his wife, Whitney, to live in the area and that they are “ready to be here full time.”
