Northwest reinstates golf; Brickley named head coach
Northwest to also add first women’s golf program in MACCC
Credit: Northwest Mississippi Community College sports information
For the first time since 2017, men’s golf will return to Northwest Mississippi Community College in time for the 2024-25 academic year.
Additionally, Northwest will also introduce women’s golf for the first time in the institution’s history, becoming the first MACCC program to add the sport. The addition of women’s golf will coincide with the return of men’s golf.
Overseeing both programs will be Ryan Brickley, a certified member and instructor of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA of America).
“We are thrilled to bring back men’s golf at Northwest,” Northwest President Dr. Michael J. Heindl said. “In addition to that, we have added women’s golf, which will add even more athletic opportunities for female sports at the college. We are continuing to build upon the great tradition of athletic excellence at Northwest, and I am very excited about Coach Brickley and the great student athletes that will now represent Northwest in both programs.”
“I am excited to have someone like Ryan (Brickley) come and revive golf at Northwest,” athletic director Jake Gordon said. “He is someone that can come in and hit the ground recruiting and build a team for next school year.”
Brickley arrives at Northwest after spending the previous two years as a risk supervisor and administrator of Superbook Sports, located in the Westgate Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Prior to that, Brickley spent nearly 12 years as the General Manager and Director of Golf for the Rocky River Golf Club, located in Concord, N.C.
While at Rocky River Golf Club, Brickley helped the facility host the 2015 PGA Tour Qualifier for the Wells Fargo Championship, along with multiple other PGA sectional qualifiers. The RRGC has also consistently ranked as the No. 1 public course in the Charlotte market and within the top 30 among all public and resort courses in North Carolina.
From 2008-10, Brickey also served as a head golf professional at Olde Sycamore Golf Plantation in Charlotte, helping increase memberships and participation by over 30 percent in the first 12 months. Other experience includes stints at Ballantyne Country Club from 2006-08 and NorthStone Country Club from 2001-03, while also co-hosting the golf show “On the Green” for former Charlotte sports talk radio station, WFNZ AM 610.
Brickey also served as the Director of Instruction and General Manager for The Michael Jordan Golf Company from 1998-2001, a facility voted as “The Best New Range in America” by Golf Range Times magazine in 1999. He also spent time as a head golf professional at Tamarack Golf Club in Naperville, Ill. from June 1997 to December 1998.
Brickey was certified as a Class “A” member of the PGA of America in 1996 and served as a lead instructor for PGA HOPE, working with disabled veterans. He was also a member of the Carolinas PGA Section REACH committee from 2018-21.
Brickley holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from Miami University, which he earned in 1992. While at Miami, he completed the university’s international study program in Luxembourg.
“I am excited to meet the faculty and become a part of the Northwest family,” Brickley said. “I want to build a golf program that will help the student-athletes reach both their academic and athletic potential, and I cannot wait to add golf to the long list of successful athletic programs at Northwest.”
Northwest will begin play during the Fall 2024 semester. Additional information on the men’s and women’s golf programs can be found in the coming weeks and months on nwccrangers.com, with social media pages coming soon.
