RIPON, Wis. - After a month long search, Ripon College has settled on a new coach of the women's golf program. Cody Pinkston has been selected to replace Bill Peters, who resigned last month after three years at the helm. In addition to that, Pinkston will also assume the head coaching duties for the men's golf squad. He takes that program over from Ron Ernst, who had been men's golf coach for the last 16 seasons. A former golf professional, Pinkston brings with him a wealth of instruction, tournament-operations and playing experience. Pinkston also serves as the director of media and public relations for Ripon College.

A native of Medford, Wis., Pinkston enjoyed great success as a junior player and eventually led the Medford High School team to consecutive Lumberjack Conference championships, capped by an individual second-place finish at the 1992 WIAA Division I Boys’ State Championship. He attended UW-La Crosse from 1992-1994 and later transferred to New Mexico State University’s Professional Golf Management program, from which he graduated in 1997 with a degree in marketing.

Pinkston entered the PGA Apprentice Program as an assistant golf professional during the summers of 1995 and 1996, first at Cherry Hills Country Club in Englewood, Colo., and later at Cedar Creek Golf Course in Holmen, Wis. During the summer of 1997, he traveled the country as a tournament official for the PGA of America’s Junior Series, one of the nation’s premier junior-golf tours. In 1998, he joined the professional staff at The Ranch Country Club in Westminster, Colo., where he studied golf instruction under PGA Master Professional Ed Oldham and helped hundreds of players improve their games.

"Golf has been a passion of mine for 23 years, and I believe that passion will go a long way toward building a Red Hawk golf tradition as prominent as those of our other athletic programs," Pinkston said. "All the elements are there, so I’m grateful for the opportunity to help put it all together as coach."

Pinkston exited the golf business in 2000 and began a career as a communications professional with Texas-based Dell, Inc. His higher-education experience started with Austin Community College in 2005, before joining Ripon College in September 2006. Pinkston currently resides in Ripon with his wife, Amy.