BIOGRAPHY
Garnet Manley Jr. enters his second season at the helm of the golf program after being hired in the fall of 2023.
In his first year at Sweet Briar, Manley helped lead the team to its best-ever performance at the Old Dominion Athletic Championship (ODAC). The team shot a three-day total of 1104 (+240) after scores of 377, 371 and 356 through rounds one through three.
Prior to his hire, Manley Jr. served as the head coach at Jefferson Forest High School in Forest, Va. for the past 12 years. While at Jefferson Forest, Manley Jr. has many Seminole District, Conference and Region Coach of the Year awards. Leading the Cavaliers team to four State Championship appearances, and eight individual player appearances. Those include two runner-up finishes, while having five individuals make the All-State Team.
"We are very excited to be adding Garnet Manley Jr. to our department," remarked Director of Athletics, Jason Vittone. "He brings a wealth of experience to the position and has built an impressive program at Jefferson Forest, which produced a lot of championships and many high caliber student-athletes."
Manley Jr. has a VHSL Coaching record of 949-131-6 while winning 131 events out of 190 played. A total of five region titles and four Seminole District Tournament titles, and the last 10 consecutive Seminole District Regular Season titles have been won by teams under the tutelage of Manley Jr. He has had 15 players go on to play collegiate golf, four at the Division I level, which include his son Garnet Manley III (JFHS'20, Campbell '25). Former player, Isaac Simmons (JFHS'18, Liberty '24) went on to compete in the 2023 U.S. Open in Los Angles, California.
"I look forward to coaching at the collegiate level and hope to be impactful as a coach and as part of the Sweet Briar community," Manley commented.
A 1987 graduate of the University of Lynchburg with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and minors in both sociology and art, Manley Jr. also competed as a member of the Division III golf program.
