Wade Merry enters his sixth season as the head coach of the University of Sioux Falls men's and women's golf programs in 2026. A respected figure in South Dakota golf, Merry brings decades of experience, leadership, and a passion for student-athlete development to the Cougar programs.
Merry completed his fifth season at the helm in 2025-26, guiding the men's team to a tie for second place at the NSIC Championships and leading the women's team to a second-place finish at the Augustana Spring Invitational and a fifth-place showing at the NSIC Championships. Under his leadership, freshman Charlie Hanson captured the individual title at the USF Invitational and earned NSIC Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-NSIC honors.
The Cougars also continued to excel academically under Merry's direction. His programs earned two NSIC Team of Excellence honors while producing six NSIC All-Academic selections and two CorTrust Scholar-Athlete award recipients during the 2025-26 academic year.
Throughout his tenure at Sioux Falls, Merry has guided the Cougars to nine tournament championships and eight individual medalist performances while producing 11 All-NSIC selections, four NSIC major award winners, three NSIC Golfer of the Week honorees, and two NCAA Central Region Championship qualifiers. His programs have also established themselves among the conference's academic leaders, earning 24 NSIC All-Academic honors, 19 NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence selections, 12 NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction awards, and 12 Division II ADA Academic Achievement recognitions.
Merry's programs have established themselves among the conference's academic leaders, producing 43 NSIC All-Academic Team honorees, including 19 Team of Excellence selections, along with two CSC Academic All-District selections, 12 NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction recipients, 12 Division II ADA Academic Achievement Award winners, two CorTrust Scholar-Athlete honorees, and three WGCA All-American Scholars.
Prior to joining the University of Sioux Falls, Merry served as Executive Director of the South Dakota Golf Association (SDGA) and the South Dakota Junior Golf Foundation from 2005-18. During his tenure, he oversaw unprecedented growth in golf across the state by expanding state championships, developing the South Dakota Junior Golf Tour, establishing The First Tee of South Dakota, creating the Great Plains Golf Expo, and helping establish a permanent home for the South Dakota Golf Hall of Fame. In recognition of his contributions to the game, Merry was inducted into the South Dakota Golf Hall of Fame in 2019.
A 1979 graduate of Dakota State University, Merry was a three-sport athlete in golf, tennis, and baseball. As a member of the 1977 Trojan tennis team, he helped lead the program to an undefeated season and the school's first conference championship. That team was later inducted into the Dakota State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
Beyond golf, Merry is a proud father of two. His son, Benjamin, is an attorney and Vice President of Benefits Compliance at NFP, an AON company in Washington, D.C., and his daughter, Alexandra, serves as Senior Director of Social Media for the Kansas City Chiefs and resides in Roeland Park, Kansas.
USF Records and Accomplishments
- 9 tournament team championships
- 8 individual medalist titles
- 2 NSIC major award winners
- Lexi Hanson – NSIC Women's Golfer of the Year (2021-22)
- Maggie Veenendall – NSIC Women's Newcomer of the Year (2021-22)
- Gavin Metz – NSIC Men's Newcomer of the Year (2021-22)
- Charlie Hanson – NSIC Men's Newcomer of the Year (2025-26)
- 11 All-NSIC selections
- 5 First Team selections
- 4 Second Team selections
- 2 Major award recipients not included on all-conference teams
- 3 NSIC Golfer of the Week honorees
- 1 NSIC Athlete of the Week honoree
- 2 NCAA Central Region Championship qualifiers
- 43 NSIC All-Academic Team honorees, including 19 NSIC Team of Excellence selections
- 2 CSC Academic All-District selections
- 12 NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction recipients
- 12 Division II ADA Academic Achievement Award recipients
- 3 Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholars
- Top-10 national finish in the NCAA Division II WGCA All-Scholar Team GPA rankings
Updated 6/17/2026
