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University of Florida women’s golf head coach Jill Briles-Hinton announced the hiring of Jay Goble as the new assistant head coach on Tuesday.

Goble, 30, joins Florida’s staff after serving as an instructor at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy at the IMG Academies in Bradenton since 2004.

“Jay has been a valuable asset to our academy,” said Tracy Reiser, assistant director at the Leadbetter Academy. “He has a great deal of passion for the game and possesses a lot of knowledge that he relayed to the golfers he instructed. All of the players that he has worked with have greatly benefited from their time with him.”

Prior to his position with Leadbetter, Goble served as golf professional at The Club at Olde Cypress in Naples, and The Preserve Golf Club in Bradenton, teaching golf lessons to players of all skill levels. Goble was also the junior camps coordinator for Coastal Carolina University from 1997-1998.

Goble replaces Robin Walton, who served as assistant head coach for the Lady Gators for eight seasons. Walton left the team at the end of the 2007-08 season to pursue further goals in coaching.

“This is a phenomenal day for the University Athletic Association and the women’s golf program that we were able to acquire such a highly-decorated instructor with the capabilities that he possesses,” Hinton said. “His background as an instructor at IMG Academy is very advantageous in his new position with Florida. Not only is he an extraordinary instructor when it comes to the golf swing, but his ties to junior golfers through IMG will be very beneficial to our program. While at IMG, he has been molding and instructing the types of players that we want to play for Florida.”

“Additionally, Jay will serve as my Junior Golf Academy Director,” the current SEC Coach of the Year added. “With his connections and experience, I am confident that our academies will be among the best around. Not only will our junior golfers learn a great deal from Jay, but I will as well. I am looking forward to the upcoming season with Jay on board for the Lady Gator golf team.”

“Both my wife and best friend are University of Florida graduates so I have always been a fan of the Gators,” Goble said. “I am very excited to be a part of the Gator Nation and the women’s golf squad. I look forward to contributing all that I have learned as a student-athlete and as an instructor with the members of the team.”

Goble was a four-year scholarship player at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from 1996 to 2000. During his time at UNCC, he participated in 20 collegiate events. Upon graduation, Goble played on numerous professional tours in the Southeast United States and has played in qualifiers for the U.S. Open and other nation-wide tours since 1997. In 2003, Goble claimed a 72-stroke scoring average in the Southwest Florida chapter of the PGA.