Matt Lewis is entering his 14th season at the helm of the Drake men's golf program after being named head coach on July 26, 2011.
During his tenure, Lewis has guided multiple Bulldogs to Missouri Valley Conference All-Conference selections. Lewis also takes pride in his student-athletes' hard work in the classroom as a number of players under his tutelage have garnered MVC Scholar-Athlete selections.
Most recently, Lewis coached the Bulldogs to a fourth place finish at the MVC Championship, which marked the best finish by Drake since the 2021-22 season. Sophomore Jake Weissenburger earned All-Conference honors and Jack Dumas was placed on the Scholar-Athlete First Team during the 2024-25 season.
Lewis, a former first-team All-Big 12 and first-team Academic All-Big 12 performer at Iowa State, has been head golf professional at Clinton Country Club in Clinton, Iowa, since 2004. As a Cyclone (1997-99) he was coached by former Drake head coach Jamie Bermel.
As head pro at Clinton Country Club, Lewis earned a reputation as a respected teacher of the game, working with golfers of all ages and abilities. He also promoted and conducted 60 member events and 24 corporate events annually. During his time in the position he oversaw an increase in corporate events from 11 in 2004 to 24 last year. In addition to many responsibilities he was responsible for recruiting, hiring and training 15 golf department employees.
"My family and I are very excited about being a part of the Drake community," Lewis said. "I am looking forward to creating a strong, cohesive team. My experiences as a collegiate student-athlete, professional golfer and club professional have prepared me to be a successful college golf coach."
Prior to his tenure at Clinton C.C., Lewis gained eight years of experience working at two of the top private clubs in Minnesota: Somerset Country Club (assistant golf pro, 2001-03) and Interlachen Country Club (1996-2000).
Drake alumnus and 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson praised the hire.
"Drake University hired a winner in Matt Lewis," Johnson said. "Because of his background as a college student-athlete and as a professional golfer, Matt provides the necessary platform for his golfers to be successful on the links and in the classroom. His attention to detail, tireless work ethic, positive attitude and fun-loving spirit will trickle down to his student-athletes and the DU Athletic Administration."
Lewis began his collegiate career at Minnesota (1994-97) before transferring to Iowa State (1997-99). He still ranks tied for seventh in Iowa State history with a low 54-hole tournament score of 207 at the 1997 Red Raider Invitational. He is also seventh in Cyclones history with a career stroke average of 74.13, under the direction of former Bulldogs head coach Jamie Bermel, now the head coach at Kansas.
"I could not be happier for Drake University, Bulldog Men's Golf, Matt Lewis and his family," Bermel said. "Matt will work tirelessly to get the Bulldogs to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference. He will engage all former players, alumni and golf supporters in his quest to be the best. I know Matt will recruit quality student-athletes and get them to play at the highest possible level."
Lewis earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 1998 when he led the team with a 73.82 stroke average. He was a first-team academic All-Big 12 choice and Iowa State team captain in 1998 and '99. The Cyclones competed in the NCAA Regional in Columbus, Ohio in his senior year of 1999. Lewis received his Bachelor of Arts degree in speech communications from Iowa State in 1999.
Following his collegiate career, Lewis competed in the North Florida PGA Tour (1999-2000), and is a PGA Class A Member.
His professional memberships include Iowa PGA Section Board Member (2009-11) and Membership Committee Member for the Iowa PGA (2010-11).
Lewis placed in the Top 10 in four AJGA Tournaments as a national competitive high school athlete (1992-1994) at Hempstead High School in Dubuque.
A native of Dubuque, Lewis and his wife, Tara, have three children, daughter Avery, and sons Jackson and Bennett.
