Jon Whithaus

Jon Whithaus enters his eleventh season with Duke University’s women’s golf program and is currently in his fifth year as Associate Head Coach. Prior to transitioning to the women’s team, he spent time in the men’s program (2009-12) and held a number of key leadership and developmental coaching roles over his career. At Duke, Whithaus has helped guide the Blue Devils to national prominence: during his tenure the team has claimed an NCAA Championship (2019), ACC Championships, and multiple appearances in the NCAA match-play semifinals. He brings a strong reputation for individual player coaching as well, having worked with All-Americans and future professionals across both collegiate women’s and men’s golf. Before his time at Duke, Whithaus served as head coach of the men’s golf program at Ohio Wesleyan University from 1997-2009, where he built a sustained winning culture—his teams posted 48 tournament victories, 11 NCAA Division III Championship appearances and multiple Coach of the Year honors. As a player, he competed at Ohio Wesleyan where he earned All-America Scholar honors, and later received a master’s degree in sports and exercise education from Ohio State University in 1997. Whithaus is known for his ability to tailor coaching to individual athletes, emphasizing clarity, efficiency and a positive mindset. His coaching philosophy focuses on helping players understand and refine their process, seize competition opportunities, and develop beyond the course. He and his wife, Beth, have three daughters—Morgan, Audra and Ella—and he continues to contribute to the golf community through instructional initiatives and the cultivation of competitive environments that mirror tournament conditions.