A 1989 graduate of The College of Wooster, Rich Danch is in his 30th year as his alma mater’s head golf coach.
During his first 29 seasons, Danch has guided the Fighting Scots to 18 tournament wins, with the program winning multiple tournaments for the first time since 1997-98 during the 2022-23 season, as well as two runner-up finishes within the highly-competitive North Coast Athletic Conference, and an appearance at the NCAA Div. III Championships. His tenure has been highlighted by the 1998 campaign when the team came in second at the conference tourney and then placed 13th among a field of 23 teams at nationals. Also of note, Danch has coached one NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient in David Roney, one All-American in Jeff Nimeh, three GCAA All-American Scholars, and 21 different All-NCAC players. During the 2023-24 season, Wooster won multiple tournaments for the second straight year, a first for the program since it was the defending national champion in 1976. Wooster followed that up with two tournament wins during 2024-25, marking the first time in program history the Scots have won multiple tournaments in three straight seasons.
A “Class A” member of the Professional Golfers Association of America since 1993, Danch possesses a wealth of experience as an instructor, which is of great benefit not only to his coaching, but also to his position as PGA Director of Instruction at the L.C. Boles Memorial Golf Course on Wooster’s campus. Danch, who returned to the College after spending seven years in a variety of golf-related positions, also teaches classes within the Department of Physical Education.
Danch began his golf career following graduation, spending two years at Cypress Run Golf Club in Tarpon Springs, Fla., where he was an assistant golf professional. He then came back to Ohio and served as the first assistant pro at the Elyria Country Club. After one year, he moved to Illinois in 1992 to join the staff at the LaGrange Country Club, starting as an associate pro and ascending to the positions of first assistant pro and interim head professional. From 1995-96, Danch was a PGA Teaching Professional at the Ken Venturi Golf Training Center in downtown Chicago, where he gave individual lessons and presented group clinics under the tutelage of the 1964 U.S. Open Champion.
Ironically, as an undergraduate, Danch earned four varsity letters and was a three-time All-NCAC award winner, including first-team honors in 1989, as a relief pitcher for Wooster’s nationally-ranked baseball team. Third in school history in career saves (16), he helped lead the Scots to three-straight conference championships (1987, 1988, 1989) and was the closer for the 1989 squad, which won the NCAA Mideast Regional and went on to compete in the Div. III Baseball Championship.
A native of Warren, Ohio, Danch received a bachelor’s degree in sociology at Wooster.
Personally, Danch is married to Deb Esty, Ph.D., also a 1989 graduate of Wooster. They reside in Wooster, and have an adult son, Colin.
