Chris Dockrill, a 2014 Elon Sports Hall of Fame inductee and former All-American for the Phoenix men’s golf program, retired following the 2025-26 season after nearly three decades as head coach of the Elon women’s golf program.
Dockrill, who took over the program in 1999, guided the Phoenix to more than 25 tournament victories and 22 top-five finishes at conference championship events during his tenure. He was twice named conference coach of the year, earning honors in the Big South Conference in 2000 and the Southern Conference in 2007. Elon also excelled in the classroom under his leadership, with 27 student-athletes earning WGCA All-America Scholar recognition a combined 54 times since 2000.
During Elon’s time in the Coastal Athletic Association (2014-26), Dockrill led the Phoenix to 12 tournament titles and 58 top-five finishes. The program made an immediate impact in its first season in the league, finishing second at the 2015 CAA Championship while winning three tournaments. Seven Phoenix combined for 13 All-CAA honors under Dockrill’s guidance, including standout careers from Heather Munro and Kelsey Badmaev, the program’s only four-time all-conference selections during the NCAA Division I era.
Prior to Elon’s move to the CAA, Dockrill’s teams earned 13 all-conference selections during the program’s tenure in the Southern Conference and posted eight top-five finishes at the league championship. His 2006-07 squad captured two tournament titles and finished fifth at the SoCon Championship, helping him earn his second career coach of the year honor. Elon recorded eight top-five finishes at the SoCon Championship during his 11 seasons in the league, highlighted by a runner-up finish in 2005.
Dockrill also guided the program through its Big South era (1999-2003), where the Phoenix finished fourth or better at the conference championship in all four seasons. He was named the 2000 Big South Coach of the Year following a fourth-place finish.
His tenure coincided with significant growth in the program’s facilities, including the opening of the W. Cecil Worsley III Golf Training Center in 2009 and the debut of Holland House, Elon's golf clubhouse, in 2026.
Prior to becoming head coach, Dockrill spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the Elon men’s golf program under Hall of Fame coach Bill Morningstar. A standout student-athlete from 1984-86, Dockrill earned All-America and Academic All-America honors as a senior and placed fifth individually at the 1986 NAIA National Championship, helping lead Elon to a fourth-place team finish.
A native of Nova Scotia, Canada, Dockrill competed in the Canadian Amateur Championships in 1982 and 1983 and won the Canadian National 16 & Under title in 1979.
Dockrill graduated from Elon in 1986. He is married to the former Theresa Brosnan of Rockville, Maryland. They have two daughters, Heather and Claire, and a son, Jack.
Last updated: April 21, 2026
