Jones College

Gentry Barton enters his third season as an assistant coach with the men's golf program.

Barton and the Bobcats continue to make tremendous strides since the program was reinstated in 2022, with two program firsts during the 2024-25 season. Sebastian Nowak was selected as an NJCAA Division II PING Honorable Mention All-American and Jones qualified as a team for the national tournament. 

Jones placed in the Top 4 in eight tournaments, including third in the MACCC Championship and Gulf District Championship. They'd go on to finish 14th in the national tournament out of the 22-team field.

In Barton's first year, Jones placed in the Top 5 in nine of 10 tournaments, including a season-best runner-up finish October 16-17 in the Bobcat Invitational and third place finish in the MACCC Championship. The year prior they had just four Top 5 finishes.

Kieran Morris qualified for the NJCAA National Tournament due to his fantastic season play, the first Bobcat qualifier since 2014. He'd go on to place in a tie for ninth in a field of 127 players. 

As a golf professional, Barton's knowledge of the golf swing and the game has transitioned well at Jones. 

He previously volunteered with West Jones' golf programs for a year before accepting the assistant coach job for the Bobcats.
 
Barton played soccer for Jones back in 2012-13, and after a career-ending injury, he went to work as an employee of Laurel Country Club. 
 
While finishing his bachelor’s degree at Southern Miss in 2014-2016, Barton accepted the assistant professional job at LCC. He has worked at LCC for nine years, teaching golf and helping in day-to-day operations under general manager Andy Loving. 
 
Barton also became an insurance agent in the state of Mississippi starting in 2021. 
 
Barton and his wife, Lydia, have been married for three years.