Coaching change for Sussex Academy golf team

A new head coach joined the Sussex Academy golf team for the 2026 season. He brings plenty of experience to the assignment.

Keith Kendzierski comes to Sussex Academy after seven years of coaching the Milford High School Buccaneers.

“I changed jobs and became the head custodian at North Georgetown Elementary School for the Indian River School District. I saw the announcement about the opening at [Sussex] Academy and was lucky enough to be hired for the coaching spot,” he said.

Kendzierski said his new work gives him more flexibility than most teachers have when it comes to coaching high school athletics.

“I have a little more freedom than they have, like I don’t need to come up with a sub for a missing period. As the head custodian, I can fit my hours in where I need to and then be available for the afternoons,” he said.

The 2001 Milford High grad was an active athlete during his own Buccaneer days, and he believes that fact combined with his age helps his coaching.

“I can relate really easily with the kids, and I have good relationships with the parents,” Kendzierski said. “I’m about a 10 handicap myself, so some of these kids are better than I am. I tell them to think of what I do as being a good caddie, helping them make better decisions instead of telling them how to hit the ball.”

Kings Creek Country Club continues to host the Seahawks for matches, but the recent blizzard wreaked havoc on the club’s screened driving range. Kendzierski reached out to Plantation Lakes Golf & Country Club in Millsboro, which graciously made its practice range available.

“They were great, really welcoming,” he said.

Kendzierski also assumed another golfing responsibility. In January, he was voted in as the head of the Delaware Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association. This group helps establish rules for practice and competition. The DIGCA role also places him on the DIAA golf committee, which he looks forward to participating in during the coming months.

As for his personal golfing exploits, Kendzierski emphasized his primary goal is to have fun.

“During the spring season, it’s pretty serious, but once that’s over, you’re more likely to see me playing in the par three league all summer at Shamrock Par 3 [in Milton] with my friends,” he said.

Kendzierski expressed appreciation for Doug Grove, who resigned from the head golf coach position last fall.

“I consider him a friend. He’s been instrumental for me,” Kendzierski said.

Grove had a very successful tenure at Sussex Academy, including the school’s first team state championship in 2022, his first year with the program.

“We’ve had some really good kids playing, some really great talent, like the Lydic sisters and Sawyer Brockstedt that first year,” he said. 

Even after those three national-level athletes left, Grove’s teams still enjoyed a high level of accomplishment. The Seahawks won the Henlopen South title two more times during his four years. The team also finished in fourth place in the 2025 state championships.

Grove came to Sussex Academy in 2021 with a fine coaching pedigree. He coached high school baseball in Northern Virginia, with six years as the JV coach and then 24 years as the head coach from 1995 to 2018.

No one stays in coaching that long if they’re, A. Not good at it; and B. don’t enjoy it.

“I had a really good time at Sussex. It was a lot of fun,” he said. “I really appreciated the support I received from the [Sussex] Academy administration. And the help we had from Kings Creek Country Club was phenomenal. I also thought the coaches from the schools we played against were just a good group of people. It was a really enjoyable run, and I’m so glad I got to do it.”

Cape Region golf courses and high school golf

High school golfers in Delaware depend on finding some great places to be guests.

With few exceptions such as indoor track, every other scholastic sport uses district-owned venues to practice and compete. Ball fields and ancillary athletic acreages make up a large percentage of all public school property, especially high schools. 

No school in Delaware owns an additional 150 acres for golf. The sport depends on the generosity and enlightened self-interest of those who own the courses to make it happen.

Cape Region clubs such as Rehoboth Beach Country Club, Kings Creek Country Club, Baywood Greens and Southern Delaware Golf Club have hosted high school practices and matches for years. Clubs with a more recent history such as Plantation Lakes have stepped up and agreed to host school teams or make their practice ranges available for additional schools. 

Other courses like American Classic Golf Club free up tee times for area schools to conduct their early-season tryout competitions. Still others, such as Midway Par 3, open their spots to high school golfers at nearly every opportunity.

When Cape Region golfers go to these clubs to play their own games, please take a moment to thank the course operators for their generosity to high school golfers and the school districts that depend on them for this great opportunity.