Bio

 One of the top amateur golfers in New England, Charlie Blanchard recently completed his eleventh season as head coach of the Bryant University men’s golf program in 2021-22.

Blanchard led Bryant to a sixth-place finish, and Nick Piersall, in his graduate season, received All-NEC second-team honors. The second consecutive season, the Black and Gold had a player make the team.

The Black and Gold placed fourth at the 2021 NEC Championships. Nick Piersall earned All-NEC first-team honors and was named the golfer of the week twice during the season. The Bulldogs were victorious at the St. Peters Invitational and in a head-to-head match against Holy Cross. Coach Blanchard also won the Connecticut Senior Open as a competitor during the summer.

 During the 2019-20 season, Covid limited gold to only one tournament on the season, where they finished in eighth, alongside the help of Matthew Stafford, who placed top-10 at the Lonnie Barton. Nick Piersall was named to the All-New England team.

Blanchard led the Bulldogs to a second-place finish during the 2018-19 season at the NEC Championships. He also coached Matthew Stafford and Ryan Brown to All-NEC selections. Stafford was named to the first team, as he led the team with an average of 75.8 while producing three top-10 finishes. Brown recorded a 76.3 average and finished even at the NEC Championships to propel Bryant to a second-place finish.

Under Blanchard's guidance, Bryant has won two Northeast Conference Championships, taking home the league title and NEC's automatic qualifier in 2014 and 2017. The Bulldogs have also earned recognition for their efforts in the classroom, earning six spots on the NEC Commissioner's Honor Roll over the last two seasons.

Bryant earned its fifth top-two finish in six years with a second-place finish in the 2019 NEC Championship. Matthew Stafford garnered All-NEC honors for the second consecutive season, while Ryan Brown earned a first-team all-conference nod in his senior campaign. Stafford, Brown and sophomore transfer Nick Piersall propelled the Bulldogs' comeback bid in Daytona, coming within six strokes of NEC Champion Robert Morris.

The 2017-18 season saw the emergence of a pair of sophomores, as Connor Henderson recorded three top-10 finishes and Matthew Stafford led the team in scoring average. Stafford and John Roberts earned second-team All-NEC honors. Ryan Brown recorded five top-25 and two top-five finishes, highlighted by a third-place result at the Ryan T. Lee Memorial Collegiate.

Bryant won its second Northeast Conference title in the 2016-17 season, taking the conference championship by 26 strokes. Blanchard was named NEC Coach of the Year, while seniors McKinley Slade and Ryan Tombs earned first-team All-NEC honors. Slade, Tombs and Roberts all finished in the top six at LPGA International as Bryant qualified for the Washington Regional of the NCAA Championship. The Bulldogs opened the year with team and individual (Tombs) titles at the Ryan T. Lee Memorial Collegiate in Connecticut.

Blanchard's Bulldogs elevated their play to an even greater level in 2015-16, finishing second at the NEC Championship for a second-straight season. Bryant trailed Wagner College by five strokes heading to the 18th hole of the third and final day. The Bulldogs tied for the lead on 18 to force a playoff, but were narrowly edged out by the Seahawks. Tombs nearly avenged his second-place finish from the season before, as he partook in and dropped a playoff of his own after being tied for the individual lead following round three.

The Black and Gold had a pair of individual victories in 2015-16 from Buschmann and Walp, two overall team wins, two second-place finishes and four additional top-five placements. McKinley Slade became a force on the course, earning NEC Golfer of the Month three times behind seven top-10 finishes and three second-place finishes, en route to being named NEC Golfer of the Year. It marked the first time a Bulldog had garnered the disinction since Jason Thresher (2010). Joining Slade on the All-NEC First Team were Buschmann and Tombs.  

The Bulldogs were strong once again in 2014-15, finishing second at the NEC Championship while taking home five top-5 and nine top-10 team finishes. After tying for first at the NEC Championship as a rookie, Tombs took home second as a sophomore, leading three top-10 individual finishers. Walp and Buschmann, who joined him in the top-10, earned all-conference first and second team nods, respectively.

The 2013-14 season was a historic one for Blanchard and the Bulldogs, as the third-year head coach led his program to its first-ever Northeast Conference title and Division I NCAA tournament appearance. After being picked to finish first in the NEC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Black and Gold did not disappoint, taking its first conference championship by an eight-stroke margin. In all, the Bulldogs secured eight top-5 finishes on the year, including wins at the Blue Devils Fall Invitational and the NEC Championships, and saw three of their own grab All-NEC First Team nods in Joe Walp, Ryan Tombs and Kyle Buschmann. Tombs was also named the NEC Rookie of the Year, the second-straight season a Bulldog has claimed the honor (Buschmann – 2013).

After a very successful first year in 2011-12, Blanchard's team excelled on the course in 2012-13. The Bulldogs earned eight top-5 finishes as a team, including the Division I title at the NEIGA Championship. The Black and Gold also placed first at the Prisco Boulet Shootout and earned top-3 finishes at The Connecticut Cup, the Lonnie Barton Invitational and the Rhody Invitational. Bryant also finished fifth at the NEC Championships. Blanchard also saw freshman Kyle Buschmann have a standout rookie campaign, as he was named the NEC Rookie of the Year and a First Team All-NEC selection.

During his first season at Bryant, Blanchard led the Bulldogs to six top-10 finishes, including two second-place showings at the NEIGA Championship and the Hurricane Fusillade Challenge.

“We are very excited to name Charlie as the next head coach of the Bryant University men’s golf program,” said Director of Athletics Bill Smith. “He brings a tremendous amount of experience to the program, and having served as an assistant coach with our men’s lacrosse program for the past five years, his familiarity with Bryant and the golf program will certainly help us compete against the best in the region.”

A familiar face on the local golf circuit, Blanchard brings a decorated resume to the Bryant program. A six-time Rhode Island Golf Association Player of the Year selection, Blanchard captured the R.I. Amateur Championship in 2002. That year, he was the only golfer to win all five Rhode Island major tournaments and was recognized as the New England Golf Journal New England Player of the Year.

A three-time United States Golf Association (USGA) Sectional Qualifier, Blanchard has won seven R.I. Mid-Amateur Championships during his career, most recently in 2009 and 2010, and captured four R.I. Stroke Play Championships, including the 2011 title. Blanchard has also claimed five titles at the John P. Burke Memorial Championship.

A 1984 graduate of Rocky Hill School in East Greenwich, R.I., Blanchard was a two-sport standout at Ohio Wesleyan University in both soccer and men’s lacrosse. A two-time All-Ohio and NCAC Conference selection in soccer, Blanchard was a two-time USILA First Team All-American selection in lacrosse and was named the USILA Midfielder of the Year in 1987.

Upon graduating, Blanchard played professional lacrosse as a member of the Boston Blazers from 1990-97. During his professional career, he earned five game MVP honors and was selected to the first-ever Major Indoor Lacrosse League All-Star Game.

From 2007-11 (five seasons), Blanchard served as an assistant men’s lacrosse coach on Mike Pressler’s staff at Bryant University. Blanchard took over the Bulldog golf program for Archie Boulet, who retired in 2011 after a remarkable 47-year career.