In 2005, the LSU men’s golf program was far from the power that it was in the late 1980s when future PGA star David Toms and the Tigers won two Southeastern Conference championships in 1986 and 1987.
The Tigers have not won an SEC title since 1987, but they are on their way back to contention.
To end the 2004-2005 season, the Tigers sat at No. 44 in the Golfweek Magazine rankings. The team finished 24th in the NCAA West Regional, failing to advance to the NCAA Championship Tournament and leading to changes for the program. 
The following season, Chuck Winstead took the reins as the head coach of the golf program. As a player from 1989 to 1991, Winstead played during one of LSU’s most successful times and he wanted to bring those winning ways back to his school.
“I knew that the golf program was in pretty bad shape and as an alum and a former player I wanted to do everything I could to help it,” Winstead said. 
Now entering his 10th season, Winstead has revived the program, but not without help along the way.
“One person can’t build a program,” Winstead said. “It takes an athletic department. It takes the fundraising of the [Tiger Athletic Foundation]. It takes our alums. You have to have vision. You have to have focus and direction given to that, but it has been a collective effort.”
The athletic department responded. Winstead provided the vision and direction for a multi-million dollar renovation to the University Club golf course and LSU’s Bilyeu Golf Practice Facility.
The new facilities helped Winstead become one of the top recruiters in the country. 
“We’ve been fortunate to recruit not only some talented men, but also some passionate, hungry guys that really wanted to succeed,” Winstead said.
Winstead’s players have multiple All-America, All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman selections and one individual national champion — John Peterson in 2011. Peterson’s title was the Tigers’ first individual champion since 1941.
Many of his former players now play on the PGA Tour and have experienced success in their young careers. Winstead said the success of former players on the professional stage will only lead to positives moving forward.
“Hopefully guys like Peterson and [Andrew] Loupe and even Ken Looper [playing on Tour] … is a consequence of a lot of other things that have gone right like better recruiting, better facilities, and maybe some decent coaching along the way,” Winstead said. “The more guys that flow through the program and go on to have that kind of success hopefully that will shine a light backwards as to why that happened.”
Despite tying for third place at last year’s NCAA championship tournament, Winstead is not settling and his goal remains unchanged
“My focus is still pretty much the same, which is that we want to build the best program in the country,” Winstead said. “I wake up every day the exact same, which is to just be better than I was yesterday. It’s easy for me to translate that into the program because I love it. I care about it. I was part of it. I played here. I love this school.”
The long-term coach plans to end his career as a Tiger because it’s the only home he’s ever known.
“I can’t imagine coaching anywhere else,” Winstead said. “I never did before so I can’t imagine doing it.”