Former WPIAL champ, Point Park standout Max Kaminsky to coach La Roche men's golf

It wasn’t all that long ago Max Kaminsky was celebrating a WPIAL golf championship as a freshman at Serra Catholic, the first ninth-grade boy to win a district title. Or, when he was qualifying for NAIA nationals as a long-hitting frontman at Point Park.

His game matured fast and so did his knack for teaching it. Kaminsky is ready to help other collegiate golfers chase success like he had as he begins a coaching career.

He was named head coach of the La Roche men’s golf program.

“I am extremely excited and eager to build a strong golf program,” Kaminsky said in a news release, “and strive to compete for a conference and national title in the near future.”

A three-time All-River States Conference selection and two-time qualifier for the NAIA National Golf Championships, Kaminsky is just the second coach in Redhawks’ history. He replaces Jim Tinkey, who is the athletic director at La Roche. Tinkey guided the program for 22 years.

“Max brings to the table a very successful collegiate playing career,” said Tinkey, a three-time AMCC Coach of the Year selection. “What struck me most about Max (in interviews) was his competitiveness. He’s ready to take this step, I’m confident in that.”

Kaminsky graduated from Point Park in 2018 and worked as a USGA P.J. Boatwright intern, a role that allowed him to work with golf software.

He worked at Butler’s Golf Course in Elizabeth and more recently served as an assistant pro at Indiana Country Club.

He was the first ninth grader to win the WPIAL tournament when he won the Class AA title in 2010, the first time the tournament was split into two divisions.

Kaminsky qualified twice for the PIAA championship.