Laura Tyler-Cook - Women's Golf Coach - Bucknell University Athletics

Laura Tyler-Cook

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
ltc006@bucknell.edu
Phone:
570-577-7347

Laura Tyler-Cook, a highly respected golf teacher, coach, and player in the Susquehanna Valley for the last 30 years, was tabbed as Bucknell’s head women’s golf coach on Aug. 2, 2022.

In her first season at Bucknell, Tyler-Cook saw her team win the Bucknell Invitational while tying the school 18-hole record with a 296 team score. Since her arrival, the Bison have climbed the ranks of the Patriot League, taking second at the 2026 Patriot League Championships for the team's best finish at the Patriot League Championships since 2014.

The 2025-26 season was a record-setting year under Tyler-Cook’s leadership, where she was voted as the 2026 Patriot League Coach of the Year. The Bison won four tournaments, including back-to-back wins to start the season. At the Bucknell Invitational, the women set a 36-hole record and bested their 54-hole record by 11 strokes. The Bison also set four top-five single round scores as a team in program history. On top of the records and wins, the Bison had 10 different Patriot League Golfer of the Week honors from five different golfers. Joelle Johnson also became Bucknell’s first Patriot League Rookie of the Year in women’s golf.

An LPGA Class A professional, Tyler-Cook served as the head women’s golf coach at Susquehanna University from 2013-16 before taking over as the head professional at Frosty Valley Resort in Danville, Pa. Starting in 2018, she served as Frosty Valley’s head golf instructor and US Kids Academy Director. She was twice named a Top-50 US Kids Golf Coach and in 2021 was cited as a Top-50 US Kids Master Coach. In 2022, Tyler-Cook was nominated for the Junior Leader of the Year award from the LPGA Northeast Section.

“Laura has been a fixture in the local golf community for a long time, and I am thrilled to welcome her to the Bucknell Athletics family as our next head women’s golf coach,” said director of athletics Jermaine Truax at the time of her hire. “Laura has done so much to grow the game of golf in our area, and she has a proven track record of improving her players’ performances. Our program is fortunate to have first-class facilities at the Bachman Golf Center and Bucknell Golf Club, and I am excited to watch Laura in action as she mentors a team that has the potential to move up in the Patriot League.”

“I am so thankful for the opportunity to be the women’s golf coach at Bucknell,” said Tyler-Cook. “With my playing, coaching, and teaching experience, I am confident I can get our team to the next level. I am looking forward to being a part of Bison Athletics.”

During her stint at Susquehanna, Tyler-Cook also worked as a teaching professional (2014), head golf professional (2015), and director of golf (2016) at nearby Susquehanna Valley Country Club. She has also spent time as a teaching pro at the Tee-to-Green Golf Center in Danville and at the Bumble Bee Hollow Golf Center in Harrisburg, Pa.

While dedicating her career to helping others improve their games, Tyler-Cook has enjoyed a standout playing career in her own right. She was a four-year standout at James Madison University, graduating in 1986 with a bachelor of science degree in physical and health education. She later played on the Futures Golf Tour, and during that time she twice qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open (1988 at Five Farms in Maryland and 1990 at Atlanta Athletic Club).

Tyler-Cook won the Pennsylvania Women’s Open in 1995, she was the low professional at the 2008 Lady Pro-Am, and she was the section runner-up in 1994 and 2012. She was the Bucknell Ladies Club Champion in 1986.