Ex-VCC pro honored by PGA for career in teaching|[9/13/06]

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 13, 2006

A career of helping golf club professionals become better teachers of the game has seen former Vicksburg Country Club pro and general manager Thomas Tatnall get recognized by the PGA of America.

Tatnall, who ran the VCC from 1988-89, was honored as the PGA’s 2006 Horton Smith Award winner. The award recognizes a PGA member for their contribution in developing and improving educational opportunities for PGA golf professionals.

&#8220It’s been a cumulative thing, having been in PGA education for over 30 years, doing seminars, doing check points and course work,” Tatnall said. &#8220Some 5 to 6,000 apprentices have come through my courses in Ridgeland or Mississippi State.

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&#8220We try to teach all aspects of being a club professional, including course management and teaching.”

One of the many students Tatnall has taught include former Vicksburg resident Sid Neal, who is now the club pro at Lake Caroline.

Tatnall now resides and works at his golf-related businesses in Ridgeland.

&#8220I do basically three things. I’m the adjunct professor for the PGA in the pro management program. I also work on a consulting basis for SkyGolf, which produces the SkyCaddie GPS rangefinder. I serve as its Director of Professional Program Development.

&#8220The third thing I do is I’m a part of the Golf Expert Group. It’s basically 20 of us who are called upon to provide expert testimony in litigation involving golf,” Tatnall said.

Examples of that would be a golf club getting sued over a golf cart accident.

&#8220I (recently) had a case involving Steve Wynn and one of his new Las Vegas courses,” Tatnall said.

While changes in technology such as the GPS rangefinder have helped the local amateur, others like the new course lightning detectors, can force Tatnall to don his legal hat.

&#8220The evolution of the lightning detector has actually increased some of the litigation aspects, because some players try to rely on it too much,” he said.

Tatnall also is a regular contributor for the fall Farm Bureau Classic, Mississippi’s only PGA Tournament.