Mississippi golf professional and golf course developer Randy Watkins spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson about Mississippi golf and all things golf at the club's July 12 meeting. 

Randy Watkins is CEO of the Randy Watkins Golf Group that owns and operates three courses in the Jackson Metro area: Whisper Lake and Lake Caroline in Madison and Patrick Farms in Pearl. Before building or rebuilding his courses, Randy was the Class A PGA Professional at Castlewoods Country Club in Brandon for eight years. His work with golfers spans over 30 years, and his leadership with junior golfers continues.

A long-time competitive golfer, Randy was the 1977 PGA National Junior Champion. On the Ole Miss golf team, he was the 1982 SEC Individual Champion while earning 1st Team All SEC, NCAA All American and the team MVP 3 years in a row. After a stellar collegiate career, he qualified and played on the PGA TOUR in 1984-1985 where he posted career best finishes 5th in the Magnolia Classic and 7th in the Quad Cities Open. He also qualified and played in the US Open in 1984 at Winged Foot Golf Club just outside New York City. And he won the Mississippi Open in 1992 at Clarksdale Country Club.

Watkins long career also includes six years as Tournament Director of the PGA TOUR’s Viking Classic, now the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Watkins (right) is shown in fhe following picture with 2022-2023 Club President Larry Anderson (left) and club Past President Wyatt Emmerich (center). We thank Watkins for his presentation and for what he has done for the State of Mississippi. Here is the link to the meeting video: https://vimeo.com/729704541.